Sensitivity analysis of parameters affecting cutting speed and dimensional deviation of wire electrical discharge machining

Wire electric discharge machining is one of the newest, most popular and most accurate non-traditional machining processes, which is being studied. The advantages of this process include precision machining of parts with different hardness or complex shapes. Due to the increasing applications of this type of machining and since increasing the cutting speed and reducing the dimensional deviation in this process are very important, the selection of optimal cutting parameters has an important role to achieve high cutting speed and low dimensional deviation. Improper selection of parameters leads to limitations in output parameters and ultimately reduces productivity; Therefore, in this study, using Sobol statistical sensitivity analysis method, which has the advantage of high accuracy over other methods and extracting a small amount of parameter effect, to investigate the effect of various input parameters, including pulse-on time, pulse-off time, servo gap voltage, peak current and wire tension on the two output parameters of cutting speed and dimensional deviation are discussed. The results obtained from the sensitivity analysis of the expression are that the parameters of the pulse off time and pulse on time are the most effective parameters on the cutting speed with 39% and 37%, respectively, and the servo gap voltage parameters and the pulse on time are the most effective parameters on the dimensional deviation with 59% and 31%, respectively.