Amirkabir University of Technology Amirkabir Journal of Mechanical Engineering 2008-6032 57 12 2026 02 20 Evaluation of Surface Integrity of AISI 304 in Electrochemical Grinding through Simultaneous Analysis of Surface Roughness and Porosity Evaluation of Surface Integrity of AISI 304 in Electrochemical Grinding through Simultaneous Analysis of Surface Roughness and Porosity 1619 1636 6109 10.22060/mej.2026.25003.7926 FA Armin Rezaei Department of Mechanical engineering , trabiat modares university Amir RASTI Department of mechanical enginering, Tarbiat modules university 0000-0002-0138-6764 Mohammad Yazdani tarbiat modares university Journal Article 2025 11 26 The electrochemical grinding (ECG) process, as a hybrid technique combining mechanical abrasion and anodic dissolution, offers an efficient approach for improving surface quality and minimizing thermal damage in hard-to-machine steels, particularly AISI 304 stainless steel. However, the surface roughness and porosity in this process are strongly affected by operating conditions, exhibiting inherently nonlinear behavior. In this study, a dedicated experimental setup was designed and developed to investigate the effects of three key parameters: electrolyte concentration (20–180 g/L), applied voltage (5–25 V), and wheel rotational speed (500–2500 rpm). Surface roughness was measured using a laser profilometer, while porosity was quantified through image analysis in ImageJ software. Results indicated that increasing electrolyte concentration gradually reduced surface roughness from approximately 15 to 4 μm, while porosity increased from 1.2% to over 5%. Moreover, voltage variation exhibited a nonlinear trend, and an optimal balance between roughness and porosity was achieved within the range of 10–15 V. Higher voltages led to excessive corrosion and loss of surface uniformity. Increasing wheel speed up to around 1500 rpm also resulted in a moderate improvement in surface finish. Overall, the combination of 180 g/L electrolyte concentration and 15 V applied voltage was identified as the optimal condition for producing a smooth surface with controlled porosity. The electrochemical grinding (ECG) process, as a hybrid technique combining mechanical abrasion and anodic dissolution, offers an efficient approach for improving surface quality and minimizing thermal damage in hard-to-machine steels, particularly AISI 304 stainless steel. However, the surface roughness and porosity in this process are strongly affected by operating conditions, exhibiting inherently nonlinear behavior. In this study, a dedicated experimental setup was designed and developed to investigate the effects of three key parameters: electrolyte concentration (20–180 g/L), applied voltage (5–25 V), and wheel rotational speed (500–2500 rpm). Surface roughness was measured using a laser profilometer, while porosity was quantified through image analysis in ImageJ software. Results indicated that increasing electrolyte concentration gradually reduced surface roughness from approximately 15 to 4 μm, while porosity increased from 1.2% to over 5%. Moreover, voltage variation exhibited a nonlinear trend, and an optimal balance between roughness and porosity was achieved within the range of 10–15 V. Higher voltages led to excessive corrosion and loss of surface uniformity. Increasing wheel speed up to around 1500 rpm also resulted in a moderate improvement in surface finish. Overall, the combination of 180 g/L electrolyte concentration and 15 V applied voltage was identified as the optimal condition for producing a smooth surface with controlled porosity. https://mej.aut.ac.ir/article_6109_27b09e189a405b6cca6ddd7ec869c143.pdf