Powder Metallurgy Electrode Research Articles

EDM machining effectiveness for Ti–6Al–4V alloy using Cu–TiB2 ceramic composite electrode: a parametric evaluation

The study addresses the requirement for better machining of titanium alloy (Ti–6Al–4V) in Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) with a Cu–TiB2 ceramic composite powder metallurgy electrode. The electrode underwent analysis for relative density, hardness, and microstructure using field emission scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Results indicated a relative density of approximately 90.08%, a microhardness of around 142 H V, and an electrical conductivity of 46% IACS. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used as Design of Experiment (DoE) technique for this study to investigate the effects of pulse current (Ip), pulse on time (Ton), and discharge voltage (V) on Material Removal Rate (MRR) and Surface Roughness (SR). Analysis of variance (ANNOVA) at a 5% significance level highlights the significant impact of Ip, Ton & V, and the interaction between selected parameter on MRR and SR. Results show a significant influence of pulse current (Ip) and pulse duration (Ton) on both MRR and SR. Rising pulse current correlates with improved MRR, with optimal parameters identified as a pulse current of 15 A, a pulse on time of 150 μs, and a voltage of 50 V. The study also looks into the usage of reverse polarity to improve surface finish compared to typical EDM methods. The use of Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) analyses adds depth to the evaluation of surface formations on the workpiece. EDS analysis indicates the presence of 63.13 wt (%) of boron on the machined work surface, affirming the effectiveness of the developed Cu–TiB2 electrode in machining titanium alloy.

Investigating the performance evaluation of Cu-Cr tool fabricated by powder metallurgy during electrical discharge machining of EN9 steel

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the machining characteristics of electrical discharge machining (EDM) when a tool is fabricated using powder metallurgy. Because pure Cu tools obtained using conventional machining pose problems of high tool wear rate, tool oxidation causes loss of characteristics in tool shape. Design/methodology/approach The research investigation carried out experiments planned through Taguchi’s robust design of experiments and used analysis of variance (ANOVA) to carry out statistical analysis. Findings It has been found that copper and chromium electrodes give less metal removal rate as compared to the pure Cu tool. Analytical outcomes of ANOVA demonstrated that MRR is notably affected by the variable’s polarity, peak current, pulse on time and electrode type in the machining of EN9 steel with EDM, whereas the variables pulse on time, gap voltage and electrode type have a significant influence on EWR. Furthermore, the process also showed that the use of powder metallurgy tool effectively reduces the value of SR of the machined surface as well as the tool wear rate. The investigation exhibited the possibility of the use of powder metallurgy electrodes to upgrade the machining efficiency of EDM process. Research limitations/implications There is no major limitation or implication of this study. However, the composition of the powders used in powder metallurgy for the fabrication of tools needs to be precisely controlled with careful control of process variables during subsequent fabrication of electrodes. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that investigates the effectiveness of copper and chromium electrodes/tools fabricated by means of powder metallurgy in EDM of EN9 steel. The effectiveness of the tool is assessed in terms of productivity, as well as accuracy measures of MRR and surface roughness of the components in EDM machining.

EFFECT OF WC–Cu COMPOSITE ELECTRODES ON MATERIAL DEPOSITION RATE, MICROHARDNESS AND MICROSTRUCTURE OF ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE COATED MAGNESIUM ALLOY

Nowadays, coated surfaces have been used in the diverse of applications, such as automobile, aerospace and biomedicals. Different surface modification techniques have been used to improve the surface properties. Electrical discharge deposition (EDD) is an electro-thermal process widely used to deposit the hard composite coating on the workpiece with powder metallurgy electrode. To increase the deposition rate, powder composite electrode plays important role in this EDD process. In this work, tungsten carbide–copper composite coating is developed on ZE41A magnesium alloy surface using EDD. Process parameters used in the study are compaction load, current and pulse-on time, and the responses are material deposition rate (MDR) and microhardness (MH). The effects of process parameters on MDR and MH are studied. MDR and MH increased with increasing current and pulse-on time at low compaction loaded WC70-Cu30 electrode. Compaction load was found as the dominating parameter in the study followed by current and pulse-on time. Layer thicknesses of WC70-Cu30 and WC50-Cu50 electrodes are 92.12 and 72.88[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m, respectively. MH decreased for the low compaction loaded electrode for both types of electrodes. This could be due to the minimum deposition of the tungsten particles. Uniform depositions with large spherical globules were observed at the surface deposited using WC70-Cu30 electrode. Larger craters were observed at WC50-Cu50 electrode. At the intermediate pulse-on time of WC70-Cu30 electrode, voids were formed which diminished the hardness of the surface.

