Experimental investigation of flushing approaches on EDM machinability during machining of titanium alloy

Abstract

The titanium alloy is extensively included in a number of industries. In addition, good machining of titanium alloy is incredibly difficult because of its high strength and rigidity. One of the key problems faced during EDM activity is the flushing out debris from the inter-electrode gap. Arcing and short circuit takes place when spark eroded matter collects in the discharge gap that lowers the performance of the EDM. The current research work is an attempt to explorer the effective flushing technique which can enhance the flushing action during the EDM operation. Comparative study of EDM with gas-assisted multi-hole rotary tool, EDM with rotary tool and EDM with traditional stationary tool with reference to process output such as tool wear ratio (TWR) and material removal rate (MRR) has been carried out in the proposed work. The experiments were performed with process variables such as discharge current, pulse on time, duty cycle, electrode speed, and gas pressure to their influence on MRR and TWR. In addition, it was observed from a comprehensive study that high MRR and low TWR are achieved in EDM with multi-hole rotary tool with gas assistance compared to EDM with rotary tool and EDM with traditional stationary tool. The findings suggest that using compressed argon gas in EDM with gas-assisted multi-hole rotary tool has a favorable impact on the overall of the machining process.