Journal of Materials Processing Technology 95 (1999) 145154

Experimental investigations into electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) of non-conductive ceramic materials
B. Bhattacharyya*, B.N. Doloi, S.K. Sorkhel
Production Engineering Department, Jadavpur University, Calcutta 700 032, India Received 24 April 1998

Abstract Electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) has potential for the machining of non-conductive ceramic materials as compared with different existing conventional and also non-conventional machining methods. However, now many aspects of this machining technology still demand further extensive in-depth research and development. The present research paper includes the analysis of the basic material removal mechanism in the ECDM process for the effective machining of non-conducting ceramic materials with enhanced machining rate and higher machining accuracy. The ECDM process is inuenced by various process parameters such as the applied voltage; the interelectrode gap, the temperature, concentration and type of electrolyte; the shape, size and material of the electrodes; and the nature of the power supply, etc. Keeping in view the inuences of the various process parameters of ECDM, the present paper highlights the modular mechatronic feature of the indigenously designed and developed machining set-up for carrying out experimental investigations. Such experimental investigations, on the material removal rate and over-cut phenomena in the ECDM process, have been reported in this study for the machining of aluminium oxide ceramic workpieces under varying process parametric conditions such as applied voltage (7090 V), and electrolyte concentration (2030%). NaOH solution with varying concentration was taken as the electrolyte. A pulsed d.c. electric supply had been utilised for the drilling operation of ceramic work-samples. In addition, an attempt has been made through these sets of investigations to explore the inuence of a suitable and effective tool tip geometrical shape for greater machining rate and accuracy. Detailed analysis of various test results, supported by a large number of micrographs of the machined work-samples, has been conducted that will provide further insight into the fundamental mechanism of this machining process. The research ndings will lead to the exploration of the most effective range of parametric combinations for enhancing the machining rate and the accuracy. # 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM); Advanced ceramics; Metal removal rate (MRR); Applied voltage; Electrolyte concentration

1. Introduction Advanced ceramic materials are gaining increasing industrial acceptance in the machine tools, aerospace, electrical and electronics engineering elds, mainly due to the way in which technological limitations can be overcome by the use of these non-metallic materials. There are many applications in modern industries, where engineers have reached the performance limit of metals, and there is no alternative but to seek the use of advanced ceramics that possess good creep resistance, high corrosion resistance, high thermal shock resistance, high temperature resistance, high compressive strength, high hardness characteristics and a stron*Corresponding author. Tel.: +91-33-473-4044; fax: +91-33-473-9888.

ger electromagnetic response than that of metals. With the rapid technological development of engineering ceramic materials, the machining of the ceramics is an urgent necessity for manufacturing engineers and applied researchers. The production of through- and blind-holes, grooves and slots, and complex shaped contours on ceramic parts are difcult to obtain with the traditional process of the compacting and sintering of ceramics [1]. Various non-traditional machining processes, such as LBM, WJC, USM, AWJ, etc. can be applied for the machining of non-conducting ceramic materials. EDM is applicable only to ceramic materials having an electrical resistivity of below 100
cm [2]. However, there are inherent problems associated with such machining processes such as thermal damage due to a large heat-affected zone (HAZ), high tool wear rate, low material removal rate, high surface roughness

0924-0136/99/$ see front matter # 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved. PII: S 0 9 2 4 - 0 1 3 6 ( 9 9 ) 0 0 3 1 8 - 0

