Study of the thermal erosion, ejection and solidification processes of electrode materials during EDM

Due to the complexity of electrical discharge machining (EDM), there is no perfect theory to explain the mechanisms of material erosion, ejection and solidification during the machining process. Therefore, this paper analyzed the micro-process of a single-pulse discharge during EDM and studied the thermal erosion, ejection and solidification processes of the electrode materials. A thermal-fluid simulation model that considered melting-solidification was established. A mathematical model of vapor flow considering the impact pressure was developed, and it was compiled and loaded as a material ejection force in simulations with a user defined function (UDF). The changes in the material ejection, crater formation and material solidification processes at different discharge times were studied. Finally, the simulation results were verified by single-pulse material discharge experiments, which provided a reference for additional understanding of the micro material discharge processes during EDM