Title: Development of empirical model for surface roughness during electrical discharge machining using single wall carbon nanotubes

Authors: S. Prabhu, B.K. Vinayagam

Addresses: School of Mechanical Engineering, SRM University, Chennai 603 203, Tamil Nadu, India. ' Department of Mechatronics Engineering, SRM University, Chennai 603 203, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract: The present work investigates the machining characteristics of AISI D2 tool steel with copper as a tool electrode during electrical discharge machining process. The single-wall carbon nanotube mixed with electrolytic solution in EDM process to analyse the surface characteristics like surface roughness. A single wall carbon nanotube will absorb the heat from electrical discharged material and minimise the white layer formed in the work piece. An excellent machined nanofinish can be obtained by setting the machine parameters at low pulse energy. The empirical models for prediction of output parameters have been developed using linear regression analysis by applying logarithmic data transformation of non-linear equation. Later, the parameters are optimised using MINITAB 15 software and empirical models are compared with and without single wall carbon nanotubes.

Keywords: single wall carbon nanotubes; SWCNT; electric discharge machining; electro-discharge machining; EDM; surface roughness; empirical models; analysis of variance; ANOVA test; nanotechnology; tool steel; steel machining; nanofinish.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCMSSE.2011.037350

International Journal of Computational Materials Science and Surface Engineering, 2011 Vol.4 No.1, pp.23 - 36

Published online: 11 Jan 2015 *

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