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and poor dimensional accuracy, etc. [36]. The development of the electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) process is the outcome of such material machining requirements. The electrochemical discharge machining process has been reported in [79]. The process involves a complex combination of the electrochemical (EC) reaction and electrodischarge (ED) action. The electrochemical action helps in the generation of the positively charged ionic gas bubbles, e.g. hydrogen (H2). The electrical discharge action takes place between the tool and the workpiece due to the breakdown of the insulating layer of the gas bubbles as the d.c. power supply voltage is applied between the tool (or cathode) and the anode, resulting in material removal due to melting, vapourisation of the workpiece material and mechanical erosion [10]. The ECDM process is expected to have tremendous application in the machining of advanced non-conductive ceramic materials as well as composite materials [11] with closer dimensional accuracy. However, many aspects of this machining process are still not well understood. Only a few research papers about investigations into the ECDM process for ceramic materials have been reported so far. Keeping this above considerations in view, the object of the present research paper includes the analysis of the basic material removal mechanism in the ECDM process and the effects of various process parameters through technological search leading to the design and development of an ECDM system for effective machining of non-conducting advanced ceramic materials. This paper also includes in-depth experimental investigations for analysing the effect of various predominant process parameters of the ECDM process on different machining criteria such as the material removal rate (MRR) and over-cut phenomena. In addition, an attempt has been made to explore a suitable tool tip geometrical shape that will be most effective for higher machining rate and accuracy. 2. Fundamentals and mechanisms of the ECDM process In the ECDM process, the material removal takes place due to the combined effects of electrochemical (EC) reaction and electrical spark discharge (ESD) action. Fig. 1 exhibits a typical arrangement of the tool, workpiece and auxiliary electrode in the ECDM process. From the analysis of the electrochemistry of ECM, it has been found that the following two types of reactions usually occur in the system [12]: (i) electrochemical reactions at the electrode, e.g. gas evolution, plating, electrode dissolution and oxidation, etc.; and (ii) chemical reactions in the bulk of the electrolyte, e.g. chemical combinations, the complex formation or precipitation reactions for precipitates and sludges, etc. The electrochemical reaction occur at the metal electrolyte boundary layers and the transfer of ions in the electro-

Fig. 1. Basic elements of the ECDM process.

lytic solution takes place by: (i) diffusion; (ii) migration in an electrical eld; and (iii) convection in the ow. The different cathode and anode reaction takes place as soon as an appropriate potential is reached between the interelectrode gap of the machining zone. 2.1. Reactions at the cathode (or tool) The usual types of reaction at the cathode are: (i) plating of metal ions; and (ii) evolution of hydrogen gas. The reaction for metal plating is: Me!M, where M represents any anode material. The reaction for hydrogen evolution are: 2H 2e ! H2 " in acidic electrolytic solution 2H2 O 2e ! 2OH H2 " in alkaline solution 2.2. Reaction at anode (auxiliary electrode) There will be two types of anodic reaction: (i) dissolution of metal ions in the electrolytic solution; and (ii) evolution of oxygen gas at the auxiliary electrode surface. The anodic dissolution reaction is: M ! M e in acidic electrolyte solution The oxygen evolution reaction is: 2H2 ! O ! O2 " 4H 4e in acidic electrolyte solution 4OH ! 2H2 O O2 " 4e in alkaline electrolyte solution The inter-electrode gap is very large in the electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) process compared to that for the electrochemical machining (ECM) process. Hence, the rate of metal removal from the auxiliary electrode is very small because the very low current passes through a large inter-electrode gap. A d.c. power supply of high voltage is applied between the tool (or cathode) and the auxiliary electrode (or anode). The tool is immersed to