Influence of WC/Co powder metallurgy electrodes made by micron and nano particles on EDM performance

Metal Powder ReportVol. 76, No. 6 Technical PapersInfluence of WC/Co powder metallurgy electrodes made by micron and nano particles on EDM performancePujari Srinivasa Rao, Siva Prasad Dora, Nadimpalli Sarada PurnimaPujari Srinivasa RaoSearch for more papers by this author, Siva Prasad DoraSearch for more papers by this author, Nadimpalli Sarada PurnimaSearch for more papers by this authorPujari Srinivasa Rao; Siva Prasad Dora; Nadimpalli Sarada PurnimaPublished Online:14 Jan 2022AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail View article References 1 V.R. Chundru, K. Koona, S.R. Pujari Surface modification of Ti6Al4V alloy using EDM electrode made with nano and Micron sized TiC/Cu powder particles; Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering; 44: 2019: 1425–1436 Google Scholar2 R.V.S. Subrahmanyam, K. Koona, S.R. Pujari “EDMed Inconel 718 using powder metallurgy (P/M) sintered electrode made with nano and micron sized powders”; Engineering review; 40: (3)2020: 52–64 Google Scholar3 P.S. Rao, N.S. Purnima, D.S. Prasad “Surface alloying of D2 steel using EDM with WC/Co P/M electrodes made of nano and micron sized particles”; Materials Research Express; 6: 2019: 036511–036515 Google Scholar4 M.M. Pawade, D. Goyal, S.S. Banwait “Evaluation of die sinking electric discharge machine with smart machine controller”; Metal Powder Report; 76: (1)2021: 25–31 Google Scholar5 A.K. Sahu, S.S. Mahapatra “Performance analysis of Cu-W-B4C composite tool during electrical discharge machining of titanium alloy”; Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part C: Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science; 2020: 1597 Google Scholar6 C. Cogun, Z. Esen, A. Genc, F. Cogun, N. Akturk “Effect of powder metallurgy Cu-B4C electrodes on workpiece surface characteristics and machining performance of electric discharge machining”; Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part B: Journal of Engineering Manufacture; 230: 2016: 2190–2203 Google Scholar7 A.R. Siddique, S. Mohanty, A.K. Das “Micro-electrical discharge coating of Titanium alloy using WS2 and Brass P/M electrode”; Materials and Manufacturing Processes; 2019: https://doi.org/10.1080/10426914.2019.1666988 Google Scholar8 A. Das, J.P. Misra ”Experimental investigation on surface modification of aluminum by electric discharge coating process using TiC/Cu green compact tool electrode”; Machining science and technology; 16: 2012: 601–623 Google Scholar9 V. Srikanth, G.S. Upadhyaya ”Effect of tungsten particle size on the sintered properties of heavy alloys”; Powder Technology; 39: 1984: 61–67 Google Scholar10 M.P. Samuel, P.K. Philip ”Powder metallurgy tool electrodes for electric discharge machining”; International journal of machine tools and manufacture; 37: 1997: 1625–1633 Google Scholar11 T.A. El-Taweel ”Multi-response optimization of EDM with Al–Cu–Si–TiC P/M composite electrode”; The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology; 44: (1-2)2009: 100–113 Google Scholar12 P.S. Bineet, S. Jaswinder, S. Jaspreet, B. Mohit, G. Deepam “Experimental investigation of machining nimonimc-80A alloy on wire EDM using response surface methodology”; Metal Powder Report; 2021: In press https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mprp.2020.12.001 Google Scholar13 P.M. Kumar, K. Sivakumar, N. Jayakumar “Multiobjective optimization and analysis of copper– titanium diboride electrode in EDM of monel 400TM alloy”; Materials and Manufacturing Processes; 33: 2018: 1429–1437 Google Scholar14 R.D.A. Halgas, M. Blanda, P. Hvizdos, F. Lofaj, J. Dusza, J. Morgiel “Nano indentation of WC-Co hard metals”; Journal of European Ceramic Society; 33: 2013: 2227–2232 Google Scholar FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails 1 December 2021Volume 76Issue 6ISSN (print): 0026-0657ISSN (online): 1873-4065 Metrics History Published online 14 January 2022 Published in print 1 December 2021 Information© MA Business Ltd.KeywordsEDMP/M electrodeMRRTWRPDF download

