Numerical analysis of the powder mixed electrical discharge machining (PMEDM) process for TZM-molybdenum superalloy using finite element method

Abstract

The powder mixed electrical discharge machining (PMEDM) process was simulated via finite element analysis in the current study to assess heat behavior and material removal rate. The goal of this paper is to conduct a thorough experimental and thermal examination of electrical discharge machining (EDM) in order to forecast its cutting characteristics and subsequently optimize the output variables using a response surface methodology for simulations and choosing the most suitable set of process variables related to the PMEDM process. This study’s objective is to design a 2D axisymmetrical transient thermal model that might also describe the physics of material removal in a single spark PMEDM operation on a Titanium Zirconium Molybdenum (TZM) superalloy. ANSYS (version 9.1) software is used to perform transient heat transfer simulations to determine the temperature profile with the amount of material removal at different current, pulse on and off times, gap voltages, and fraction of heat that enters the specimen. The PMEDM process produced craters with a lower diameter and depth, which increased the material removal rate and enhanced the surfacing quality. Compared to the conventional EDM process, the inclusion of powder raised the heat flux given to the work material by 10%–12%. It has been determined that with the single spark modeling technique, the temperature significantly dropped in both the radial and depth directions. The computational results are compared with experimental observations for similar machining conditions, and both results agree satisfactorily.