Flow field simulation and experiment on immersion electrochemical trepanning of blisk

Blisk (bladed-disk) is one of the core components in the new generation aeroengine. And electrochemical machining (ECM) is one of the main manufacturing technologies for blisk. To address the problem of short circuit at the leading edge and trailing edge of the blade, a new immersed flow mode is proposed in electrochemical trepanning (ECTr) for blisk. The flow channel model of the new flow mode was established, and the dynamic simulation of the flow field was carried out. The simulation results showed, compared with the traditional flushing flow mode, the submerged ECM approach achieves a blade-edge flow velocity of 24 m/s in the immersed flow mode, reduces low electrolyte velocity points at the blade edge, and enhances the overall flow field unity. A closed electrolyte reservoir was designed to form a closed electrolyte aggregation pool to realize the immersed flow mode. Corresponding experiments were carried out in two flow modes for blisk made of GH4169G material. The results showed that the feed rate of the tool increased from 0.55 mm/min to 0.8 mm/min in the immersed flow mode compared with that in the flushing flow mode, and the machining stability, machining efficiency and surface quality of the blisk was significantly improved. This new flow mode can also be applied to manufacture casings, diffusers, and other complicated components in aerospace engines.