Indian Journal of Science and Technology

Abstract

Objectives: To optimize the Material Removal Rate, Surface Rougness and Tool Wear Rate in Powder Mixed Electrical Discharge Machining (PMEDM) of Incony 800 and to prepare parameter chart card for the Manufacturer to choose required parameter based on the job requirements and cost estimation etc. Methods/Analysis: The purpose of powder mix in a dielectric is to improve the machining performance, in which the powder material’s, size, concentration and its base fluids are greatly influenced in machining performance. Hence this research is focused on study the influence of Nano-Powders with selected concentration in PMEDM of Incony 800 with silver coated electrolyte copper electrode. so the Taguchi full factorial Design is employed for the Nano-Powders of Aluminum, silicon and Multi-Wall Carbon Nano Tubes and No Powder mixed condition (conventional dielectric) were considered for investigation Findings: The Powder mixed electrical discharge machining (PMEDM) is mostly encounter choice in machining hard material to obtain a superior finish with accurately. The Nano-powder of Multi-Wall Carbon Nano Tubes (MWCNTs) outperforms than other Nano-Powders. The results were compared to conventional EDM and Nano-Power Mixed EDM (NPMEDM). The NPMEDM reduced the Tool Wear Rate (TWR) average percentage of 11.91%, 20.72% and 31.71%, the percentage of surface roughness reduction are 9.58%, 22.00% and 28.93% and the material removal rate improvement are 17.70%, 31.62% and 47.03% than Conventional EDM by Aluminum NPMEDM, Silicon NPMEDM and MWCNTs NPMEDM respectively. Application/Improvement: The study is unique by using nanopowders of MWCNTs, Al, Si mixed in Kerosine and servotherm oil enriched dielectric fluid for machining Nickel based super alloy like Incony 800. Here the EDM and PMEDM performances were evaluated experimentally and compared. No statistical and approximation were used. The unique approach of preparation of parameter card was introduced.

Keywords: EDM, Material Removal Rate, NPMEDM, Nanopowders, Surface Roughness, Tool Wear Rate