Unconventional Applications of Electrical Discharge Machining

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Electrical discharge machining (EDM) is a precision material removal process that utilizes the heat generated from controlled, rapid electrical spark discharges struck between the tool and workpiece electrodes, in the presence of a dielectric fluid. Traditionally, the application domain of EDM has referred to the machining of difficult-to-cut materials, as the thermal mechanism of material removal is not limited by the hardness and toughness of the workpiece material, in contrast to cutting processes that entail plastic deformation. EDM has further been applied in the machining of geometric features such as internal cavities with sharp corners. The process is also used to machine thin/fragile workpieces, on account of the associated forces being relatively negligible due to there being no physical contact between the tool and the workpiece.As material removal in EDM entails localized melting and vaporization at the micro-scale, the generated surface comprises a large number of microscopic, overlapping craters. Accordingly, EDM is one of the very few manufacturing processes with the capability to generate surfaces with a positive skewness. This means that the surface comprises peaks interspersed among relatively wide valleys such that the height distribution is skewed to the right, which makes the surface ideally predisposed towards the novel applications that will be investigated in the proposed research. EDM further offers the flexibility to tailor the size and aspect ratio of the characteristic craters that collectively constitute the texture towards a specific application. This offers the exciting prospect of achieving even conflicting functional requirements, such as a reduction or enhancement of friction, in the same process by appropriately tuning the pulse parameters. In the context above, the objective of the proposed research is primarily to explore innovative, unconventional applications of EDM wherein material removal is not the primary intent per se, but rather a means to the end of engineering the topography of a surface towards realizing a specific functional attribute. In particular, the proposed work will refer to scientific investigations into: (1) the role of an EDM texture in providing nucleation sites for bubbles towards enhancing boiling heat transfer, with applications in the power generation and electronics industries, (2) texturing of automotive piston rings so as to enhance lubricant ingress and retention for reducing friction towards enhanced engine performance and fuel efficiency, (3) imparting an appropriate texture on metallic biomedical implants with a view to facilitating their integration into the bone structure, and (4) the use of EDM for the fabrication of water-repellent, self-cleaning surfaces with applications in the aerospace, marine and automotive industries. The research will further examine the application of EDM in texturing tooling surfaces in order to enhance adhesion between the substrate and a coating, explore the effect of an EDM texture on the drag against a moving fluid, and investigate the mechanism by which an EDM texture could be engineered to increase surface traction.