An experimental investigation of wire breakage and performance optimisation of WEDM process on machining of recycled aluminium alloy metal matrix composite

P. R. Kannan; K. Periasamy; P. Pravin; J. R. Vinod Kumaar

doi:10.2478/msp-2022-0030

Figures & Tables

EDX analysis of AMMC. AMMC, aluminium metal matrix composite; EDX, energy-dispersive X-ray

Overview of the experimental work and methodology. ANOVA, analysis of variance; CRITIC, CRiteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation; MR, machining rate; SAW, simple additive weighting

Effect of voltage on the first incidence of wire breakage at 7 mm/min, 30 A, 120 μs (ONT) and 70 μs

(A, B) SEM image of machined surface at 30 V, 7 mm/min, 30 A, 120 μs and 70 μs. SEM, scanning electron microscopy

(A, B) SEM images of wire electrode surface after completing machining of the slot at conditions of 70 V, 3 mm/min, 30 A, 120 μs (ONT) and 70 μs. SEM, scanning electron microscopy

Wire behaviour effect between wire feed and first incidence of wire breakage

Cross-sectional view of the eroded and broken wire: (A) top portion and (B) bottom portion at 70 V, 7 mm/min, 30 A, 120 μs (ONT) and 70 μs

(A,B) SEM image of machined surface at the parametric combination of 70 V, 3 mm/min, 30 A, 120 μs (ONT) and 70 μs. SEM, scanning electron microscopy

Effect of peak current on the first occurrence of wire breakage

Wire behaviour effect for various pulse on time

Effect of pulse off time on the wire behaviour (70 V, 7 mm/min, 310 A and 120 μs [ONT ])

SEM graph of the machined slot at an experimental condition of 70 V, 7 mm/min, 310 A, 120 μs (ONT) and 50 μs. SEM, scanning electron microscopy

Chemical compositions of composite materials

Element	Weight percentage	Atomic percentage	Error percentage
C K	4.49	9.08	21.36
O K	16.53	25.11	9.43
Na K	1.86	1.96	11.36
Mg K	5.01	5.01	6.53
Al K	31.72	28.58	4.71
Si K	29.47	25.5	6.15
S K	0.07	0.05	29.63
Cr K	1.44	0.67	12.35
Fe K	6.53	2.84	5.11
Ni K	2.9	1.2	10.1

L18 OA

Exp. No.	V	F_w	I_p	ON_T	OFF_T	MR mm/min	Surface roughness (R_a) μm
1	30	3	10	100	50	1.02	3.600
2	30	5	20	110	60	1.02	3.795
3	30	7	30	120	70	1.52	3.748
4	50	3	10	110	60	0.9	3.218
5	50	5	20	120	70	1.25	3.789
6	50	7	30	100	50	1.24	3.780
7	70	3	20	100	70	1.04	3.392
8	70	5	30	110	50	0.85	3.392
9	70	7	10	120	60	1.06	3.722
10	30	3	30	120	60	0.85	3.570
11	30	5	10	100	70	1.28	3.575
12	30	7	20	110	50	1.35	3.405
13	50	3	20	120	50	0.82	3.532
14	50	5	30	100	60	0.92	3.420
15	50	7	10	110	70	1.23	3.228
16	70	3	30	110	70	0.76	3.729
17	70	5	10	120	50	0.88	3.686
18	70	7	20	100	60	1.06	3.370