Formation and Optimization of Electrical Discharge Coatings Using Conventional Electrodes

An emerging topic is electrical discharge (ED) coating with its application on complex shapes and cavities to repair components or act as functional coatings. Because it is a variant process of an electric discharge machine (EDM) with the ability to coat on electrically conductive substrates, there is a possibility that next-generation electrical discharge machining components may exploit the attachment phenomenon to enhance recast layer properties. Previously, researchers have obtained ED coating by mixing the powder in a dielectric medium and/or by using powder metallurgy electrodes. In this work, primarily, an insight in the formation of ED coating on-die sinks electrical discharge machine, using conventional electrode materials viz., bronze on titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) is made. The bronze electrode on the titanium substrate obtained a crack-free copper coating of ~20 microns thickness. In order to perform the experiments, three combinations were made using five parameters: current (Amps), ton (µs), Toff (µs), duty cycle (%), and flushing pressure as constant (bar). After obtaining the coating, a combination of input parameters was selected by optimizing the output performance parameters, viz., the electrical discharge deposition rate, coating thickness, micro-cracks, and elemental coating composition. Secondarily, different optimization techniques viz., grey relational analysis, the technique for order of preferences by similarity to ideal solution, −nD angle method and information divergence method were implemented to find out the suitable combination of parameters where the latter two methods were introduced for the first time in this area of EDM optimization. A study was conducted to check whether the latter two methods are optimization techniques or multi-criteria decision-making techniques. The optimization of existing reactor types and the development of new reactors in wastewater treatment through EDC, by which energy could be saved by replacing the conventional techniques.

Surface modification of a magnesium alloy by electrical discharge coating with a powder metallurgy electrode

Abstract The present paper elucidates an experimental study on the surface modification of a ZE41 A magnesium alloy by electrical discharge coating (EDC) process with a tungsten carbide-copper (WC-Cu) powder metallurgy (PM) electrode. Investigated EDC parameters were compaction load, current and pulse on time. Measurement of coating characteristics such as material transfer rate (MTR) and surface roughness (Ra) were undertaken on the coated workpiece. As the design of experiment, response surface methodology was applied and analysis of variance (ANOVA) test was completed to study the influence of process parameters. Mathematical models were developed for coating characteristics to optimize the parameters. In this study, the reliability of the regression model is considered satisfactory with a value larger than 99 %. It was found from the study that the current plays a vital role in increasing the material transfer rate and minimizing the surface roughness of the coated surface followed by compaction load and pulse on time. Various studies such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were carried out to determine the characteristics of the coated layer. These analyses confirmed the presence of the electrode materials in the coated surface.

Effect of parameters on microstructure of electrical discharge coated ZE41A magnesium alloy with tungsten carbide-copper composite electrode

Electrical discharge coating is a material transfer process of EDM used for fabricating composite coating on the workpiece surface. It is applied in the several applications such as surface texturing, die and mould making industries in order to increase the wear and corrosion resistance. In this investigation, ZE41A magnesium alloy is coated with tungsten carbide- Copper (WC-Cu) powder metallurgy electrode. Electrodes are prepared under three different load conditions (150, 175 and 200 MPa). Effects of process parameters on microstructure of the coated surfaces are studied. EDC experiment is carried out by varying the process parameters viz. compaction load (CL), current (I) and pulse on time (Ton). Response characteristics considered in this study are material migration rate (MMR), layer thickness (LT) and micro hardness (MH). MMR, LT and MH increases with increase in current and pulse on time at low compaction loaded electrode. Conversely, it is decreased with low current and pulse on time at high compaction loaded. Average micro hardness of the deposited surface was 125 HV and average layer thickness was 91.6 μm. Different surface defects were identified in the deposited surface such as cracks, craters and globules. Bigger craters were observed at surface deposited with higher current (4 A) that reduced the hardness of the surface.

