Experimental Investigation of Metal Removal Efficiency and Machined Surface Texture in EDM of Titanium Aluminide Compound

The intermetallic compound of gamma titanium aluminide is a kind of recently developed material which has outstanding potential for utilization in high temperature structural applications due to higher ratios of strength to density and also elasticity modulus to density. In this study with considering two dielectric fluids of kerosene and de-ionized water, the effects of the most important input parameters of electrical discharge machining including pulse current and pulse on time on the output characteristics of material removal rate, tool wear ratio, some surface integrity criteria such as surface roughness and cracks, are investigated. The results indicate that, rough machining of titanium aluminide in contrary to finishing of this material, is performed efficiently. As the result of more thermal conductivity coefficient of water comparing with kerosene, the energy dissipation or loss and also plasma channel radius expansion in water is noticeably more than kerosene. This issue leads to more concentration and higher rates of thermal energy on the machined surface in the case of kerosene. Consequently, the density of surface cracks, surface roughness and intensity of surface topography alterations for the machined surface in kerosene is more than the samples which are machined in de-ionized water, but in contrary, the material removal rate with kerosene is much more than MRR in de-ionized water and also the tool wear ratio during machining process by means of kerosene is significantly less than the de-ionized water.