Normalised decision matrix for the CRITIC and SAW methods

Normalised values by the CRITIC method		Normalised values by the SAW method		B_p	Ranking
0.3421	0.3379	0.2230	0.2385	0.7925	10
0.3421	0	0.2230	0.2514	0.7675	14
1	0.0814	0.3323	0.2483	0.9229	1
0.1842	1	0.1967	0.2131	0.8144	9
0.6447	0.0104	0.2733	0.2510	0.8370	6
0.6315	0.026	0.2711	0.2504	0.8351	7
0.3684	0.6984	0.2273	0.2247	0.8284	8
0.1184	0.6984	0.1858	0.2247	0.7715	13
0.3947	0.1265	0.2317	0.2465	0.7885	11
0.1184	0.3899	0.1858	0.2365	0.7457	15
0.6842	0.3812	0.2798	0.2368	0.8737	4
0.7763	0.6759	0.2951	0.2255	0.9192	2
0.0789	0.4558	0.1792	0.234	0.7420	16
0.2105	0.6499	0.2011	0.2265	0.7882	12
0.6184	0.9826	0.2689	0.2138	0.9115	3
0	0.1143	0.1661	0.2470	0.6978	18
0.1578	0.1889	0.1924	0.2442	0.7392	17
0.3947	0.7365	0.2317	0.2232	0.8377	5

