DOI: 10.18503/1995-2732-2026-24-2-102-114
Abstract
Wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) is widely used in mechanical engineering; however, wire electrode breakage remains one of the key issues reducing process efficiency. Study of the hydrodynamics of the dielectric fluid in the machining gap makes it possible to identify critical machining conditions and minimize the probability of wire breakage. The lack of information regarding the location of weld bridge formation and its influence on short circuits and wire breakage, as well as contradictory data concerning the conditions required for stable dielectric fluid flushing, determine the relevance of this study. The aim of this work is to experimentally study dielectric fluid flows during WEDM in order to identify the regions where a “weld bridge” is formed and to prevent wire electrode breakage. Computational fluid dynamics has been employed to model fluid flows, followed by laboratory-scale and full-scale experiments conducted on a Sodick VZ300L machine tool. The scientific novelty of the study lies in identifying the region where opposing dielectric fluid flows collide within the machining gap during WEDM in the “CLOSE” mode. This region is located approximately 5% below the geometric mid-height of the workpiece. Based on the simulation results, a hypothesis is proposed regarding the localization of the weld bridge formation zone that leads to wire breakage. The practical relevance of the obtained results lies in the possibility of optimizing the dielectric fluid supply system in the interelectrode gap, reducing the likelihood of wire breakage, and increasing WEDM productivity. Considering the obtained findings, further research should focus on modeling the conditions for debris particle removal from the interelectrode gap under various flushing modes (such as disabling one of the nozzles or increasing/decreasing flushing pressure) to prevent the formation of a recirculation zone. Another promising direction is the development of adaptive real-time control algorithms for dielectric fluid flushing parameters.
Keywords
Wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM), wire breakage, weld bridge, dielectric fluid flushing, fluid flow modeling, short circuit.
For citation
Fedorov A.A., Bredgauer Iu.O., Polonyankin D.A., Garanin D.V., Bobkov N.V., Ostash S.V. Simulation and Experimental Study of Dielectric Fluid Flushing During Wire Electrical Discharge Machining. Vestnik Magnitogorskogo Gosudarstvennogo Tekhnicheskogo Universiteta im. G.I. Nosova [Vestnik of Nosov Magnitogorsk State Technical University]. 2026, vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 102-114. https://doi.org/10.18503/1995-2732-2026-24-2-102-114
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