Experimental and Theoretical Investigation of Electrochemical Machining Process

Abstract

Electrochemical Machining (ECM) has proven to be very effective in machining difficult-to-cut materials because of high removal rates. It is a relatively new and important method of removing material from the surface or drilling the hole in workpiece and offers a number of advantages over other machining methods. Material removal from the workpiece is done by means of Principle of Electrolysis. It is an electrolytic process and its basis is the phenomenon of electrolysis, whose laws were established by Faraday. Metal removal is effected by a suitably shaped tool electrode, and the parts thus produced have the specified shape, dimensions, and surface finish. Experimentally material removal rate is calculated by measuring weight of the workpiece before and after machining. In theoretical material removal rate the process control parameters are not considered. Electrochemical drilling is affected by number of parameters such as tool feed rate, voltage, electrolyte flow rate, electrolyte concentration etc. Taguchi method of optimization is used for parameter combinations and to carry out experimentations to calculate material removal rate. The input parameters are termed as Signal and error in the response/result is termed as Noise (S/N). Workpiece used in the electrochemical machining process is Hastelloy C-276 (Ni-Base Superalloy) because of its high hardness and special applications such as aerospace chemical etc.