Numerical study of transient thermal profile and thermally deformed tip shape in Wire EDM of narrow angles

The geometrical error observed in the tip while machining sharp corners in thin workpieces with WEDM is studied numerically. A finite element model is developed to study the contribution of thermal effects in the tip deflection phenomenon. Initially a temperature distribution model is developed by considering formation of kerf gap and time dependent changes in material properties of different zones in the domain. The transient temperature data is fetched from the model and used in a sequentially coupled Thermo-Mechanical model to predict the deformation of tip. Numerically predicted tip deflection and the shape of the profile is validated and compared with experimental results.