CHARACTERIZATION AND PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT OF SiC-REINFORCED Cu-MATRIX-BASED COMPOSITES AS ELECTRODE FOR EDM MACHINING

Pure copper, copper-based alloys, brass, graphite and steel are the most common tool materials for the electrical discharge machining (EDM) process. The electrode material, which exhibits good conductivity to heat and electricity and possesses better mechanical and thermal properties, is preferred for EDM applications. The major problem with conventional electrodes like copper and graphite is their low wear resistance capacity. This study is on the fabrication of Cu–SiC composites as an electrode of EDM with improved wear characteristics for machining of hardened D2 steel which is widely used in die formation. Powder metallurgy route was used to fabricate the samples which was further followed by three-step sintering process. Copper metal was used as a matrix element which was reinforced with SiC in volume fractions of 10%, 15% and 20%. Based on the desirable properties for the EDM tool, the best composition of Cu–SiC composite tool tip was suggested and was further used for machining of D2 steel. The performance of newly developed Cu–SiC composite electrode in terms of surface roughness (SR), material removal rate (MRR) and tool wear rate (TWR) was explored, and it was compared with the pure copper electrode. Pulse on-time, pulse off-time and the input current were selected as the input process parameters. Result reveals that the TWR and SR were decreased by 12–18% and 10–12%, whereas the MRR was increased by 9–28% for Cu–SiC composite tool as compared to the pure Cu electrode. Adequacy of the results was checked by statistical analysis. The surface texture of tool and machined surface was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM micrograph revealed that surface cracks on composite tool tip were lesser than pure Cu tool tip, whereas the work surface was rough while machining with the copper tool surface. Therefore, the result indicates that the newly developed Cu–SiC composite tool can be used for machining of hard materials with EDM.