Modelling of Energy Distribution in SEDM on the Basis of Gas Bubble Observations

Abstract The energy distribution in electrical discharge machining is still subject to discussions. On the one hand, it is important to know the exact amount of energy that is applied to a workpiece, since solely this heat is responsible for the loads that are applied to the material and result in material modifications. On the other hand, it is very difficult to directly measure the heat due to the diminutive temporal and spatial scales. Hence, a method was developed to measure the size of the gas bubble that evolves during the discharge and used to model the energy fraction that dissipates during the formation of named bubble. With the easily measurable general energy input and the developed model, the number of unknown fractions of the energy distribution can be reduced. This step allows for a better assumption of the energies that load and modify the workpiece material.