Mitigating thermal damages in the electrochemical discharge machining of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of three distinct configurations of the electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) process on the thermal damages in the machining of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composite material. High-energy direct sparks and lower-energy ambient sparks generated by these configurations were found to be more effective in improving the machining quality during the material removal of carbon fibers and polymers respectively. The experimental results show that higher feed rates near the workpiece edge significantly reduced the heat-affected zone (HAZ) and anisotropic thermal damage due to better heat dissipation into the electrolyte and optimal utilization of the direct sparks.