Comparative study of adding nanopowders in dielectric effects on outputs and surface integrity of Ti-6Al-4V alloy in Electrical Discharge Machining

Titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V is one of the most used industrial alloys that is used often in important and risky applications. One of the requirements for machining such parts is to achieve the appropriate surface integrity. Powder mixed electrical discharge machining is a process which has different mechanism compared with traditional electrical discharge machining process; and it often used in order to obtain good surface finish. In this study two different kind of Nano powders SiO2 and Al2O3 added in dielectric for machining of Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy; so that the effect of adding them on the output characteristics of the electric discharge process, including removal rate, tool wear ratio, surface roughness and integrity is investigated and compared. In order to investigate surface micro cracks and heat altered layer, surface and cross section of it were studied by scanning electron microscopy imaging. The results show addition of Nano powders into dielectric, especially SiO2, increases material removal rate, the effect of Nano powders on tool wear ratio depends on machining condition and setting. SiO2 Nano powder decreases surface roughness more than Al2O3 Nano powder. Surface integrity of machined sample in terms of micro-cracks and depth of the heat altered layer is improved with the addition of nanoparticles.