Effect of Discharge Location on Temperature Distribution during Electrical Discharge Machining

The temperature field distribution has a dominant influence on machining efficiency and surface quality during electrical discharge machining (EDM). The discharge location is strongly related to temperature field distribution. Thus, the effect of discharge location on temperature distribution during EDM process should be illustrated to understand the mechanism of temperature field distribution. In this study, the thermal model for EDM process is established using ANSYS software to investigate the temperature field distribution. The model considers more realistic factors such as Gaussian distribution of heat flux, plasma channel radius, latent heat of melting, etc., to agree with actual machining situation. Numerical simulation analysis of the temperature distribution of the two consecutive spark discharges has been carried out considering the relative position relation of discharge location. Based on the numerical simulation, the effect of discharge location on the temperature distribution and material removal volume in pulse discharge process has been analyzed in detail.