Modeling of Material Removal Rate in Micro-ECG Process

Microelectrochemical grinding (micro-ECG) is a variant of electrochemical grinding (ECG) process, in which material is removed by a combination of electrolytic dissolution and abrasive action that take place in a small interelectrode gap. This paper discusses analytical modeling of the material removal phenomenon in micro-ECG process to predict material removal rate. In the model, the phenomena, which contribute to the material removal in the process by electrolytic and abrasive actions, have been considered; these include streaming potential in the electrochemical action and shearing forces due to the flow of electrolyte through interelectrode gap and the abrasive action of grinding wheel. Two configurations of the process, viz., surface and cylindrical micro-ECG, have been modeled. The results have been validated by CFD simulation in the case of surface micro-ECG process, and specific experimentation in the case of cylindrical micro-ECG process.