Highly energy-efficient and safe-environment-friendly ultra short electrical arc machining for titanium alloy: Mechanism, characteristics, and parameter estimation

A higher energy-efficient and safe-environment-friendly method named ultra short electric arc machining (US-EAM) was proposed to meet the imperative needs of cleaner production. Low loop circuit resistance, long discharge time, and continuous energy output ensured highly stable and low energy output at low voltages in US-EAM. Voltage-current (V-A) analysis and single-point experiments investigated the machining stability. Typical US-EAM characteristics, such as the material removal rate (MRR), specific energy consumption (SEC), relative electrode wear rate (REWR), and surface characteristics, were investigated as a function of the electrode rotation speed, gas pressure, and milling depth. Moreover, the optimal parameters were obtained through the grey correlation situation decision method, showing that the MRR reached 17100 mm3/min, SEC was limited to 27.296 kJ/cm3, and the REWR was limited to 1.487%.