Vibration Control of a Wire Cut Discharge Machine Using ER Brake Actuator

Abstract

This paper presents vibration characteristics of a wire cut discharge machine in which an electrorheological brake actuator is used to control the wire tension. On the basis of the tension level required in the machine an appropriate size of the ER brake actuator is devised. The ER brake actuator is then incorporated into the machine and the field-dependent wire tension is experimentally evaluated. The straightness of the workpiece is also empirically investigated by changing the intensity of the electric field. In addition, the tension control performance of the discharge machine is simulated by utilizing a robust sliding mode controller.