Performance Analysis of Electrochemical Micro Machining of Titanium (Ti-6Al-4V) Alloy under Different Electrolytes Concentrations

Abstract

Titanium alloy is widely used in modern automobile industries due to its higher strength with corrosion resistance. Such higher strength materials can be effectively machined using unconventional machining processes, especially the electro-chemical micro machining (ECMM) process. It is important to enhance the machining process by investigating the effects of electrolytes and process parameters in ECMM. The presented work describes the influence of three different combinations of Sodium Chloride-based electrolytes on machining Titanium (Ti-6Al-4V) alloy. Based on the ECMM process parameters such as applied voltage, electrolytic concentration, frequency and duty cycle on response, characteristics are determined by the Taguchi design of experiments. The highest material removal rate (MRR) was achieved by the Sodium Chloride and Sodium Nitrate electrolyte. The combination of Sodium Chloride and Citric Acid achieve highest Overcut and Circularity. The optimal overcut was observed from the Sodium Chloride and Glycerol electrolyte due to the presence of glycerol. The better conicity was obtained from Sodium Chloride and Citric Acid in comparison with other electrolytes. A Sodium Chloride and Glycerol combination could generate better machined surface owing to the chelating effect of Glycerol.

Selected Aspects of Electrochemical Micromachining Technology Development

“…However, flexibility of this method is limited because the results of machining depend on electrode tool size, workpiece material composition, and heterogeneity of the structure. It is also crucial to precisely select the electrolyte composition and its additives for each machining material [ 8 ]. Therefore, in spite of high potential of dissolution localization, nanosecond pulse machining is not widely used in the industry.…”

“…It is related to selection of optimal conditions of dissolution under the small interelectrode gap (<100 µm). The scope of the conducted research includes especially: (1) explanation of the phenomena in interelectrode gap during dissolution [5]; (2) analysis and modification of electric current distribution on the workpiece surface [6,7]; (3) selection of optimal composition of electrolyte [8]; (4) technology development, i.e., simulation of machining or the tool shape/path design [9];…”

“…It is related to selection of optimal conditions of dissolution under the small interelectrode gap (<100 μm). The scope of the conducted research includes especially: (1) explanation of the phenomena in interelectrode gap during dissolution [ 5 ]; (2) analysis and modification of electric current distribution on the workpiece surface [ 6 , 7 ]; (3) selection of optimal composition of electrolyte [ 8 ]; (4) technology development, i.e., simulation of machining or the tool shape/path design [ 9 ]; (5) development of power suppliers and gap control strategy [ 10 ]; and (6) improvement of machining conditions by additional energy sources (i.e., ultrasonic vibrations [ 11 , 12 ]) or (7) integration with other technologies [ 13 ].…”

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Titanium Alloys

“…Other papers are related to an analysis of the influence of sodium-chloride-based electrolytes on machining a Ti-6Al-4V alloy [15], the effect of the microstructure of a titanium alloy with a trimodal microstructure on plastic deformation and crack growth mechanisms [16], and the adhesion properties of the TiAl/TiO2 interface estimated in dependence on interfacial layer composition and contact configuration using the projectoraugmented wave method [17].…”

Plasma-enabled electrochemical jet micromachining of chemically inert and passivating material

“…In addition to the chemical stability of the material itself due to its intrinsic atomic structure, one principal cause is the easy formation of the passive layer. This kind of material readily combines with oxygen to form a high-resistance oxide film on its surface, thus becoming passivated and significantly hindering the progress of electrochemical machining [15,16]. Therefore, in-process removal of the passive layer becomes indispensable, and several approaches have been proposed.…”