Experimental investigation for sustainable electric discharge machining with Pongamia and Jatropha as dielectric medium

Abstract

ABSTRACT This research work is a feasibility analysis for the newly developed dielectric based on non-edible vegetable oil, Pongamia (Pongamia pinnata) and Jatropha (Jatropha curcas) for electrical discharge machining (EDM). The traditional EDM uses kerosene as a dielectric with poor safety and unfriendly environmental consequences. In addition to eliminating the risks from kerosene to operator and atmosphere, bio-dielectric can also enhance the machining performance of traditional sinking EDM. As input parameters peak current, gap voltage, and pulse on time were selected and one variable at a time (OVAT) strategy was used to design experimental plans to investigate the application of the newly proposed bio-dielectric. In addition, the mechanism of material removal with Pongamia and Jatropha bio-dielectric is also discussed in detail. The results obtained have shown that the performance of the proposed Pongamia and Jatropha is better than commercially available kerosene oil for MRR, lower EWR and SR, and machined specimens with better surface integrity. It is proposed that dielectric based on Pongamia and Jatropha oil may be used as a hydrocarbon-based dielectric alternative to improve the sustainability of the EDM process.