Flow Field Design and Experiments on Electrochemical Machining of Blisk Channels Using Multiple Tube Electrode

Abstract In electrochemical machining (ECM), the electrolyte flow field has a significant effect on machining stability, efficiency, and surface quality. In multitool ECM of blisk channels, the traditional open outflow mode (OOM) is prone to flow randomness, the flow direction is not easy to control, and electrolytes interfere with each other, which causes problems with the normal conduct of machining. To improve the flow field distribution of multitool ECM, this paper proposes a constrained composite outflow mode (COM). The machining area is divided into separate isolated partitions by specific fixtures, which also provide back-pressure to the machining area. The electrolyte is injected into the machining gap and then flows out through the top and side outlets of the fixture. The flow field distribution during the process is simulated and analyzed using computational fluid dynamics. The simulation results show that the optimized flow mode improves the accessibility of the electrolyte and the uniformity of the flow distribution. ECM experiments are carried out using a specific fixture. With COM, the maximum feed rate of the cathode reaches 1.0 mm/min, and a channel with surface roughness Ra = 1.54 µm is machined. The suitability and effectiveness of the flow field simulation optimization are thus verified. On this basis, synchronous ECM of 15 channels is successfully realized, and the machining efficiency is found to be improved exponentially.