Open AccessNumerical analysis and simulation of micro-EDM plasma in de-ionised water
Author(s) -
Leeba Varghese,
P. Vysakh,
K K Manesh
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
iop conference series. materials science and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1757-899X
pISSN - 1757-8981
DOI - 10.1088/1757-899x/1114/1/012056
Subject(s) - plasma , machining , electric field , mechanical engineering , materials science , field (mathematics) , parametric statistics , process (computing) , process engineering , mechanics , computer science , engineering , physics , mathematics , statistics , quantum mechanics , pure mathematics , operating system
Micro-EDM is extensively used for the manufacture of miniature components in the field of biomedical, aerospace and automobile applications, where the surface integrity of the manufactured component is a crucial factor. But it has still not replaced other manufacturing methods like Laser Beam Machining because of its low energy efficiency. In order to improve the process efficiency and make it a commercially viable, so many parametric studies have been conducted, considering the various input and output parameters involved. Very little effort is taken in the direction of studying about the plasma, which is the actual source of energy in micro-EDM. This is due to difficulty in analysing it as the plasma lasts only for a few micro seconds in micro-EDM. The existing studies about plasma formation and its role in material removal in a micro EDM process is lacking in many respects, considering the underlying mechanism of plasma formation. This simulation is an attempt to bridge that gap. A one-dimensional model, based on fluid dynamic approach, considering the chemistry involved in plasma formation is simulated. The evolution of plasma characteristics was studied for one level of electric field and gap width. The results obtained for electron density is compared with experimentally obtained results and is found to be in close agreement. The value of temperature obtained is much lower compared to that found in literature. This shows that the data imported as chemical reactions is not complete in all respects. The simulation requires further improvement.