Machining Performance Analysis of Ti6-Al-4V in Powder-Mixed EDM Using Green Dielectric Oil

Abstract

In this investigation, the factors were oil type ([Formula: see text]), powder type ([Formula: see text]), and powder concentration ([Formula: see text]) level, and the machining parameters were the voltage (V), capacitance (pf), pulse-on time ([Formula: see text]), and pulse-off time ([Formula: see text]). The output parameters were the material removal rate (MRR), and tool wear rate (TWR). Three types of oils and powders, along with their respective particle concentrations, were selected for this experiment. Neem, Karanja, and sesame oils were mixed with aluminum oxide (Al2O3), chromium (Cr), and nickel (Ni) powder at 4, 6, and 8[Formula: see text]gm/l, respectively, using an overhead stirrer to investigate the conditions under which the green oil powder mixed mixture yielded a higher MRR and lower TWR during the micro-EDM process of titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) using a 0.8[Formula: see text]mm tungsten carbide (WC) tool with fixed machining parameters (240[Formula: see text]V, 100[Formula: see text]pf, 20[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]s [Formula: see text], and 5[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]s [Formula: see text]). All the powders used in this experiment had a 32-micron (450 mesh) size. The Taguchi L[Formula: see text] orthogonal array and grey relational analysis methods were used to design and optimize the input process parameters for both responses. SEM, optical microscopic analysis, and EDS analysis were performed to examine the surface morphology, characteristics of the WC tool, and elemental composition of both the tool and the workpiece material. The optimum conditions for Karanja oil with a Cr powder mixture concentration of 4[Formula: see text]g/l resulted in higher MRR and lower TWR. However, machining with neem and sesame oils resulted in higher TWR and lower MRR.