Flat jet electrochemical milling of TC4 alloy with tailoring backward parallel flow

In flat jet electrochemical milling, the electrolyte forms a backward parallel flow after impacting the workpiece, resulting in a weak current density distribution on the workpiece. Poor surface quality usually occurs on the machined titanium alloy surface because it inevitably suffers from the weak current density. In this study, a method of flat jet electrochemical milling with tailoring the backward parallel flow was proposed to eliminate the negative effects caused by the weak current density. Multiphysics simulations are carried out to comprehend the mechanism of flat jet-EC milling with tailoring backward parallel flow and better construct the novel tool electrode. Experiments on flat jet electrochemical milling of TC4 alloy with and without tailoring backward parallel flow are conducted. The results reveal that, compared with flat jet electrochemical milling without tailoring backward parallel flow, the recommended tool reduces the surface roughness by 86% to 93%, and improves the material removal rate by 93% to 163% with different feed rates. Additionally, the recommended tool is more conducive to maintaining the inherent hardness of the material. Finally, a surface with low Sa of 0.37 μm is obtained.