Study of the Electro-Erosion Phenomenon of Fe and Zn

Abstract

Single electrical discharges were produced on Fe and Zn electrodes under conditions similar to Electro-Discharge Machining (EDM). Crater morphology and surface texture were studied by means of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and a method was developed to measure the volume of metal removed per unit of applied energy. In all cases the volume of metal removed from the cathode was found to be larger than that from the anode. The efficiency of metal removal was also obtained and shown to decrease as the applied electrical energy of the discharge is increased. In addition, Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) studies indicate that the existence of cross metal deposition from dissimilar electrodes is independent of the energy of the discharge, of the polarity, and of the electrode material (Fe or Zn). The combination of observations from SEM and EDS provided information on the mechanism of electro-erosion.