A Simulation-based Approach for Modeling of Fraction of Energy Transfer to Workpiece in Electrical Discharge Machining

Abstract

For any process, modelling is the best way to investigate the effect of various parameters on its performance measures. The numerical modelling has been the subject of interest for researchers for a long time as compared to other techniques and hence more work has been recorded in the field of EDM using this technique. In numerical analysis, a fraction of energy transfer is a critical parameter and it depends on the workpiece-tool combination. Researchers have assumed constant value or given range for this parameter but no exact value has been reported in any literature. This paper presents a novel approach to estimate the fraction of energy transfer to the workpiece during the EDM process using a combination of experimental results and finite element analysis (FEA). To validate the model, confirmation experiments were carried out which showed good agreement between simulation and experimental results. [Submitted 17 November 2018; Accepted 27 January 2019]