Electrochemical Grinding Essay

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------------------------------------------------- Electrochemical Grinding ------------------------------------------------- Individal Report Coursework MM2NNS ELECTROCHEMICAL GRINDING (ECG) is a variation of the electrochemical machining process. It is a fusion of electrochemical machining (ECM) and mechanical grinding. Electrochemical grinding is used primarily to machine difficult-to-machine alloys heat-treated workpieces, fragile or thermosensitive parts, or parts for which stress-free and burr-free results are required, as it is not fully dependent on the abrasive process for material removal. The process was introduced in the early 1950s, evolving from developments in the U.S.S.R. on electrical discharge machining. The name is derived from Electrolysis, which is the chemical process that occurs when an electric current is passed between two electrodes (the anode and the cathode) that are dipped into a liquid solution. With this machining technique the cathode is an electrically conductive abrasive grinding wheel instead of a tool shaped like the contour to be machined (like it would be for ECM) and the anode is the workpiece itself. This is why it is important that the material being machined is a conductive material. There is a circuit where current flows from the anode to the cathode from a DC power supply. The electric current is passed between the electrodes through an electrolyte fluid, and electrochemical oxidation and reduction reactions occur at the surfaces of the electrodes. An electrolytic spindle holds the wheel, and the spindle receives a negative charge from the DC power supply, which gives the workpiece a positive charge. A continuous stream of electrolyte flows through a directed tube straight on to the contact area between the grinding wheel and work piece, and conducts the current in the circuit. The electrolyte fluid is a

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