Abstract
Abstract Cemented carbides (WC-Co) are difficult to be processed by conventional machining processes. Electrical discharge machining (EDM) appears as an efficient technology to manufacture WC-Co products with high accuracy. In EDM literature no research works investigating the influences of different grades of CuW electrodes on geometrical characteristics when ED-machining the same cemented carbide was found. This work presents an investigation on ED-Machining of cemented carbide (WC-Co) with 10% Co using two grades of coper-tungsten (CuW) electrodes with 65% and 85% of tungsten. ED-Machining experiments were carried out under rough, semifinish and finish regimes with input variables discharge current ie, discharge duration te and pulse interval time to using analysis of variance (ANOVA) based on design of experiments with complete factorial 32. Output variables evaluated were WC-Co workpiece geometrical characteristics 3D surface roughness and round cavities circularity measures. Results showed that ED-Machining regime is the most significant parameter on both WC-Co workpiece circularity and surface roughness measures. Electrodes grades CuW65 and CuW85 presented similar results on workpiece circularity and 3D surface roughness.
Highlights
Electrical discharge machining (EDM) is recognized as one of the most non-conventional machining processes widely used in industry, owing to its possibility of producing complex shapes with high accuracy in any electrical conductive material, regardless its mechanical properties[1]
Precision metal-mechanical industry commonly deals with hard-to-machine materials such as cemented carbides (WC-Co), which are difficult to be processed by conventional machining processes
As for that, such materials are better machined by non-conventional manufacturing processes such as ED-Machining, once its material removal principle works through thermal input into the material, which inherently is independent of material mechanical strength[4]
Summary
Electrical discharge machining (EDM) is recognized as one of the most non-conventional machining processes widely used in industry, owing to its possibility of producing complex shapes with high accuracy in any electrical conductive material, regardless its mechanical properties[1]. Physical and electrical characteristics of ED-Machining debris were studied by Murray et al.[19] and it was verified debris with particle sizes as small as 1 nm and as large as 10 μm They concluded that debris particles were present in all regions around workpiece samples, adding evidence that debris plays a key role in electrical conditions in working gap, and that debris sizes showed no clear dependence on discharge current ie. In EDM literature no research works investigating the influences of different grades of CuW electrodes on surface roughness and circularity when ED-machining the same cemented carbide was found In this regard, the objective of present work is to evaluate the effects of two different grades of copper-tungsten electrodes (CuW85% and CuW65%) when ED-machining cemented carbide (WC-Co10%) concerning workpiece 3D surface roughness (Sa) and circularity for three levels of discharge energy (We ≈ ue.ie.te [mJ])
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