SIMULATION OF HYDRODYNAMIC DEPASSIVATION IN ELECTROCHEMICAL CUTTING USING THIN ROD-TYPE ELECTRODE WITH HELICAL GROOVES

Abstract

In the case of electrochemical machining, an important problem is to ensure the possibility of effective removal of the passivation layer that appears near the surface of the workpiece, as a result of the chemical reactions between the material of the workpiece and the electrolyte. When cutting slots by electrochemical machining with a thin cylindrical rod electrode, depassivation can be hydrodynamically carried out. A usable solution involves rotating a thin cylindrical rod-type tool electrode provided with helical grooves on its outer cylindrical surface. To highlight how the rotation of the tool electrode contributes to the recirculation of the electrolyte, a modeling of the process using the finite element method was resorted to. Later, experimental tests were carried out to confirm the effect of rotating the thin rod tool electrode with helical grooves on the circulation of the electrolyte in the machining area. By resorting to an experimental procedure to simulate the rotation of the tool electrode in a liquid, the hypothesis of recirculation of the liquid solution due to the rotation of the tool electrode was confirmed.