Experimental analysis of Aluminum alloy 8011 using Wire cut Electrical discharge machining

Abstract

The increased demand for miniaturization of complex systems necessitates the production of smaller components, cutting with precision dimensional accuracy. Furthermore, Wire cut electrical discharge machining (WEDM) process is the prominent to the fastest growing industries because of their accuracy, the possibility to obtain complex shapes, close tolerances and economically. Therefore, the aim of this experimental work is to analyze the impact of pulse on time and wire feed rate on performance characteristics namely, kerf width and heat affected zone (HAZ). In this experimental investigation, micro level slot cutting experiments were carried out on aluminum plate of 2 mm thickness by WEDM with response surface design. Multi-criteria decision making Grey relational analysis (GRA) technique has been utilized to find optimal machine settings of process constraints. Polynomial models were developed for output constraints. From results, it is analyzed that the pulse on time has more dominance on kerf width, whereas the wire feed rate has a higher influence on HAZ. The obtained outcomes will expedite the advanced machining industries to enhance machinability and dimensional accuracy.