Heat development during the ECM of tungsten carbide

The present work is addressed to the heat development of the work piece consisting of tungsten carbide during the Electrochemical Machining (ECM). The experiments were carried out in a special designed electrochemical channel flow cell which enables to measure the temperature next to the sample surface during the ECM experiment. The heat impact in the sample and the heat dissipation are strictly depending on the electrolyte speed as well as the applied current density. It can be assumed that the main reason of heat impact is the Joule heating. However, the source of Joule heating is assumed to be the electrolyte resistance as well as the oxide resistance of thin WO3 passive film.