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23 mm below the upper level of the electrolytic solution. The rate of generation of hydrogen gas bubbles is very high in the vicinity of the tool [13]. As a result of heating of the electrolyte, some electrolyte is evaporated and steam is formed. The gas bubbles are usually low ionic positively charged bubbles. Under the normal conditions of bubble formation, with increase of the voltage supply, a critical or threshold voltage will be attained, wherein sparking will be observed to take place in the gap. This sparking is not between electrodes, but from the tool to the electrolyte across a hydrogen or steam layer. The voltage at which sparking starts will depend upon the concentration and conductivity of the electrolyte and the tool geometry. The smaller the diameter of the tool, the smaller will be the starting spark voltage. As the voltage is increased further, quite violent sparking will occur. Workpiece material may be removed from the localised sparking zone due to ionisation at high temperature followed by melting and vapourisation. Although the tool is touching the surface of the workpiece, there are microgaps between the tool and the workpiece due to the surface irregularity present on both the surfaces of the tool and that of the workpiece. The electrolyte present in the microgaps is responsible for the formation of gas bubbles and steam generation. A low ionic layer is formed in the microgaps and the surrounding tool surface. When the voltage gradient that is set up is sufcient to break down the gas bubble layer between the tool and the workpiece, a conducting path is developed for spark discharge owing to the ionisation of the gas bubbles, which thereby causes the ow of a large amount of current. Each electrical discharge causes a focussed stream of electrons to move with a very high velocity and acceleration from the cathode (or tool) towards the workpiece and ultimately creates compressive shock waves on the workpiece surfaces. The phenomenon is accomplished within a few microseconds and the temperature of the spot hit by electrons may rise to a very high value. As this high temperature is above the melting point of the workpiece material, it melts and nally evaporates the material. The high pressure of the compressive shock waves creates a blast, causing metallic vapours to form wear products in the shape of metallic globules, leaving craters in the workpiece surface. The material removal from the workpiece surface during electrical spark discharge is proportional to the pulse energy of the spark, which is released as heat during machining. Lesser tool wear takes place as low pressure compression shock waves are developed on the tool and the positive ions strike the tool surface with less momentum. Gas bubble formation and sparking phenomena as in the ECDM process are exhibited in Fig. 2. Some researchers have pointed out that rather than melting of the hard and brittle ceramics, the heat generated by the electrical sparking may cause the ceramic materials to spall [14]. This phenomena is known as thermal spalling, where the material removed is due to mechanical failure without melting. A

Fig. 2. Material removal mechanism of ECDM operation.

complex temperature gradient is established due to the sudden temperature change in the machining area of the ceramic materials. It creates internal stresses that may be sufcient to overcome the bond strength of the ceramic grains, resulting in mechanical erosion. Moreover, the mechanism of material removal in the ECDM process is very complex in nature and is governed by various process parameters that are still not very clear to researchers. In order to achieve effective and controlled material machining, various predominant input variables of the ECDM process are to be properly investigated and optimally controlled. 3. Developed experimental ECDM set-up Keeping in view the inuences of the various process parameters of ECDM, the experimental set-up was indigenously developed for performing experimental studies of the ECDM process. ln order to control the process parameter such as machining voltage, machining current, inter-electrode gap, the pressure between the tool and the workpiece, and the feed movement of the workpiece, the ECDM set-up includes sub-systems such as the following: (a) a pulsed d.c. power supply unit; (b) a workpiece holding arrangement; (c) a tool mounting unit; (d) a gravity feeding arrangement; and (e) a machining chamber. A schematic diagram of the developed ECDM system is shown in Fig. 3. In this developed ECDM system, the pulsed d.c. power supply voltage is supplied between the cathodic copper tool and an anodic auxiliary copper electrode which is placed in a strong electrolytic solution. The pulsed d.c. power supply unit consists of one three-phase full-wave rectier for the conversion of a.c. to d.c. and one modulator to generate various pulse forms of d.c. power supply. The power supply unit can provide a supply frequency of 50 Hz and an applied voltage ranging from 0 to 200 V. A sine-wave form of the pulsed d.c. power supply is utilised for the experimentation. The tool is just touching with the non-conducting ceramic

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Fig. 3. Schematic diagram of the developed ECDM system.

material. A conducting copper plate with a larger surface area is used as auxiliary electrode and it is located at a distance of 2550 mm away from the tool tip. The required inter-electrode gap can be maintained by a nut and screw mechanism in which the nut is xed to the auxiliary electrode holding device. By adjusting the rotation of the screw, the auxiliary electrode plate can be lifted to the desired level to set the required inter-electrode gap. The gravity feeding system provides the feed motion to the workpiece and consists of an adjustable work-sample holding platform, a pulley, a pan, a rope and a counter-weight arrangement. The feed force on the workpiece can be adjusted by changing the counter weight. The tool always almost touches the ceramic workpiece during the machining operation. The machining chamber is lled by electrolyte solution to the desired level so that the workpiece is immersed in the electrolyte solution, the upper level of the electrolyte solution being kept at about 23 mm above the top surface of the workpiece. The upper surface of the workpiece as well as the auxiliary electrode is kept parallel to the horizontal plane. In order to generate a complex shape on the workpiece surface, the machining chamber is xed on a two-axis machine vice. By this arrangement, the workpiece can be moved along any desired prole in the xy plane. In this ECDM set-up, feed motion can also be provided to the tool during machining by the tool feeding unit. 4. Planning for experimentation The experimental scheme has been designed so as to be able to obtain the desired performance results and analyse the effects of various process variables on the chosen criteria for the machining of ceramics. Initially, a 5 mm diameter copper tool was used as an anode, but the observed MRR was very low because sparking occurred at low intensity. For this reason, the tools used for this experimentation is made of copper of 2 mm diameter. The test workpiece specimens are made of highly puried (99.5%) zero porosity aluminium oxide (Al2O3) ceramic

