Experimental Research On Low-frequency Vibration-assisted Micro-electrochemical Machining

Electrochemical machining (ECM), which is based on the principle of electrochemical anodicdissolution, removes the workpiece material and obtains the required shape of the parts. It has greatdevelopment potential in micro-manufacturing fields because of no restrictions of material hardnessand toughness, high efficiency, good surface integrity, tool wear free and so on. In recent years, ECMhas beening playing an important role in aviation, aerospace and weapons industries. Especially in themicro-machining field, micro-electrochemical machining technology has become one of the domesticand foreign research hotspots.Electrolyte refreshing and effective flush of dissolution sludge are important factors whichdeeply influence machining stability, locality and precision within micro machining gap. In this paper,the method of micro-electrochemical machining with workpiece vibrating with low-frequency hasbeen proposed to promote electrolyte refreshing and flush of dissolution sludge. Taking micro holesmachining as experimental subjects, experiment study of micro-electrochemical machining based onlow-frequency vibration-assisted method has been completed. The work has been done as follows:1. The principle of electrolyte refreshing and flush of dissolution sludge about microelectrochemical machining based on low-frequency vibration-assisted was analyzed. The conclusionindicated that micro-ECM with low-frequency vibration could promote electrolyte refreshing andeffective flush of dissolution sludge in comparison to the one with on vibration.2. A low-frequency vibration device has been designed, including the design of all parts and finalassembly. The principle of movement of designed vibration device was analyzed and the stiffness,natural frequency of the vibration device system was calculated. The frequency and amplitude of thevibration device has been measured and the results have met the original requirement.3. Micro-hole electrochemical machining experiments with workpiece low-frequency vibrationwere conducted, which utilized stainless steel (1Cr18Ni9Ti) as processing material and micro cylinderas tool electrodes. The effects of different vibration frequency (between0and200Hz) vibrationamplitude (between0and10μm) on the experiment results were investigated. The results showed thatthe method could improve the flow conditions, facilitate the dissolution sludge flush and electrolyterefreshing, increase material removal rate and improve machining locality.