WEDM process parameter optimization for newly developed hybrid Al/(SiC + Gr + Fe2O3 ) –MMC

Department of Mechanical Engineering, IKGPTU, Kapurthala-144 602, Punjab, India E-mail: neelkanthgrover@rediffmail.com Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chandigarh Engineering College, Landran, Mohali-140 307, Punjab, India Manuscript received online 07 December 2019, revised and accepted 24 December 2019 The particulate reinforced metal matrix composites have unparalleled properties which find their applications in various fields such as aerospace, automotive, defense amongst others. The poor machinability of MMCs hinders the potential use of such materials in the industries. Therefore, an experimental study is conducted to explore the wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) of a fabricated hybrid Al/(SiC + Gr + Fe2O3 ) – MMC and reported in this research article. The various parameters having marked effect on surface roughness (SR) of machined surface such as peak current, pulse-on-time, pulse-off-time, wire tension, and feed rate have been investigated. The experimental design is based on the techniques of Taguchi. L27(313) orthogonal array, ANOVA and S/N ratios (dB) were employed to identify the significant parameters. The WEDM parameters have been optimized subject to minimum machined surface roughness height, Ra (µm). The confirmatory tests have revealed an improvement in surface finish if an optimum combination of parameters is used