material. The size of the workpiece is 25 mm25 mm3 mm. Initially, an aqueous solution of NaNO3 was used as the electrolyte, but due to electrochemical reaction the electrolytic dissolution of copper was taking place, resulting in a large amount of sludge, which contaminated the electrolyte solution. Hence, the MRR achieved when using an aqueous solution of NaNO3 as electrolyte was very low. The owing electrolyte test was also conducted but did not yield the desired MRR because the gas bubbles were carried away by the owing electrolyte, thereby lowering the frequency of sparking and hence reducing the material removal rate. It was also observed that using an aqueous solution of NaCl as the electrolyte, the resulting MRR was also very low. NaOH electrolyte solution was also used for experimentation, and yielded a high machining rate. Since NaOH has a higher specic conductance, chemical reactions take place at a higher rate and gas bubble generation takes place at a faster rate. Hence, an aqueous NaOH solution under stagnant conditions has been used as the electrolyte for the experimentation. The experiments are carried out with electrolyte concentrations of 20%, 25% and 30% (i.e. 30 g NaOH per 100 cm3 of water). A three-phase rectied pulsed d.c. power supply is used for the experiments, the latter being performed by setting four different supply voltages such as 70, 80, 85 and 90 V. At 25 V, gas bubble generation was initiated and above 40 V sparking rst occurred at low intensity, resulting in no material removal. Within the supply voltage range from 70 to 90 V, an appreciable MRR was achieved. Above 90 V, micro-cracks might be developed on the workpiece surface, which could result in the breaking of the workpiece. Thus the suitable supply voltage range i.e. 7090 V, was selected for the blind-hole drilling operation on the ceramic workpieces. The amount of metal removed was measured by taking the difference in weight of the specimen before and after machining. The average radial over-cut was computed. The diameter of the hole at different locations was measured using a digital electronic calliper. For investigating the inuence of tool tip geometrical shape on the ECDM process

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Fig. 4. Different geometrical shapes of the tool tip (dimensions: mm).

criteria, three different tool tip shapes were designed and utilised. The designed tool tips are exhibited in Fig. 4 and are as follows: (i) straight side wall and at front; (ii) taper side wall and at front; and (iii) taper side wall and curvature front. All of the machined ceramic work samples were inspected for further analysis using the scanning electron microscope (SEM). 5. Test results and discussion The effects of major process variables, such as the applied voltage and electrolyte concentration, on the process criteria, i.e. material removal rate and over-cut phenomena, have been analysed for obtaining the optimal machining characteristics of ceramic material when using the ECDM process. The inuence of the various effective tool tip shapes have also been analysed and their effect on machining rate and over-cut phenomena has been investigated. 5.1. Influence of machining parameters on MRR The experiments have been carried out with varying applied voltage at a particular electrolyte concentration. Fig. 5 shows that the metal removal rate increases with increase of the applied voltage at different electrolyte concentrations, i.e. 20%, 25% and 30% of NaOH electrolyte solution. The graph clearly indicates that the pattern of increase of the MRR follows a concave upwards nature. At lower applied voltage, the MRR is very low, but as the voltage increases the MRR also increases. The increase in the MRR is large within the higher voltage range compared to the lower applied voltage range. With the increase in applied voltage, the rate of gas bubbles generation increases, resulting in a greater amount of spark generation in the sparking zone, which in turn increases the MRR. The MRR curves follow approximately the same pattern for 20%, 25% and 30% electrolyte concentration. For 30% concentration of NaOH electrolyte solution, the MRR increases rapidly as the applied voltage increases. The maximum applied voltage has the maximum values of MRR for all of the electrolyte

