Experimental Investigation on the Performance of Grinding Assisted Electrochemical Discharge Drilling of Glass

National Institute of Technology Calicut, Mechanical Engineering Department, Kerala - 673601, India

^a Corresponding author: ladeesh.vg@gmail.com

Abstract

Grinding assisted electrochemical discharge drilling (G-ECDD) is a novel technique for producing micro and macro holes in brittle materials including advanced ceramics and glass, both efficiently and economically. G-ECDD involves the use of a rotating diamond core drill as the tool in a normal electrochemical discharge machine setup. The material removal happens by a combination of thermal melting due to electric discharges, followed by grinding action of diamond grits and chemical etching action. In this study, the effect of process parameters like voltage, duty cycle, cycle time and electrolyte concentration on material removed (MR) was investigated systematically using response surface methodology. Analysis of variance was performed to identify the significant factors and their percentage contribution. The most significant factor was found to be duty cycle followed by voltage, cycle time and concentration. A quadratic mathematical model was developed to predict MR. Tool wear was found for different frequencies and voltages. Higher tool wear was observed for high frequency above 5kHz pulsed DC supply at high voltage of 110V. Tool wear at the end face of the tool was found to be a significant problem affecting the tool life.