Experimental study on short electric arc high efficient machining TC4 deep narrow groove

Abstract

Deep narrow groove (DNG) is widely used in aerospace field, but due to its special structural configuration, it is extremely difficult to process TC4 titanium alloy DNG. In response to the above problems, this paper proposes an efficient and high-precision method referred to as short electric arc machining (SEAM). In this paper, the SEAM mechanism based on pulsed power supply is discussed, and the voltage-current waveforms and cross-section morphology are analyzed under different electrode materials. The effects of electrode diameter, pulse voltage, pulse frequency, duty cycle, and feed rate on the material removal rate (MRR), relative electrode wear rate (REWR), average groove width, and groove bottom surface roughness (Ra) were investigated. The optimal process parameters were determined through experimental optimization, and the machining performance of deep narrow groove SEAM for TC4 titanium alloy was verified. The results show that under the optimal parameters, the maximum MRR of SEAM is 117 mm³/min, and the REWR is 2.92%; the average groove width of the DNG is 3.46 mm, the surface roughness of the bottom of the groove is 20 μm, the depth is 14 mm, and the depth-to-diameter ratio is 4. High efficiency and high dimensional accuracy machining of DNG of TC4 titanium alloy has been realized.