concentrations, but there is a limit to the material removal rate due to the fact that at particular high machining voltage, micro-cracks form on the worksurface. With further increase in applied voltage, the cracks propagate from the machining zone towards the outer periphery of the workpiece and ultimately result in breaking of the workpiece. Fig. 6 shows the effect of electrolyte concentration on the MRR at constant applied voltage, i.e. 70, 80, 85 and 90 V. The concentrations of NaOH electrolyte considered for these experiments were 20%, 25% and 30% of NaOH solution. At lower voltage, 70 V, the effect of electrolyte concentration on the MRR is not very signicant, but at higher voltage (i.e. 80, 85 and 90 V), the inuence of electrolyte concentration is more predominant. At higher electrolyte concentration (30%), more electrochemical reactions occur between the tool and auxiliary electrode, which in turn produce more gas bubbles at the sparking zone, with the generation of a greater number of sparks. At higher concentration and applied voltage, the temperature of the electrolyte also increases. There also may be chances of the

Fig. 5. Effect of applied voltage on the MRR for different NaOH electrolyte solutions.

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Fig. 7. Micrograph of a ceramic work sample machined at 100 V and 20% NaOH solution.

Fig. 6. Effect of electrolyte concentration on the MRR at different applied voltages.

occurrence of some chemical reaction of electrolyte with the Al2O3 workpiece material at higher concentration and higher temperature, which may also increase the effective material removal rate. At 30% concentration of electrolyte solution, the MRR is moderately higher compared to the lower concentrations of 20% and 25%. At 25% concentration of electrolyte, the MRR is lower because of the over-cut being less at that concentration. At higher applied voltage, the effective MRR is higher, but due to excessive heat generation, some micro-cracks are produced in the machining zone of the workpiece. If the value of the voltage is further increased, these micro-cracks may propagate and lead to the total rapture of the ceramic work samples. This phenomena of total rapture of the ceramic work samples at higher applied voltage in the ECDM process is mainly due to the effect of thermal breakage. During experimentation, at considerably lower and higher concentration, i.e. 20% and 30% NaOH solution and higher applied voltage, i.e. 100 V, it had been observed that ceramic work samples break due to total rapture. Figs. 7 and 8 show micrographs of workpieces under these conditions. These micrographs bear witness to cracks and breakages, which were initially formed inside the machining zone but then propagated to the outer periphery and caused breakage of the ceramic work samples. From the experimental results and Fig. 5 it is observed that at higher applied voltage, the material removal rate is higher. However, from Fig. 6, it is clearly shown that at higher electrolyte concentration, the MRR is also increased but the nature is somewhat different. At 25% NaOH solution, the MRR is comparatively lower than that for 20% NaOH solution. The micrographs of Figs. 911 show the machined surface of ceramic work samples. Here, Figs. 9 and 11 clearly represent the generation of good surface

Fig. 8. Micrograph of a ceramic work sample machined at 100 V and 30% NaOH solution.

conditions compared to Fig. 10. The ceramic work samples represented by Figs. 9 and 11 were machined with 20% NaOH solution, and 30% NaOH solution, respectively, both at 90 V applied voltage. These machined surfaces are more attened, which may be because of the larger amount of spark generation, which mainly occurs all through the frontal zone as well as the circumference zone of the tool. However, in Fig. 10, which was machined in 25% NaOH solution but at the same applied voltage, i.e. 90 V, the machined surface condition is not very good and it clearly shows the more attened inside core machined zone and the

Fig. 9. Micrograph of a ceramic work sample machined at 90 V and 20% NaOH solution.

