In this paper, the mechanism of single discharged crater shape, repeated discharging crater distribution, and surface roughness formation on electrical discharge machining is described.
1. On the single discharged crater shape, the crater diameter is shown as follows.
d=
a·
Vξd·
Cηwhere
d: the crater diameter (mm)
Vd: initial discharge voltage (V)
C: condenser capacity (μF)
a, ξ, η: constant
The crater depth is analysed on the view point of thermal conduction theory based on the assumption that the anode surface temperature is limited by the boiling point of the materials during the discharge duration, as shown in the following.
θ
m=θ
b[1-erf
h0/2√
k·
ts]
Where
h0: calculated depth
θ
m: melting point of electrode material
θ
b: boiling point of electrode material
k: thermal diffusivity
ts: discharge duration
The crater depth of experimental results is nearly equal to the calculated depth in the range of 100 μF>
C>0.01 μF condenser capacity. However, when the condenser capacity range is 800μF>
C>100 μF, they are not agreed. In the latter case, there remained rapidly cooled molten metal at the bottom, which is called columner crystal, and the crater is shallower.
2. The swollen upheaval of discharged crater makes short circuit between both electrodes after discharge, and its swelling up time is found very long as compared with a discharge duration.
3. In case that several discharge strikes are made with an ample time interval on plain electrodes, the craters are placed closely. Namely one crater is superposed on the upheaval of another and it is considered that the upheavals of the crater introduce next discharge.
If, by selecting a charging resistance property, the next discharge is made before the upheaval makes sufficient growth, the discharges scatter. If the charging resistance is reduced further, the discharge concentrates on one point to become a continual arc instead of intermittent discharges, making only one large cavity.
If smaller condenser capacity is used, the discharges scatter easily. High frequency discharges also scatter. So, in actual discharge machining, scattering condition is desirable to be selected.
4. The relationship between surface roughness and single discharged crater shape is found out as follows,
Hmax=2
h1+
h2where
Hmax: surface roughness shown by peak to valley height (μ)
h1: depth of single discharged crater
H2: maximum height of crater upheavals (μ)
μ: micron
View full abstract