Research of the Micro-EDM Discharge State

Detection Method Based On Matlab Fuzzy Control

Yang Yang , Mei Yanghan, He Tian

(School of Mechanical and Electronical Engineering, East China Jiaotong University, Nanchang 330013, China)

Abstract—Based on the rules which summed up of the micro- with the depth changing, so conventional detection methods
EDM discharge state, the paper makes use of Fuzzy control are no longer applicable, and need to design a new
technology to detect discharge state. It mainly uses matlab Fuzzy identification method.
module to design discharge state detection Fuzzy controller, and
get a good identification results through simulating. Compared
with the traditional detection methods, it gains better results in II. ADVANCE OF FUZZY IDENTIFICATION METHOD OF
the micro-hole EDM experiment by using the discharge state of DISCHARGE STATE
Fuzzy controller, and significantly shortens the machining time Different discharge gap states have different processing
and improves the machining efficiency. properties, conventional detection methods will no longer
applies to micro-EDM, for most of these methods are only
Keywords-micro-EDM; discharge state; fuzzyrule; voltage; detecting a single discharge parameters, can not make full use
current of discharge gap which contains all or part of information. In
Fuzzy control, using speculative statements for information,
I. INTRODUCTION found an effective and convenient way solve the nonlinear
EDM essentially is the adjustment of discharge gap problem. Y.S.Tarng has used discharge voltage and current
between tool electrode and workpiece electrode, namely signal by fuzzy rules for EDM discharge gap state detection
through adjusting the distance to make the machining stability, [2], this method can accurately detection of discharge points,
and finally achieves the required size and precision. The but it still has a large defect, by use of fuzzy rules of different
change of discharge state will directly affect the quality,
processing efficiency, and machining stability. The main
function of discharge module is to detect the discharge state
between tool electrode and workpiece electrode, which provide
the basis for servo control signals sent by control system.
Detection technique with good discharge gap is the key of
servo control, so it needs advanced detection link in despite of
any advanced control technology.
Micro-EDM is a complicated machining process, which
needs for a comprehensive use of electromagnetism,
thermodynamics and fluid dynamics principles to analyze in
the process of micro discharge. Due to the high-frequency
pulse power and small discharging energy, its discharging
waveform prone to distortion, and the discharge state in
discharge gap is affected easily by various factors such as
pulse power parameter, servo system parameter, tools and
workpiece materials, processing area, discharge medium, the
size of discharge gap and so on, these factors bring a lot of
difficulties for distinguishing the discharge state. In the
conventional EDM, it usually obtains various percentages of
discharge state in a certain period of time through detecting the
instantaneous voltage and current of discharge pulse power to
analyze. Due to discharge signal stability and random
interference signal is much weaker than the normal discharge
signal, so detecting is very effective. Whereas in micro-EDM,
Figure 1. Flow chart of detecting the discharge state
the pulse of EDM is different from conventional, its pulse
width is small, often reach 1 μs [1], and the external signal discharge pulse condition get different discharge points, but
interference is bigger. In the machining process, chip removal the same discharge state will also get different discharge points
is more difficult and discharge waveform prone to distortion value, In his paper, it was no proposed how to get different

This work was sponsored by Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education

for Conveyance and Equipment (East China Jiaotong University), China (0
1306016, 01307148), and the Key Project of Scientific and Technological
Research for Jiangxi Provincial Education Office ([2007]427).

978-1-4244-7739-5/10/$26.00 ©2010 IEEE

pulse discharge state at the process of discharging after
detected discharge points state, according to statistical analyses
.So this paper proposes to detect the voltage and current at the
same time, in the fuzzy rules making use of the relationship
between voltage signal and current signal, eliminating the
uncertainty in state detection through complementary signal so
as to determine the discharge state of discharge points, then
statistic discharge state of a single pulse discharge, make sure
the discharge state of a single pulse discharge, and then
statistics various discharge pulse condition, which will provide
basis for electrodes feed movement, flow chart is shown in
Figure 1.
III. DISCHARGE POINTS FUZZY IDENTIFICATION
A. Discharge state analysis
distribution chart, also need comprehensive clearance current
distribution characteristics, namely there is no gap current
breaking out, the acquisition voltage value is not reach to high
voltage status, so believe it is interpulse state, and so
comprehensive sampling of current and voltage characteristic
can accurately identify the acquisition point discharge state.
Fuzzy process has some sensitivity to the scope of membership
functions, through the analysis to the voltage and current
waveform, we can conclude that discharge gap state is
determined in certain regions, while it is ambiguous in other
area, so trapezoid membership function is more accurately to
reflect the actual condition than other shapes membership
function, therefore use trapezoid membership functions
describe the voltage and current, trapezoidal function graphic
is shown in Figure 3.
­A (x)

