Enhancement of machining quality in electrochemical mill-grinding of titanium matrix composites utilizing a follow-up auxiliary anode
摘要
Electrochemical mill-grinding (ECMG) has the potential to be used for successive rough and finish machining of titanium matrix composites. However, severe stray corrosion occurs on the machined surface during the rough machining stage, leading to prolonged machining time in the subsequent finish machining stage. In this study, follow-up auxiliary anode electrochemical mill-grinding (FAAECMG) was innovatively proposed for enhancing the machining quality of titanium matrix composites. A specially designed auxiliary anode with a curved surface was installed behind the abrasive tool using a follow-up conductive device. During FAAECMG, the auxiliary anode followed behind the abrasive tool at the same feed rate, and its potential was higher than that of the anode workpiece. Dynamic electric field simulation showed that introducing the auxiliary anode with a positive potentially difference radically altered the current direction in the machined area, which significantly improved process localization. Experimental results verified that, compared with traditional ECMG, the surface flatness decreased from 322.25 μm to 152.44 μm and the surface roughness reduced from 16.76 μm to 11.84 μm when FAAECMG with a positive potential difference of 15 V was used. Compared with rough machining, the surface flatness decreased from 152.44 μm to 5.368 μm, the surface roughness reduced from 11.84 μm to 0.669 μm, and the surface residual compressive stress increased from − 116.07 MPa to -407.94 MPa after finish machining. Therefore, the newly proposed method offers advantages in improving machining accuracy and surface quality in ECMG and reducing the machining cycle of components.