Modeling of the wire electrical discharge machining process using the finite element method

Abstract

The paper proposes a methodology for modeling of wire-cut electrical discharge machining processes by finite element method. The authors describe the main approaches to calculating thermal fields by analyzing the recast layer and phase transformations occurring during material processing. Moreover, the article considers the feasibility of using the model to predict the depth of the recast layer and the topography of the processed surface. The proposed methodology allows estimating the influence of machining parameters on the quality of titanium and zirconium alloy blanks. The methodology can be applied in aviation and space industry, medicine, shipbuilding and other industries where high precision machining of complex parts is required.