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Fig. 10. Micrograph of a ceramic work sample machined at 90 V and 25% NaOH solution.

somewhat weavy outside of the peripheral machined zone. This represents the effect of high pressure compressive shock waves, which create blast, causing craters and mechanical erosion of the materials from the peripheral machining zone at elevated temperature. With this 25% NaOH solution and at the same higher applied voltage, i.e. the 90 V condition, more concentrated sparking may occur from frontal tool tip compared to that of the side face of the tool, which results in a lesser amount of over-cut. 5.2. Influence of machining parameters on the over-cut phenomena The over-cut phenomena has been investigated for measuring the machining accuracy. Fig. 12 shows the effects of applied voltage on over-cut for different electrolyte concentrations, i.e. 20%, 25% and 30% NaOH electrolyte solution. At higher applied voltage for different electrolyte concentrations, the observed over-cut phenomena is more predominant because of the fact that at higher applied voltage, more gas bubbles generate at the sparking zone, which may create more possible stray sparking at the side wall of the tool tip and result in more over-cut. However, at moderately low concentrations, the over-cut phenomena is much lower compared to that for higher concentration. However, it is observed from the graph that at 25% con-

Fig. 12. Effect of applied voltage on over-cut for various electrolyte concentrations.

centration, the over-cut is low compared to that for 20% concentration. This may be due to a lesser amount of side spark generation at 25% concentration which results in a lower MRR and also a lower over-cut: this tends to corroborate the results that have already been observed from the previous investigation, i.e. at 25% concentration the machining rate is lower. From the experimental results and Fig. 12, it is clear that at 25% NaOH solution, the over-cut is much lower compared to that for 20% and 30% concentration. Figs. 13 and 14 represent this very point: both are machined at 80 V applied voltage. The ceramic work sample of Fig. 13, which was machined at 25% of NaOH and the 80 V applied voltage condition, exhibits a lesser amount of the over-cut effect and a lesser amount of heat-affected zone at the periphery of the blind hole. This is due to the fact of concentrated and

Fig. 11. Micrograph of a ceramic work sample machined at 90 V and 30% NaOH solution.

Fig. 13. Micrograph of the machined hole in a ceramic work sample machined at 80 V and 25% NaOH solution.

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Fig. 14. Micrograph of the machined hole in a ceramic work sample machined at 80 V and 20% NaOH solution.

Fig. 15. Micrograph of the machined hole in a ceramic work sample machined at 20% NaOH and 80 V by the straight side wall and flat front tool tip.

controlled spark generation from the front face of the tool tip. However, Fig. 14 represents a ceramic work sample that was machined at a comparatively lower concentration, i.e. 20% NaOH solution, and the same applied voltage, i.e. 80 V. Here, the over-cut effect is clearly visible and a larger peripheral heat-affected zone is produced, possibly due to the generation of a larger amount of stray and uncontrolled sparking from the side wall and the periphery of the tool tip. 5.3. Analysis of the influence of the tool tip shape It has been observed from the experimental test results that the design of the tool tip geometry greatly inuences the material removal rate and over-cut criteria in the ECDM system. From the previous test results, it has been noticed that the machining rate is moderately high and the over-cut effect is also moderately low around a particular electrolyte concentration and applied voltage, i.e. 20% NaOH electrolyte solution and 80 V applied voltage, respectively. Hence, this particular electrolyte concentration and applied voltage has been selected for investigating the inuence of the tool tip geometry. The tool tip shapes considered for the purpose of investigation are straight side wallat front, tapper side wallat front and tapper side wallcurvature front. Experimental results show the inuence of different shapes of tool tip geometry on the MRR at a particular concentration and applied voltage, i.e. 20% NaOH solution and 80 V, respectively. The MRR for straight side wallat front, taper side wallat front and taper side wallcurvature front tool tips are 0.056, 0.154 and 0.248 mg/min, respectively. These test results clearly indicate that the MRR increases considerably for taper side wallcurvature front tool tip compared to the straight side wallat front and, the taper side wallat front tool tip. At the straight side wallat front tool tips, the availability of electrolyte in the gap between tool and job is very poor because they are always in contact with each other due to the gravity feed force and thus causing occurrence of lower number of sparks which inturn decrease the MRR. But at the taper side wall-at front tool tip, the availability of electrolyte is more resulting in more

