Simulation and experimental research of material removal rate in micro-electrochemical discharge machining process

Zirconia is a ceramic material having a wide range of applications in industries owing to its excellent properties like high strength-to-weight ratio, biocompatibility, insulating, high wear, thermal resistance, and chemical stability over conventional materials. These properties pose a significant challenge for machining at the micro-level with considerable accuracy and preciseness. The ECDM is a low-cost hybrid machining technique with great potential to machine such materials. Barely any simulated or numerical work has been available for machining zirconia material through the ECDM process. In this study, a finite element model (FEM) is developed to predict the material removal rate (MRR) of the zirconia material using the temperature distribution plots through the electrochemical discharge machining process (ECDM) for different parametric conditions using a single spark mechanism. The simulation results reveal the increase of 316.9 mu g in MRR by increasing electrolytic concentration from 15% to 30% wt. However, a small error was found between simulated and experimental results, which might be due to the assumptions during the study. This study will provide new guidelines during the processing of zirconia material for predicting the material removal rate for future manufacturing engineers.