ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE MACHINING OF Al/7.5% Al2O3 MMCs USING ROTARY TOOL AND Al2O3 POWDER

Nowadays, composites are used in different parts of industries and it is one of the most important subjects. The most widely used reinforcements in metal matrix composites are Al2O3 and SiC fibers and particles which may be used in cutting-edge functional and structural applications of aerospace, defense, and automobile industries. Depending on the type of powder used, composite materials are difficult to machine by conventional cutting tools and methods. The most appropriate way for machining of these composites is electro discharge. For the reason of improving the surface quality, tool wear rate and material removal rate and reducing the cracks on the surface, Al2O3 powder was used. In this study, the effect of input parameters of EDM such as voltage, pulse current, pulse on-time and pulse off-time on output parameters like material removal rate, tool wear rate and surface roughness in both conditions of the rotary tool with powder mixed dielectric EDM and the stationary tool excluding powder mixed dielectric were investigated. The critical parameters were identified by variance analysis, while the optimum machining parameter settings were achieved via Taguchi method. Results show that using of powder mixed dielectric and rotary tool reduce the tool wear rate, surface roughness and the cracks on the surface significantly. It is found also that using of powder mixed dielectric and rotary tool improve the material removal rate due to improved flushing action and sparking efficiency. The analysis of variance showed that the pulse current and pulse on-time affected highly the MRR, TWR, surface roughness and surface cracks.