A brief overview of the literature

S. No.	Process parameters considered	Work material investigated	Work description	Outcome of the investigation
1	Pulse on time, pulse off time, wire feed rate, current, voltage, thermal conductivity, co-efficient of thermal expansion, density and wire tension [1]	Al 2124 SiCp MMCs	In the WEDM of AlSiCp MMC, DA and ANN-based predicted models for surface roughness and MRR were developed.	With an increase in pulse duration and thermal conductivity, the rate of material removal and surface roughness both increase significantly.The ANN approach gives a better result than DA.
2	Pulse on time, pulse off time and wire feed [2]	HEA-reinforced aluminium metal–metal composite	The best parameter combination for a better surface finish, a faster MRR and a smaller KW is found using the Taguchi method and an L₁₈ OA.	The pulse ON time has a significant influence on surface roughness (76.70%), KW (41.96%) and MRR (35.37%), and increasing the pulse ON time enhances the response variables.According to results of multi-objective optimisation using the TOPSIS methodology, MRR and surface finish have improved while KW has significantly decreased.
3	Pulse on time, pulse off time, wire feed, wire tension, current and voltage [3]	AA6061-TiB₂	Studied the effect of reinforcement and wire material on the surface roughness in MMCs.The experiments were carried out using the Taguchi methodology.XRD analysis was used to determine the phase constituents of the work material.	The results of the experiments show that the percentage of particle reinforcement was the most important factor in surface quality (62.04%) and machinability (34.2%). The machinability and surface quality of the TiB₂ (5 wt.%) reinforced composite are excellent. Zinc-coated brass wire outperforms plain brass wire.
4	Pulse on time, pulse off time, wire feed and wire tension [4]	SiCp/Al composite	Prepared casted, coated, annealed and plastic processed wire for WEDM of MMCs.	The use of zinc coating on the wire resulted in increased MRR by 16.67%, reduced surface roughness by 21.18% and reduced wire breakage by 16.67% under the same discharge parameters when compared to brass wire electrode.
5	Short pulse time, wire feed rate, pulse width, spark gap, servo control mean reference voltage and time between pulses [5]	Al/ZrO₂ (p)-metal matrix composite	Surface veracity aspects such as surface defects and recast layer thickness are investigated.	The result finding shows lower value of pulse on/off time, and frequency of pulse plays an important role in surface veracity.
6	Gap voltage, wire feed, pulse on time and pulse off time [6]	Al-Si12/B₄C/fly ash	In WEDM of Al-Si12/B₄C/fly ash composites, the effects of control parameters on MRR and surface roughness were examined using the Taguchi and ANOVA methods.	MRR increases as the pulse on time and reinforcement increase. Optimal machining conditions resulted in a maximum MRR of 38.01 mm³/min and a minimum surface roughness of 3.24 m.
7	Voltage, peak current, wire tension and dielectric pressure [7]	AMMCs with 6% and 8% weight fraction of Al₂O₃	AMMC with weight fraction of Al₂O₃ is machined through WEDM	Based on the TOPSIS approach, the optimal MR and Ra process parameters were ascertained as 1.5 mm/min and 3.648 m, respectively. According to ANOVA, the peak current has a significant influence on MR and Ra.
8	Pulse on time and pulse off time, gap voltage, peak current and wire feed [8]	Aluminium-based composite materials (AA 7075) with (Al₂O₃) particles	The effect of wirecut EDM process parameters on MRR and surface roughness of Ni-P-coated and un-coated alumina-reinforced composite materials was investigated.	By combining grey relation analysis with principal component analysis, an ideal set of process parameters was observed.The identified optimal parameters were validated by running confirmation tests, and the experimental results were observed to be in good agreement with the predicted results.
9	Pulse on time and pulse off time, gap voltage, reinforcement and wire feed [9]	LM5/ZrO₂ AMMCs	By using the Taguchi technique, the study sought to determine the optimal wire-EDM machining parameters for achieving maximum MRR, minimum SR and minimum kerf width KW.	The main statistical factors influencing MRR are the gap voltage (29.92%) and pulse on time (64.84%).
10	Pulse on time and pulse off time, gap voltage, percentage of reinforcement and wire feed [10]	Aluminium (LM25) rein-forced with fly ash and boron carbide (B₄C) hybrid composites	WEDM experiments were planned and carried out using the Taguchi methodology's L₂₇ OA approach, and the corresponding MRR and surface roughness were measured.	The grasshopper optimisation algorithm performed better than the others in terms of maximising volume removal rate and minimising surface roughness values, according to the results.
11	Doping percentage, reinforcement percentage, pulse on time and pulse off time, and wire feed [11]	Magnesium MMC	Investigation in WEDM has been carried out to oversee the effect of process variables on the machining performance parameters such as MRR and Ra of magnesium composite.	The results of the experiment show that increasing the duration of pulse ON and wire feed rate in WEDM increases the MRR. Surface roughness increases noticeably as pulse ON increases.
12	Cutting speed, feed and depth of cut [12]	Aluminium (AA6061) and alumina powder sized <1 mm with 99.9% purity	The study investigated the effects of varying alumina amounts ranging from 1 wt.% to 5 wt.% added to recycled aluminium chip using hot press forging. Ultimate tensile strength and elongation to failure were the primary responses studied.	The addition of 2 wt.% alumina to the recycled aluminium alloy produced high-quality and consistent results.
13	Current, pulse on time, wire speed, voltage and pulse off time [13]	SiCp reinforced Al6061 composite	The effect of parameters such as current, pulse on time, wire speed, voltage and pulse off time on wire-EDM machining of 4–8 wt.% SiCp/Al6061 alloy was investigated.	MRR was significantly influenced by current, pulse on time, pulse off time, wire speed and voltage. The MRR increased as the current, pulse on time, wire speed and voltage increased, but it decreased as the pulse off time and wire speed exceeded 700 rpm.
14	Stirring temperature, stirring speed, stirring time, preheat temperature of reinforced particles, preheat temperature of permanent die and squeeze pressure [14]	AlSi7Mg + alumina; scrap aluminium alloy + alumina; AlSi7Mg + SAC; scrap aluminium alloy + SAC	In the present study, stir-squeeze casting was successfully used to create AMCs using a novel method. The viability of using SAC from oil refineries as reinforcement material and SAAWs as the matrix material was examined.	According to the micrograph analysis, the scrap aluminium alloy alumina composite had the most uniform distribution of reinforcements and the lowest porosity among the four composites.
15	Current, pulse on time, wire feed rate, pulse off time, ultimate tensile strength and micro hardness [15]	AZ61 magnesium alloy with boron carbide and silicon carbide as an reinforcement with varying percentage levels	The fabricated magnesium MMC is machined through WEDM for MRR and surface roughness.	The highest MRR of 0.212 mm³/s was obtained at pulse on time of 115 μs and pulse off time of 50 μs, and the minimum values of surface roughness were obtained as 1.003942 μm.
16	Alumina weight percentage, amplitude percentage and pulse time [16]	SAAWs	Using a L₉ OA and the Taguchi method, an experimental study was carried out. Multi-objective optimisation based on ratio analysis technique was used for optimisation.	The findings showed that compared to other composites, SAAWs reinforced with 1 weight percent of nanosized alumina particles and 5.5 weight percent of micro sized alumina particles had lower porosity and metal loss (wear), higher hardness, tensile strength, and compressive strength.
17	Cutting speed, surface topography, surface roughness, recast layer formation, residual stresses and microstructural and metallurgical alterations [17]	Inconel 706	To determine the feasibility of machining these components, research was carried out on Inconel 706 superalloy using the WEDM process.	Despite the fact that zinc-coated wire improves productivity, hard brass wire was noticed to be advantageous in terms of improved surface quality of machined parts.
18	Pulse off time, pulse on time, gap voltage and peak current [18]	[Difficult-to-cut materials]	The study concentrated on the impacts of various optimisation techniques, such as single and multi-objective techniques, on difficult-to-cut materials.	Reviewed the recent and early research articles on the WEDM process to cut hard conductive materials along with single response and multi response optimisation.
19	Pulse off time, pulse on time, gap voltage and peak current [19]	A286 superalloy	Optimised the WEDM performances by particle swarm optimisation.	The best MRR and surface roughness, respectively, were 19.90 mm²/min and 3.49 m.
20	Pulse off time, pulse on time, gap voltage and peak current [20]	Hard-to-cut materials	Six algorithms, namely MOALO, NSMFO, MODA, MOGWO, MOGOA and NSWOA, are used in the Pareto optimisation of a WEDM process.	The results reveal that MOGWO, MOGOA and MODA can identify the optimum solutions in 47%, 28% and 20% of the situations, respectively.

