Dielectric Rotation/Vibration Effect on Crater Geometries in a Single Pulse R-µEDM: Theoretical Formulation, Numerical Modelling, and Experimental Results
摘要
The working inter-electrode gap (IEG) environment during the reverse-micro electrical discharge machining (R-µEDM) process exclusively determines the quality occurrence of discharge (plasma) energy and its engagement with the machining surface. The evolution of a single crater with such discharge energy significantly impacts both characteristics of the machined surfaces (whether they are textured or smooth) and the machining speed (productivity). Therefore, it is essential to grasp the fundamentals of a singular crater evolution mechanism in relation to commonly used vibration assistance methods, the newly proposed dielectric rotation technique, and conventional (unassisted) R-µEDM flushing conditions. Since flushing conditions significantly influence the breakdown of dielectric fluid during the discharge phase, altering crater geometry formation, a complete understanding of these effects is required. In response to this, the present study proposes a theoretical formulation for dielectric fluid breakdown and discharge energy per pulse across the above-mentioned three flushing environments, accompanied by a 3-dimensional numerical model for the diameter (