Experimental determination of convective heat transfer coefficient in WEDM

An experimental determination method of the convective heat transfer coefficient in wire electro-discharge machining (WEDM) is introduced. A special device is developed to measure the average temperature increment of the wire after a period of short circuit discharges, and the thermal load imposed on the wire is also tracked and recorded in advance. Then, based on the thermal model of the wire, the convective coefficient can be calculated accurately. Some tuning experiments are carried out inside and outside a previously cut profile to examine the influence of the kerf on the convective coefficient. As soon as the wire cuts into the workpiece, the convective coefficient will decrease more than 30%. With this method, the effect of the coolant flushing pressure on the convective coefficient is also estimated. If the pressure is raised from 0.1 to 0.8 Mpa, the convective coefficient will increase more than 20%, and thus ameliorate the cooling condition of the WEDM process.