Machinability investigations through novel controlled flushing characteristics in wire electric discharge machining of M42 high-speed steel

A Novel Flushing Mechanism to Minimize Roughness and Dimensional Errors during Wire Electric Discharge Machining of Complex Profiles on Inconel 718

“…A reduced degree of debris adhesion is visible on the surface, which affirms the effectiveness of the flushing mechanism. A similar material behavior is endorsed by Zahoor et al [ 1 ], and similar thermal energy transfer and flushing action science are endorsed by Ehsan et al [ 25 ].…”

“…The increased gap promotes redeposition of the debris, which disturbs heat flux. Therefore, a roughness of ~2.025 µm was recorded from the compromised discharge energy transfer (considered fundamental to material erosion in the process) and unbalanced material removal [ 25 ]. The wire vibrations and deflection are reduced at lower servo voltage, providing improved surface quality with the lower crater, cracks, and roughness, as shown in Figure 8 a.…”

“…The wire electrode generates an electric sparking channel, which increases the temperature and causes melting on the surface. Due to high flushing pressure and nozzle diameter (which increases the dielectric flow to the interaction area), excessive material removal is carried out, which rules out the balance between geometric details to be machined and actual machined geometry [ 25 ]. Therefore, the spark gap increased with the dielectric flow volume, which affects melt removal, as the poor thermal conductivity of Inconel 718 (11.2 W/m K) does not let the energy dissipate in the workpiece.…”

“…An increased flushing pressure increases the removal of melt material from the surface and does not let debris accumulate, as shown in Figure 9 . Secondly, the force inserted on the moving wire by the injected dielectric facilitates controlling the deviations from design geometry [ 25 ]. The angular deviations are displayed in Figure 12 .…”

“…Electrical characteristics such as fine finish power supply, pulse width, servo voltage, and pulse current also play an essential role in improving machining performance, while enhanced debris removal is critical for stable machining. Based on the limited research that has been reported, Ehsan et al [ 25 ] evaluated flushing attributes to enhance the material removal rate and surface integrity. The improved flushing action while machining M42 steel resulted in a 21.99 mm 3 /min material removal rate, 1.90 µm surface roughness, and 0.354 mm kerf width.…”