Experimental investigations on surface integrity issues of Inconel-690 during wire-cut electrical discharge machining process

Author(s):  
M Sreenivasa Rao ◽  
N Venkaiah

Nickel-based alloys are finding a wide range of applications due to their superior properties of maintaining hardness at elevated temperatures, low thermal conductivity and resistance to corrosion. These materials are used in aircraft, power-generation turbines, rocket engines, automobiles, nuclear power and chemical processing plants. Machining of such alloys is difficult using conventional processes. Wire-cut electrical discharge machining is one of the advanced machining processes, which can cut any electrically conductive material irrespective of its hardness. One of the major disadvantages of this process is formation of recast layer as it affects the properties of the machined surfaces. In this study, experimental investigation has been carried out to study the effect of wire-cut electrical discharge machining process parameters on micro-hardness, surface roughness and recast layer while machining Inconel-690 material. Interestingly, hardness of the machined surface was found to be lower than that of the bulk material. The micro-hardness and recast layer thickness are inversely related to the variation of process parameters. Recast layer thickness, surface roughness and hardness of the wire-cut electrical discharge machined surfaces of Inconel-690 are found to be in the range of 10–50 µm, 0.276–3.253 µm and 122–171 HV, respectively, for different conditions. The research findings and the data generated for the first time on hardness and recast layer thickness for Inconel-690 will be useful to the industry.

Author(s):  
Yakup Yildiz ◽  
Murali M Sundaram ◽  
Kamlakar P Rajurkar ◽  
Ahmet Altintas

Electrical discharge machining (EDM) is an extensively used method in the machining of electrically conductive materials. Recast or white layer formation is undesirable, but inevitable, result of EDM and needs to be understood and accurately determined to efficiently perform post-treatment processes for removing the recast layer caused by EDM process. In this study, recast layer thickness and surface roughness data obtained from experimental study were analyzed and a correlation between these two parameters has been established. Image-processing technique has been used for obtaining of recast layer thickness data. It was observed that the correlation between recast layer thickness and surface roughness increases remarkably with the increase of working current and pulse time. The correlation obtained in this study has the potential to predict the recast layer thickness on spark-eroded surfaces from simple surface roughness values instead of using the prevailing time-consuming and tedious etching and polishing method. The possible approximation of the recast layer thickness using a thermal model is also discussed.


2015 ◽  
Vol 766-767 ◽  
pp. 518-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Vignesh ◽  
B. Mohan ◽  
T. Muthuramalingam ◽  
S. Karthikeyan

Many of the recent developments in the fields such as aerospace, automobile and nuclear engineering industries are partly due to the increasing usage of difficult-to-machining materials. The machining of these materials is very tedious and time consuming process. Electrical discharge machining process has been developed to overcome these difficulties. It is very important to reduce the recast layer thickness of the machined workpiece using EDM process for improving the surface integrity. In the present study, an attempt has been made to study the effect of conventional transistor pulse generator and modified iso current pulse generator on recast layer thickness. In this study, machining experiments have been conducted on AISI 202 stainless steel with transistor pulse generator and iso energy pulse generator in electrical erosion process. The effects of these pulse generators on recast layer have been evaluated and analyzed. From the experimental results, it has been detected that the iso energy pulse generator has produced lower thickness of recast layer than conventional transistor pulse generator.


Author(s):  
Murahari Kolli ◽  
Adepu Kumar

Surfactant and graphite powder–assisted electrical discharge machining was proposed and experiments were performed on titanium alloy in this investigation. Analysis was carried out to observe changes in dielectric fluid behaviour, material removal rate, surface roughness, recast layer thickness, surface topography and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. It was found out that the addition of surfactant to dielectric fluid (electrical discharge machining oil + graphite powder) improved the material removal rate and surface roughness. It was noticed to have reduced the recast layer thickness and agglomeration of graphite and sediment particles. Biface material migrations between the electrode and the workpiece surface were identified, and migration behaviour was powerfully inhibited by the mixing of surfactant. Surfactant added into dielectric fluid played an important role in the discharge gap, which increased the conductivity, and suspended debris particles in dielectric fluid reduced the abnormal discharge conditions of the machine and improved the overall machining efficiency.


2014 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Md. Ashikur Rahman Khan ◽  
M. M. Rahman

Electrical discharge machining (EDM) produces complex shapes and permits high-precision machining of any hard or difficult-to-cut materials. The performance characteristics such as surface roughness and microstructure of the machined face are influenced by numerous parameters. The selection of parameters becomes complicated. Thus, the surface roughness (Ra) and microstructure of the machined surface in EDM on Grade 6 titanium alloy are studied is this study. The experimental work is performed using copper as electrode material. The polarity of the electrode is maintained as negative. The process parameters taken into account in this study are peak current (Ip), pulse-on time (Ton), pulse-off time (Toff), and servo-voltage (Sv). A smooth surface finish is found at low pulse current, small on-time and high off-time. The servo-voltage affects the roughness diversely however, a finish surface is found at 80 V Sv. Craters, cracks and globules of debris are appeared in the microstructure of the machined part. The size and degree of craters as well as cracks increase with increasing in energy level. Low discharge energy yields an even surface. This approach helps in selecting proper process parameters resulting in economic EDM machining. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 401-407
Author(s):  
Yanuar Rohmat Aji Pradana ◽  
Aldi Ferara ◽  
Aminnudin Aminnudin ◽  
Wahono Wahono ◽  
Jason Shian-Ching Jang

AbstractThe machinability information of Zr-based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) are recently limited but essential to provide technological recommendation for the fabrication of the medical devices due to the material’s metastable nature. This study aims to investigate the material removal rate (MRR) and surface roughness under different current and pulse-on time of newly developed Ni- and Cu-free Zr-based BMG using sinking-electrical discharge machining (EDM). By using weightloss calculation, surface roughness test and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation on the workpiece after machining, both MRR and surface roughness were obtained to be increased up to 0.594 mm3/min and 5.50 μm, respectively, when the higher current was applied. On the other hand, the longer pulse-on time shifted the Ra into the higher value but lower the MRR value to only 0.183 mm3/min at 150 μs. Contrary, the surface hardness value was enhanced by both higher current and pulse-on time applied during machining indicating different level of structural change after high-temperature spark exposure on the BMG surface. These phenomena are strongly related to the surface evaporation which characterize the formation of crater and recast layer in various thicknesses and morphologies as well as the crystallization under the different discharge energy and exposure time.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Bin Xin ◽  
Wei Liu

During the wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) process, a large number of discharge pits and a recast layer are easily generated on the workpiece surface, resulting in high surface roughness. A discharge forming cutting-electrochemical machining method for fabricating single-crystal silicon is proposed in this study to solve this problem. On the same processing equipment, single-crystal silicon is first cut using the discharge forming cutting method. Second, electrochemical anodic reaction technology is used to dissolve the discharge pits and recast layer on the single-crystal silicon surface. The machining mechanism of this process, the surface elements of the processed single-crystal silicon and a comparison of the kerf width are analyzed through experiments. On this basis, the influence of the movement speed of the copper foil electrode during electrochemical anodic dissolution on the final surface roughness is qualitatively analyzed. The experimental results show that discharge forming cutting-electrochemical machining can effectively eliminate the electrical discharge pits and recast layer, which are caused by electric discharge cutting, on the surface of single-crystal silicon, thereby reducing the surface roughness of the workpiece.


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