Surface modification of tool steel by using EDM green powder metallurgy electrodes

Electro-discharge machining (EDM) is mostly used for machining difficult-to-cut materials which are difficult to machine by conventional machining processes. In recent years, EDM is also used for surface modification. This work aims to investigate the phenomenon of surface modification of tool steel Calmax (Uddeholm) by EDM process using Cu-ZrO2 powder metallurgy green compact electrode. Results show that the higher Material Transfer Rate of 46.5 mgr/min is achieved on the combination of Ip=9A and Ton=25 μs. The effect of peak current and pulse duration on the material transfer rate and surface roughness (Ra and Rz) was investigated. Machined surfaces were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Optimizing the process parameters for Powder metallurgy electrode in Electrical Discharge Machining

This paper presents a novel approach for the optimization of process parameters on new powder metallurgy electrode in Electrical Discharge Machining with multiple responses based on comparing Data Envelopment Analysis based Rank Method. These two methods have a series of steps from of proposed approach which are capable of decreasing uncertainty caused by engineering judgment in the Taguchi method. Experiments are conducted by varying the Electrical Discharge Machining parameters related to metallurgy powder proportion, current and pulse on time and optimized with the considerations of multi responses such as material removal rate (MRR) and Tool Wear Rate. Three factors and three levels were taken to conduct the experiments with the range 6–10% for proportion of powder in the combination of Copper with Titanium Carbide and Copper with Tungsten Carbide, current 3–9 A and pulse on time from 150 to 450 µs. The two methods show a good convergence with the experimental data and the optimum process parameters combinations where maximum material removal rate (MRR) and minimum tool wear rate are obtained.

Parametric effect on electrical discharge treatment of magnesium alloy with powder composite electrode

In this present investigation, an attempt has been made to deposit the composite coating on ZE41A magnesium alloy using tungsten carbide and Nickel powder metallurgy electrode by electro discharge deposition. The experiment is conducted using ordinary EDM and EDM oil as dielectric fluid. Compaction load, current and pulse on time are selected as the input parameters that influences the characteristics such as deposition rate (DR) and electrode wear rate (EWR). Micro hardness of the deposited is evaluated using vicker hardness tester. Mathematical models are developed to study the effect of process parameters on the responses. It is revealed that the DR and EWR increases with increase in current and pulse on time at low compaction load, but it decreases at high compaction load. Maximum DR and EWR are achieved at compaction load (150 MPa), current (4 A) and pulse on time (90 µs). Maximum hardness values (772 HV) is achieved at surface deposited with low compaction and high current and pulse on time. Scanning electron microscope and Energy dispersive spectroscope are carried out in the deposited workpiece to study microstructural and confirm the presence of electrode materials respectively.

Micro-electrical discharge coating of Titanium alloy using WS2 and Brass P/M electrode

ABSTRACTThe paper brings forward a novel technique for localized solid lubrication coating in intricate structures. Green compact powder metallurgy electrodes (P/M) (diameter: 1 mm to 1.25 mm) were prepared from mixture of WS2 and brass powder at various mixing ratios. The prepared electrodes were used for the deposition process in micro-EDM. A permanent metal mold was fabricated to prepare the micro-EDM P/M tools. The coating operation was performed at different parameter combinations and the coated samples were characterized for evaluation of metallurgical and tribological properties. Maximum metal deposition rate (MDR) of 0.312 mg/min was obtained at powder mixing ratio of 50:50, machining voltage of 80 V, and 50 % duty factor. Uniform surface was observed at powder mixing ratio of 70:30 (WS2: Brass). Maximum micro-hardness of 578.55 HV was observed for coated surface whereas the same for base material was 280 HV. XRD analysis confirmed the presence of WS2, Al2O3 in the coating. Lower wear rate of coated surface was found as compared to uncoated work piece, and a reduction in friction coefficient 0.4 (uncoated work piece) to 0.07 (coated work piece) was obtained.

