Experimental study on electrochemical discharge machining of MMCs with a new type of electrical corrosion resistance abrasive electrode

To solve the problem of rapid electrode loss of particle reinforced metal matrix composite (PR-MMCs) tool by electrochemical discharge machining using traditional Cu-based abrasive electrode. In this paper, a CuW alloy with high melting point and high hardness was proposed as the matrix material of the abrasive electrode, and a new method of high-speed grinding-aided electrochemical discharge machining(G-ECDM) of PR-MMCs using CuW abrasive electrode was explored. The conventional electrode, Cu-based abrasive electrode and CuW-based abrasive electrode were used to machine SiCp/Al. The results show that compared with the traditional electrode and Cu-based abrasive electrode, the CuW-based abrasive electrode showed better corrosion resistance and efficiency in the machining of SiCp/Al. The TWR of CuW-based abrasive electrode is lower than that of Cu electrode and traditional Cu-based abrasive electrode, and the lowest TWR can reach 1.1% of Cu electrode and 28.8% of traditional Cu-based abrasive electrode. MRR of CuW-based abrasive electrode is higher than that of Cu electrode and traditional Cu-based abrasive electrode, up to 8.0 times of Cu electrode and 2.5 times of traditional Cu-based abrasive electrode.