sparking which increase MRR. Tapper side wall-curvature front tool tip causes maximum amount of electrolyte availability in sparking zone which creates maximum number of sparks and thus increases MRR. Test results for over-cut show the inuence of different tool tip geometries on the over-cut phenomena at constant applied voltage and electrolyte concentration, i.e. 80 V and 20% NaOH solution, respectively. The over-cut values for straight side wallat front, tapper side wallat front and taper side wallcurvature front tool tips are 0.556, 0.327 and 0.415 mm, respectively. These values clearly indicate that for the straight side wallat front tip over-cut is larger because of the stray sparking condition occurring at the machining zone, which results in greater material removal around the circumference of the drilled hole. For the taper side wallat front tool tip, the over-cut is much less due to the occurrence of concentrated sparking. The taper side wallcurvature front tool tip increases the machining rate, (which is also indicated in Fig. 16) because of the larger number of sparkings occurring at the machining zone due to the greater amount of electrolyte available in the machining zone. However, it also creates more over-cut, which may be due to the presence of some stray sparking along the tool side wall.

Fig. 16. Micrograph of the machined hole in a ceramic work sample machined at 20% NaOH and 80 V by the taper side wall and flat front tool tip.

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Fig. 17. Micrograph of the machined hole in a ceramic work sample machined at 20% NaOH and 80 V by the taper side wall and curvature front tool tip.

From the above investigations, it is clear that the design of tool tip geometrical shape plays a grater role in machining rate and accuracy. Figs. 1517 also corroborate these observations. All of these ceramic work samples have been machined under the same parametric conditions i.e. 20% NaOH and 80 V. Fig. 15 shows a work sample that has been machined by the straight side wall and at front tool tip. Here, over-cut is a more predominant factor. It shows a larger peripheral heat affected zone and a thin peripheral solidied zone around the machined hole. The land of the blind hole is generally attened. A greater amount of stray sparking from the side wall of the tool cause this over-cut because a lesser amount of electrolyte is available under the frontal at face of the tool tip. Fig. 16 shows a work sample which has been machined by the taper side wall and at front tool tip. Here, the over-cut is very slight. It shows a much thinner heat affected zone around the machined hole. The structure does not revel any defects, but only a recast solidied layer. The taper side wall of the tool tip increases the presence of electrolyte in the machined zone, which in turn increases the concentrated sparking from the frontal zone of the tool tip. Fig. 17 shows a workpiece which has been machined by the taper side wall and curvature front tool tip. The micrograph exhibits an over-cut that is larger than that in Fig. 16 but comparatively less lower than that in Fig. 15. Here, a peripheral heat affected zone and a solidied zone are clearly visible. It also indicates no cracks or any other defects. The land of the machined hole is more attened. The presence of a few stray sparking causes over-cut, but the machining rate is also comparatively greater. 6. Conclusions The electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) process can be utilised effectively for the machining of non-conductive materials such as ceramics and advanced composites. The material removal during the machining of non-conducting ceramic workpiece in the ECDM process,

mainly takes place due to spark discharge action across the gas bubble layers formed on the workpiece surface. The ECDM process has the potential for small- and macro-hole drilling operations on ceramic components. At low applied voltage, the MRR is very low, but at higher voltage and higher electrolyte concentration, a higher MRR can be achieved. However, at higher electrolyte concentration the over-cut is greater. Hence for improving machining accuracy, a lower concentration is preferred. With a higher voltage, the MRR is greater, but micro-cracks and other defects are generated on the machined surface. It is evident from the test results that the machining rate of ceramic materials is low in the ECDM process but the method is more effective for cutting those non-conductive materials considering the capability of machining a complex prole. The machining rate and accuracy can be enhanced through effective and precise control of the spark generation. From the research ndings, it can be concluded that the most effective range of parametric combinations for moderately higher machining rate and dimensional accuracy is centred around 80 V applied voltage and 25% NaOH electrolyte solution. The tool tip shape is also a prominent factor for controlling spark generation in ECDM. The taper side wall and at front tool tip shape is the most effective for controlled machining. In addition, analysis of various micrographs will be helpful in future studies and to develop further understanding of the macromechanics of the ECDM process. Hence, at this stage, the research nding will be quite useful and a step forward in the machining of various nonconductive ceramic materials. Acknowledgements The research work was carried out in the Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory of Production Engineering, Department of Jadavpur University, Calcutta and sponsored by the University Grants Commission, New Delhi, under the Career Award Scheme of Dr. B. Bhattacharyya. References
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