Multiobjective optimization and analysis of copper–titanium diboride electrode in EDM of monel 400™ alloy

ABSTRACT Electrical discharge machining (EDM) is one of the most accepted machining processes in the precision manufacturing industry. In EDM process, finding an alternative tool material is the demand in modern manufacturing industry. Therefore, an attempt had been made to fabricate copper–titanium diboride powder metallurgy electrode to test in EDM on monel 400™ material. The experiments are planned using center composite second-order rotatable design and the model is developed by response surface methodology. The machining characteristics have analyzed using the developed model. In this study, four input parameters such as titanium diboride percentage, pulse current, pulse on time, and flushing pressure are selected to evaluate the material removal rate (MRR) and tool wear rate (TWR). The adequacy of the developed regression model has tested through analysis of variance test. The desirability-based multiobjective optimization is used to find the optimal process parameter which has given maximum MRR and minimum TWR. The optimum process parameters obtained were titanium diboride of 16%, pulse current of 6 A, flushing pressure of 1 Mpa, and pulse on time of 35 µs. The validity of the response surface model is further verified by conducting confirmation experiments.

Investigation of Micro-Hardness in Electrical Discharge Alloying of En31 Tool Steel with Cu–W Powder Metallurgy Electrode

In the present study, efforts have been made to identify favorable conditions to enhance surface micro-hardness (MH) of En31 tool steel using Cu–W tool manufactured by powder metallurgy (PM) in electrical discharge alloying (EDA) process. Taguchi method was followed to get combination of six process variables for achieving best MH. Peak current emerged as the major factor to influence the MH of the alloyed layer, although tool polarity, percentage of alloying element in PM tool, pulse on-time, duty factor and discharge voltage were also found significant. MH measurement, scanning electron microscopy, optical microscopy, EDS and XRD were carried out to find micro-geometrical, micro-structural, chemical and mechanical changes in the machined surface. Under favorable conditions for MH, noteworthy enhancement in percentage of carbon and tungsten was observed. The presence of hard tungsten carbide ( $$\hbox {W}_{2}\hbox {C}$$ ) and cementite ( $$\hbox {Fe}_{3}\hbox {C}$$ ) on the machined surface were related to the observed substantial increase in MH ( $$\sim 150\%$$ ). Results indicated that MH improvement can be carried out devoid of any disadvantageous effect on surface quality using EDA process.

Investigating the surface properties of EN-31 die-steel after machining with powder metallurgy EDM electrodes

Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) has emerged as a well known manufacturing process where machining takes place by periodic electric discharge between tool and workpiece. This has been recognized as an efficient technology for precision machining of electrically conducting hard materials. A lot of experimentation has been carried out to find the optimum parameters for the EDM process. Researchers have also used powder metallurgy electrodes to study their influence on surface properties and output process parameters. In this paper, powder metallurgy electrodes prepared with different compositions of copper and manganese has been used to machine EN-31 die-steel. Comparisons have been made with copper electrode for micro-hardness and surface roughness behavior of workpiece and it has been found that copper-manganese (in weight ratio 70-30) composite electrode shows better results than copper-manganese (in weight ratio 80-20) electrode and copper electrode.

Micro-hardness evaluation for surface alloying of H11 die steel with Cu–Cr–Ni powder metallurgy tool in electrical discharge machining

Electrical discharge machining is a non-conventional material removal process; recently, efforts have been made to use it as a surface alloying/modifying method. This study investigates and compares the micro-hardness of the surface machined by electrical discharge machining process using composite tool electrode (copper–chromium–nickel) manufactured by powder metallurgy and conventional copper tool. Design of experiment is used to find the best level of process parameters in order to achieve high micro-hardness. The machined surfaces are subsequently analyzed using different techniques like scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and energy-dispersive spectroscopy to ascertain the surface characteristics. Results indicate that the micro-hardness of the alloyed surface formed by powder metallurgy tool electrode is improved by 96.3% as compared to base material and 65.7% as compared to the surface machined by conventional copper electrode. Energy-dispersive spectroscopy of the surface machined using powder metallurgy electrode confirms significant material migration from tool and dielectric to the machined surface. The X-ray diffraction shows the formation of cementite (Fe3C), intermetallic compound of iron, chromium and nickel (FeCrNi) and chromium carbide (Cr7C3) on the surface machined using powder metallurgy electrode.

