Analysis of thermal additive centrifugal abrasive flow machining process with improved electrode geometry

Abstract

Thermal additive centrifugal abrasive flow machining (TACAFM) is a recent hybrid of abrasive flow machining to cater for its limitation of low material removal (MR) through spark formation and centrifugal action of centrifugal force generating (CFG) electrode. The geometry of the CFG electrode is a crucial parameter in determining the centrifugal action on media and spark formation. The present investigation proposed a novel triangular-shaped electrode for improving the efficiency of the TACAFM process. The validation of spark and flow parameters with the proposed electrode was analysed using ANSYS FLUENT^@. The simulation results were further validated by experimentation and artificial neural network modelling. The effect of supply current, rotational speed of CFG electrode and number of cycles were analysed for MR and on percentage improvement in the surface finish (%ΔR_a) on the brass workpiece by the proposed electrode. The experimental results show the average cumulative percentage absolute error obtained for MR is 0.33% and that for %ΔR_a is 0.96%. The scanning electron microscopy images justify the machining performance through spark generation. The experimental results are in good confirmation of simulation results and highlight the suitability of the proposed electrode for the TACAFM process.