Title: Study on effect of tool motion strategies on tool wear characteristics during generation of non-circular cavities by electro discharge machining process

Authors: Vishal John Mathai; Harshit K. Dave; Keyur P. Desai

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, S.V. National Institute of Technology, Surat – 395007, Gujarat, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, S.V. National Institute of Technology, Surat – 395007, Gujarat, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, S.V. National Institute of Technology, Surat – 395007, Gujarat, India

Abstract: The effect of two orbital or planetary tool actuation strategies viz. helical and diagonal on tool wear rate during the generation of non-circular features is presented in the paper. Under both strategies, the effect of factors like tool path offset, scanning speed, current, gap voltage, pulse ON time and duty factor on the response have been studied in detail. Further, end condition of the tool electrodes used under different conditions has been studied and qualitatively compared. Among electrical factors, lower values of current, gap voltage and duty factor and higher values of pulse ON time are preferable for lower tool wear rate as well tool deformation. Tool motion factors viz. tool path offset and scanning speed is observed to have no significant effect on the response at lower discharge energy conditions. Analysis of experimental results suggests that helical strategy is preferable to diagonal strategy for the generation of non-circular cavities using EDM process.

Keywords: advanced machining; tool wear; orbital tool actuation; planetary tool actuation; electro-discharge machining; EDM; tool kinematics; wear ratio; tool motion; non-circular cavities; electrical discharge machining; tool path offset; scanning speed; current; gap voltage; pulse-on time; duty factor; tool deformation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMMM.2015.070921

International Journal of Machining and Machinability of Materials, 2015 Vol.17 No.2, pp.150 - 164

Received: 07 Jan 2015
Accepted: 27 Jan 2015
Published online: 31 Jul 2015 *

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