Publication

Abstract : In this paper, the effect of different wire electrodes used in wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) on the machining characteristics of Al/SiC/Graphite has been presented. Aluminium metal matrix composites reinforced with silicon carbide particulate find several applications due to their improved mechanical properties for a wide variety of aerospace and automotive applications. The hybrid composite (Al6061/SiC/Graphite) is prepared by stir casting method. These reinforcements have 10-13 micron size particles of SiC & graphite. Three types of wire materials such as Brass wire, zinc coated wire and diffused coated wires have been used. The process performance is measured in terms of cutting speed. Taguchi experimental design strategy is used in the experimentation. Six process parameters, namely pulse on time, pulse off time, peak current, gap set voltage, wire feed and Wire tension have been considered. Cutting speed, kerf width, surface roughness is calculated for each experiment. In this paper cutting speed is compared and studied for the different wire electrodes. In this study, diffused coated wire electrode's performance is better than the other wire electrodes.