INVESTIGATION ON HYBRID FIBER METAL LAMINATE USING ULTRASONIC VIBRATION-COUPLED MICROWIRE ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE MACHINING

Abstract

This study examines the machinability of hybrid fiber metal laminates (HFML), which are made by nickel–chromium alloy (IN-625) metal-cored carbon (Ca)/aramid (Ar) fiber laminate using ultrasonic vibration-coupled microwire electrical discharge machining (UV-[Formula: see text]WEDM). Since UV-[Formula: see text]WEDM parameters significantly impact the erosion rate ([Formula: see text]) and surface undulation ([Formula: see text]), the main objective was to identify the optimal machining parameters. The input variables include the pulse on ([Formula: see text]), pulse off ([Formula: see text]), current ([Formula: see text]), cutting inclination ([Formula: see text]), and servo voltage ([Formula: see text]) coupled with ultrasonic vibration (UV). The empirical findings show that the servo voltage ([Formula: see text]) significantly impacts [Formula: see text] (73.93%) and [Formula: see text] (70.02%). The performance categorization order of significant influencing variable is [Formula: see text]. The desirability interpretation generated the optimum setting for minimizing [Formula: see text] and maximizing [Formula: see text] is [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]s, [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]s, [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]V, [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]A, and [Formula: see text]. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) images were used to perform the micro-interlayer analysis on the machined surface. Moreover, creating an appropriate HFML is necessary to cut various shapes and sizes to satisfy the demands of diverse applications. 60% of components in the aerospace sector are reportedly rejected in real time due to dimension departure, poor surface finish, and damage found in the final assembly. Investigating the viability of cutting-edge machining techniques like UV-[Formula: see text]WEDM is crucial to minimize damage and improve the quality of HFMLs.