Discharge location control: electrochemical discharge-assisted grinding of quartz Glass

Traditional mechanical grinding of hard and brittle materials suffers from low efficiency and surface damage due to brittle-fracture removal. Electrochemical discharge-assisted grinding (ECDAG) softens surfaces via high-temperature discharges, enabling plastic removal to improve efficiency and reduce damage. However, existing methods for constraining discharge location are incompatible with ECDAG of rotary surfaces. This study proposes a novel discharge-location constraint method regulating electrolyte distribution using a rotating grinding wheel under a thin electrolyte film. Airflow-state simulations and theoretical analysis of electrolyte-film thickness informed the regulation strategy for the optimal discharge position in the machining gap. Quartz-glass experiments demonstrated that discharge-constrained ECDAG reduces surface roughness by 53.3% and decreases subsurface crack depth compared to unconstrained ECDAG.