Discharge state of fuzzy identification system is based on

voltage signal and current signal of EDM as input parameters,
make use of the complementary characteristic of the two kinds
of signal, and combining expert knowledge reasoning to
complete identifying. And the voltage and current signal which
is a group of continuous data points is synchronously collected
X1 X2 X3 X4
discrete signal from a high-speed data acquisition card into
computer. Combining the pulse waveform characteristics, the Figure 3. Trapezoidal function graph
acquisition points can be divided into open circuit, spark/pull
arc, interpulse and short-circuit in all four state. Figure 2 is In accordance with the clearance voltage in the machining
electric discharge of various state waveforms. process all kinds of processing conditions corresponding to the
range of voltage, we use four fuzzy languages to describe,
namely high, medium and low and high. And there are only
two states to kinds of processing, only low and high of the
fuzzy language can describe. Considering high frequency of
discharge in micro-EDM, and spark discharge is no little
difference from arc discharge.
We classify spark discharge and arc discharge of a kind,
this division will not affect the five types of state after a group
of pulse through statistical analysis. logic output of Fuzzy
Figure 2. Various discharge points analysis identification module use triangle membership functions to
express four discharge points state, namely short-circuit: [0 0.5
B. Determine membership functions 1], sparks /arc discharge:[0.5 1 1.5],pulse interval: [1 1.5 2],
open circuit:[1.5 2 2.5], by use the matlab Fuzzy control
Input of fuzzy identification is not the fuzzy quantity which module to design specific membership functions are shown
must be transformed into fuzzy quantity can be used for fuzzy (a),(b) and (c) in Figure 4.
reasoning, and a fuzzy value is based on input language
variable to determine its corresponding membership, selecting
a appropriate membership function is crucial for identification
results. Membership function should be able to objectively
reflect the characteristics of fuzzy phenomenon, according
with the objective law. In order to simplify calculation, a lot of
fuzzy logic of membership functions are triangle function, in
fact, membership function is usually bell according to fuzzy
(a) Voltage Membership Function
statistics, but the bell function is a smooth function, its
computation time is long, but the trapezoidal function is a
piecewise smooth functions, its computation time is relatively
short[3].
From the spark discharge waveform chart, breakdown
voltage distribution near open circuit voltage value, normal
spark discharging voltage, instantaneous pull arc voltage and
steady pull arc voltage are mainly distributed between 15V and (b) Current Membership Function
30V, short-circuit voltage value is distributed between 0V and
10V, and interpulse state can not get directly from voltage
 Among them, R for the number of rules; i
Bq for fuzzy
implication accumulate; μ Bi for the related to membership
q

function of Bq ; Yq for the output domain;

i
y q for the output
q
value domain of Yq ; b for the area center of the output of
i

