Insulating ceramics are applied to modern manufacturing industries for their improved material properties.But they are the difficult-to-machine materials because of their high rigidity,high brittleness and non-electrical conductivity.A new method which employs a high energy capacitor for electric discharge machining of insulating ceramics efficiently is presented in this paper,and the single discharge experiments have been carried out.The process uses the high voltage,large capacitor and high discharge energy,it is able to effectively machine insulating ceramics,and the single discharge crater volume of insulating ceramics can reach 17.63 mm3.The effects of polarity,peak voltage,capacitance,current-limiting resistance,tool electrode feed,tool electrode section area and assisting electrode thickness on the process performance such as the single discharge crater volume,the tool wear ratio and the assisting electrode wear ratio have been investigated.The microstructure of the discharge crater is examined with a scanning electron microscope(SEM).The results show that the discharge craters have sputtering appearance,the insulating ceramic materials are mostly removed by spalling,in the center region of the discharge some materials are removed by melting and vaporization,and the material removal is enhanced with the machining parameters increasing.
MENG Jie Special Topic Editor School of Physics and Nuclear Energy Engineering,Beihang University,Beijing,China
A compound process that integrates end electrical discharge (ED) milling and mechanical grinding to machine silicon carbide (SiC) ceramics is developed in this paper. The process employs a turntable with several uniformly-distributed cylindrical copper electrodes and abrasive sticks as the tool, and uses a water-based emulsion as the machining fluid. End electrical discharge milling and mechanical grinding happen alternately and are mutually beneficial, so the process is able to effectively machine a large surface area on SiC ceramic with a good surface quality. The machining principle and characteristics of the technique are introduced. The effects of polarity, pulse duration, pulse interval, open-circuit voltage, discharge current, diamond grit size, emulsion concentration, emulsion flux, milling depth and tool stick number on performance parameters such as the material removal rate, tool wear ratio, and surface roughness have been investigated. In addition, the microstructure of the machined surface under different machining conditions is examined with a scanning electron microscope and an energy dispersive spectrometer. The SiC ceramic was mainly removed by end ED milling during the initial rough machining mode, whereas it is mainly removed by mechanical grinding during the later finer machining mode; moreover, the tool material can transfer to the workpiece surface during the compound process.
JI RenJieLIU YongHongZHANG YanZhenWANG FeiCAI BaoPingLI Hang
Insulating ceramics are applied to modern manufacturing industries for their improved material properties.But they are the difficult-to-machine materials because of their high rigidity,high brittleness and non-electrical conductivity.A new method which employs a high energy capacitor for electric discharge machining of insulating ceramics efficiently is presented in this paper,and the single discharge experiments have been carried out.The process uses the high voltage,large capacitor and high discharge energy,it is able to effectively machine insulating ceramics,and the single discharge crater volume of insulating ceramics can reach 17.63 mm3.The effects of polarity,peak voltage,capacitance,current-limiting resistance,tool electrode feed,tool electrode section area and assisting electrode thickness on the process performance such as the single discharge crater volume,the tool wear ratio and the assisting electrode wear ratio have been investigated.The microstructure of the discharge crater is examined with a scanning electron microscope(SEM).The results show that the discharge craters have sputtering appearance,the insulating ceramic materials are mostly removed by spalling,in the center region of the discharge some materials are removed by melting and vaporization,and the material removal is enhanced with the machining parameters increasing.
JI RenJie LIU YongHong ZHANG YanZhen ZHANG HaiFeng LI XiaoPeng DONG Xin
