IJMERR 2024 Vol.13(6): 558-565
doi: 10.18178/ijmerr.13.6.558-565
Ultrasonic Assisted Electrochemical Trepanning of Rectangular Groove with Inner Cylindrical Structure
Chun-Hao Yang 1, Tzu-Yuan Chu 1, A-Cheng Wang 2,Yan-Cherng Lin 3, and Hai-Ping Tsui 1,*
1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Central University, Taiwan
2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chien Hsin University of Science and Technology, Taiwan
3. Department of Vehicle Engineering, Nan Kai University of Technology, Taiwan
Email: bon.jason@gmail.com (C.-H.Y.); sd2323zz@gmail.com (T.-Y.C.); acwang@uch.edu.tw (A.-C.W.);
ycline@nkut.edu.tw (Y.-C.L.); benno@ncu.edu.tw (H.-P.T.)
*Corresponding author
Manuscript received February 15, 2024; revised May 5, 2024; accepted May 21, 2024; published November 8, 2024
Abstract—In the process of Electrochemical Machining
(ECM), the electrolyte renewal is likely to be poor as the
machining gap is too narrow, so that the machining accuracy
and surface quality are influenced, especially in the
electrochemical trepanning of special structures, such as the
rectangular groove with inner cylinder. As the flow field in
the machining gap is difficult to be uniform, the machining
quality is low and the cylindrical taper angle is large. Based
on the abovementioned difficulties in ECM process, this
study used ECM with mask and ECM with tool sinking, as
well as the methods with and without ultrasonic vibration
assisted sidewall-insulated electrodes, to conduct a
comparative experiment on the electrochemical trepanning
of rectangular groove with inner cylindrical structure for
SUS304 stainless steel cylindrical workpieces. This study also
discussed the effects of different ECM trepanning processing
methods on the quality characteristics, such as cylindrical
taper angle and surface morphology. The research results
showed that in comparison to the ECM with mask, ECM with
tool sinking had a smaller cylindrical taper angle and better
surface morphology. When the ultrasonic vibration
assistance was used for ECM with tool sinking, the
uniformity of the flow field was improved. The electrolyte
pressure changed rapidly in the processing area with the
ultrasonic vibration assistance, resulting in pumping effect
and cavitation effect, both of which disturbed the electrolyte,
and promoted the renewal of the electrolyte in the machining
gap. As a result, the resistance within the machining area is
reduced, a smaller cylindrical taper angle was obtained, and
the flow marks at the bottom of the rectangular groove were
significantly reduced. Moreover, the surface morphology and
surface roughness of the rectangular groove with inner
cylinder after processing were better.
Keywords—electrochemical trepanning, rectangular groove
with inner cylinder, ultrasonic vibration assistance, sidewallinsulated
electrode
Cite: Chun-Hao Yang, Tzu-Yuan Chu, A-Cheng Wang, Yan-Cherng Lin, and Hai-Ping Tsui, "Ultrasonic Assisted Electrochemical Trepanning of Rectangular Groove with Inner Cylindrical Structure," International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics Research, Vol. 13, No. 6, pp. 558-565, 2024.
Copyright © 2024 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided that the article is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.