Workpiece Vibration in Feed Direction Assisted Electrochemical Cutting Using Tube Electrode With Inclined Holes

Abstract Electrochemical cutting using tube electrode with inclined holes is a machining method that directly and obliquely injects electrolyte into the machining gap through inclined jet-flow holes on the sidewall of a tube electrode, allowing the electrochemical cutting of a workpiece. To improve the machining efficiency and accuracy of this cutting technique, a method of workpiece vibration in feed direction assisted electrochemical cutting is proposed in which workpiece vibration along the feed direction rapidly and periodically changes the machining gap. The near-instantaneous increases in the machining gap promotes the waste electrolyte containing electrolytic products to flow down the machining gap. At the same time, the electrochemical reaction time under the non-uniform flow field caused by the inclined downward injection of electrolyte is reduced. The flow field simulation of electrolyte in machining gap indicates that the near-instantaneous increases in the machining gap can improve the flow velocity of electrolyte. Experiment demonstrates that the average feed rate can be increased by 50% and the machining efficiency is superior to that of electrochemical cutting assisted by workpiece non-vibration in feed direction. The difference between the upper and lower slit widths is reduced and the machining accuracy is improved. The effect of the vibrational amplitude and frequency on the machining result is also investigated. Finally, an array slice structure is fabricated on a stainless steel block with a cross-section of 10 mm × 10 mm at average feed rate of 6 mm/s using a vibrational amplitude and frequency of 0.1 mm and 1.5 Hz, respectively.