Influence of electrode type and dielectric during EDM machining of Ti-6Al-4V

Abstract

Aluminum is a popular material in various industries, especially in the aerospace, automotive, and medical industries due to its lightweight, high strength, and good thermal and electrical conductivities. Aluminium tooling in electrical discharge machining (EDM) is a cost-effective and efficient option for machining titanium parts with high precision and accuracy. Aluminium electrodes are mainly used to achieve close tolerances and precise surface finish. The use of aluminium tooling allows for the creation of complex and intricate shapes while reducing the risk of thermal damage to the workpiece. In this work, experiments are conducted with various levels of peak current (Ip), duty cycle (τ) and pulse on time (Ton) while the open circuit voltage (V) is kept constant. All the machining trials are carried out with both aluminium and copper tool electrodes with lemon peel biodiesel as dielectric. The performance measures considered during the work are material removal rate (MRR), tool wear rate (TWR), average surface roughness (Ra). The microstructural analysis is carried out on samples that exhibited high MRR. The test results revealed that the aluminium tool electrode is outperforming the copper electrode, while considering Ra and machining accuracy irrespective of TWR.