Impact of Powder Metallurgy Electrode in Electric Discharge Machining of H-13 Steel

Electric discharge machining (EDM) widely used mostly in the tool and die industry and the material normally used as electrode are copper, tungsten, graphite, copper tungsten and copper chromium alloys. In the present work, Electric discharge machining was carried on H-13 workpiece using powder metallurgy electrodes of copper chromium (CuCr) and conventional copper electrode. The input parameters selected in the study were current, voltage, duty cycle and retract distance. The output parameters were material removal rate, tool wear rate, surface roughness and overcut. Experimental results show that CuCr powder metallurgy electrode gives best results for MRR. Also CuCr powder metallurgy electrodes gives better results for overcut as compare to conventional copper electrode. It has been seen that electrode type is significant factor for all output parameters.

Influence of electrical discharge machining process parameters on surface micro-hardness of titanium alloy

The resistance of a material to an indentation on microscopic scale is an indication of its micro-hardness. To a lubrication engineer, micro-hardness is synonymous with surface wear resistance of a material. In this study, an attempt was made to enhance the surface micro-hardness of titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) through modification of electrical discharge machining process parameters. These parameters are the electrode, the dielectric fluid and the electrical variables of the machine. Cu–TaC composite electrode produced through powder metallurgy method was used during the electrical discharge machining with different urea concentrations in distilled water as dielectric fluid. The electrical variables used were the peak current, the pulse duration and the duty factor. Electrical discharge machining was also conducted with copper (Cu) powder metallurgy electrode with distilled water dielectric fluid for comparison. The results showed that the micro-hardness of the electrical discharge machined surfaces with Cu–TaC electrode/urea dielectric fluid was generally higher than that of those with Cu electrode/distilled water dielectric fluid. The highest micro-hardness of 1795 Hv was attained with 10 g/L of urea concentration.

Surface Modification by EDM Using Co-Cr Sintered Powder Metallurgy Electrode

In this investigation, the powder metallurgy (PM) electrode developed from cobalt (Co) and chromium (Cr) powders was used in electrical discharge machining (EDM). This new Co-Cr sintered electrode was used to machine mild steel workpiece with kerosene dielectric fluid. The main objective is to modify its surface characteristics and secure increased surface hardness. The EDM variables of peak current, pulse duration and pulse interval were applied to investigate these surface properties. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) / energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy analysis confirmed migration of electrode materials (Co and Cr) onto the EDMed surface. Improved hardness was obtained on the mild steel, the highest being 85.3 HRB. Thus, the Co-Cr electrode introduced into the EDM has the capability of modifying the mild steel surface.

Evaluation of Surface Quality during Electrical Discharge Machining of Inconel 718 with Powder Metallurgy Electrodes

In recent years, researchers have reported powder metallurgy processed electrodes as alternative tooling for electrical discharge machining (EDM). The present experimental study evaluates the quality of machined surface during electrical discharge machining (EDM) of Inconel 718 alloy steel with powder metallurgy (PM) processed electrodes. The investigated process parameters were polarity, electrode type, peek current, pulse on time, duty cycle, gap voltage, retract distance and flushing pressure. The surface quality was measured in terms of surface roughness (Ra). An orthogonal array L36 (21X 37) based on Taguchi methodology was applied to plan and design experiments. Experimental data was statistically analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and optimum condition was achieved for evaluation criteria. It was concluded that polarity, electrode type, peek current, have significant effect on surface quality and minimum Ra is obtained with CuW2080 electrode at minimum current and negative polarity. Deposition of tungsten with CuW2080 (80%W 20%Cu) electrode was confirmed by energy dispersion spectrum (EDS) of the machined surface.

Optimisation of electrical discharge machining process with CuW powder metallurgy electrode using grey relation theory

In this paper, an attempt has been made to correlate the usefulness of powder metallurgy (PM) electrodes in electrical discharge machining (EDM). This paper explains the same with the help of experimentation on AISID2 steel in kerosene with CuW (25% Cu and 75% W) PM electrode. An L18 orthogonal array was used to identify the effect of process parameters (viz. electrode material, duty cycle, flushing pressure and current) on the performance characteristics i.e., material removal rate surface roughness and surface hardness. A grey relation grade obtained from the grey relation analysis is used to solve the EDM process with multiple performance characteristics. Experimental results have shown that electric discharge machining process performance can be improved efficiently through this approach. It is found that copper tungsten PM electrode gives better multi-objective performance than conventional copper electrode.