Anodic Mechanism of Electrochemical Machining: Study of Current Transient on a Rotating Electrode

Using potentiostatic transients and employing rotating steel anodes, a study has been made of the anodic mechanism occurring during electrochemical machining in sodium chloride and sodium chlorate solutions. For chloride, transient behavior reveals the formation, on the anode surface, of a porous, nonprotective film resulting from the precipitation of the anode product. For chlorate, a less porous film, about 1000Aå thick, is formed. Transient behavior reveals that the film is formed by anodic oxidation and that the rate of film growth increases with the increase in the rate of iron dissolution.