(c) Discharge State Membership Function

membership functions under the restriction of I rule; y qcrisp for
Figure 4. Input-output membership function graph the output of defuzzification.
Apply gravity method and the fuzzy control of table 1 to
C. Fuzzy rules determine of discharge points state simulate in matlab, gaining the relationship 3D-graph between
According to the classification of EDM discharge and its spark discharge state and the input voltage and current in
characteristics, and combined with a large number of practical Figure 5. From the simulation results of 3D-graph can be
experience, making out the following eight major formulated shown, the discharge effect of fuzzy control are good, in order
and fuzzy logic rules ,and designing fuzzy control as shown in to illustrate the effect of the fuzzy controller, the next day will
make some verification experiment.
table 1㧦
1. If (Voltage is Low-Vol) and (Current is Low-Current)
then (Discharge-state is pulse-Internal);
2. If (Voltage is Medium-vol) and (Current is Low-
Current) then (Discharge-state is pulse-Internal);
3. If (Voltage is High-Vol) and (Current is Low-Current)
then (Discharge-state is pulse-Internal);
4. If (Voltage is Ultra-Vol) and (Current is Low-Current)
then (Discharge-state is Open-circuit);
5. If (Voltage is Low-Vol) and (Current is High-Current)
then (Discharge-state is short-circuit)
6. If (Voltage is Medium-vol) and (Current is High-
Current) then (Discharge-state is Sparks/Rrc);
7. If (Voltage is High-Vol) and (Current is High-Current) Figure 5. input-output relationship 3D-graph
then (Discharge-state is Sparks/Rrc);
8. If (Voltage is Ultra-Vol) and (Current is High-Current) IV. EXPERIMENTAL VERIFICATION
then (Discharge-state is Sparks/Rrc);
Micro-EDM discharge detection method which is proposed
TABLE I. Discharge state FUZZY logic rules in this paper is applied in the experiment EDM device, through
a certain amount of EDM test, and comparing with the
V Low- Medium-
High-Vol
Ultra- traditional EDM discharge detection methods. To illustrate the
I Vol Vol Vol effect of processing, and testing for holes-EDM are as follows:
Inter Inter Inter Open-
Low For four groups of comparative experiments, four groups
veinal veinal veinal circuit
Short- Spark\a of common processing conditions setting is as follows:
High Spark\arc Spark\arc electrode materials for brass, workpiece materials for copper,
circuit rc
electrode diameter 200 μm , workpiece thickness
D. Determine defuzzification method
300 μm ,high and low voltage composite processing (high
Defuzzification method includes the weighted average
method, the maximum membership the degree average pressure 250V ‫ ޔ‬low pressure 90V),pulse width 5 μs ,
method, the gravity method, the median method etc. Here interpulse 25 μs ,processing capacitance 4700PF and 2200PF
adopting gravity method, the following is calculation formula which work for parallel processing, working liquid is kerosene,
[4]: polarity processing ,electrode is no rotating, no vibration
electrode, no carrying electrode and no to rush kerosene.
Sampling frequency of the electric signal for spark gap is
R
2MHz, adopting the series of methods is based on sacrifice
¦b ³ μ
i =1
i
q
Bqi
( yq )dyq machining efficiency greatly, in order to make affection of the
crisp Yq various auxiliary processing methods of electrical discharge
y q = R
˄1˅ machining efficiency decrease to the minimum.
¦³μ
i =1 Yq
Bqi
( yq )dyq The first group: open pulse power to 30ȍflow resistance,
using the research in this paper "Fuzzy control method for
detecting" to process experiment, the processing time as shown
in table 2.
 TABLE II. The first group of processing result From the above four groups of processing results contrast:
in the same processing conditions, the application in this paper
Hole number 1 2 3 average of fuzzy control method is shorter than traditional detecting
Process time t/s 210 250 230 230
control method in the processing time, and the machining
efficiency is increased obviously. And even the processing
The second group: open pulse power to 30ȍ current parameters Settings is the closer to micro-EDM parameters is
limiting resistor, using the research" Traditional test and studied in the paper, the more obviously the machining
control method" to process experiment, the processing time is efficiency is enhanced by using the control method in this
shown in table 3. paper.

TABLE III. The first group of processing result V. CONCLUSION

This topic which was based on the traditional measurement
Hole number 4 5 6 average
and control system of micro-EDM is analyzed and researched,
Process time t/s 270 235 273 259
There are some complex condition in the process of micro-
EDM ,for example, high frequency discharge micro-energy
The third group: open pulse power to 120ȍflow resistance, discharge complex obstruction discharge signal distortion
using the research in this paper "Fuzzy control method for seriously and so on, Proposed a method which was based on
detecting" to process experiment, the processing time as shown fuzzy logic of discharge state detection method in EDM. The
in table 4. detecting method was used in micro-EDM experiment device,
the result indicated that the detecting method has some features
TABLE IV. THE FIRST GROUP OF processing RESULT
including low Computation, high processing efficiency, high
accuracy and so on, This detecting method not only provides
Hole number 7 8 9 average feedback to discharge state for real-time control of discharge
machining process, but also provides a good premise to the
Process time t/s 321 315 318 318 prediction of discharge state in micro-EDM.
The fourth group: open pulse power to 120ȍflow Based on the analysis and research of traditional discharge
resistance, using the research “Traditional test and control state detection and control system of micro-EDM, and the
method” to process experiment, the processing time as shown actual machining status such as high-frequency discharge,
in table 5. micro-energy discharge, complex interference, discharge
serious signal distortion and so on, the topic proposes a method
of fuzzy logical discharge state detection. Through
TABLE V. The first group of processing result
Experiments show that, this discharge state detection method
Hole number 7 8 9 average
has some advantages of less computing, high efficiency and
accuracy etc. And this detection method not only provides
Process time t/s 377 380 361 372 feedback of discharge state for real-time control of discharge
machining process, but also provides a good premise assurance
Comparing the first group of average processing time with to predict the discharge state of micro-EDM.
the second, and calculate the two groups difference value of
average machining efficiency and relative average machining
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