Control variables and their levels

Control variables	Symbols	Units	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
Voltage	V	V	30	40	50	60	70
Wire feed rate	F_w	mm/min	3	4	5	6	7
Current	I_p	A	10	15	20	25	30
Pulse on time	ON_T	μs	100	105	110	115	120
Pulse off time	OFF_T	μs	50	55	60	65	70

Performance measure of wire breakage

Ex. No.	V	F_w	I_P	ON_T	OFF_T	First incidence of wire breakage in seconds
1	30	7	30	120	70	304
2	40	7	30	120	70	60
3	50	7	30	120	70	32
4	60	7	30	120	70	27
5	70	7	30	120	70	22
6	70	3	30	120	70	-
7	70	4	30	120	70	28
8	70	5	30	120	70	21
9	70	6	30	120	70	19
10	70	7	30	120	70	15
11	70	7	10	120	70	727
12	70	7	15	120	70	32
13	70	7	20	120	70	26
14	70	7	25	120	70	23
15	70	7	30	120	70	21
16	70	7	30	100	70	1114
17	70	7	30	105	70	847
18	70	7	30	110	70	30
19	70	7	30	115	70	25
20	70	7	30	120	70	19
21	70	7	30	120	50	120
22	70	7	30	120	55	90
23	70	7	30	120	60	8
24	70	7	30	120	65	7
25	70	7	30	120	70	6

Parameters and their levels chosen for optimisation

Control variables	Symbols	Units	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3
Voltage	V	V	30	50	70
Wire feed rate	F_w	mm/min	3	5	7
Current	I_p	A	10	20	30
Pulse on time	ON_T	μs	100	110	120
Pulse off time	OFF_T	μs	50	60	70

Standard deviation, criterion value and weighted value

Criteria	Standard deviation, σ	Quantity of information, d_q	Weight value, W_q
MR	0.2779	0.3200	0.4549
Surface roughness, R_a	0.3329	0.3833	0.5450

ANOVA results for MR and Ra

Source of variation	Degree of freedom	Sum of squares	Mean sum of squares	F value	p value	% of Contribution
Surface roughness
Voltage (V)	2	0.04409	0.022046	0.43	0.669	7.03
Wire feed rate	2	0.03265	0.016323	0.32	0.739	5.21
Current	2	0.03130	0.015649	0.30	0.748	4.99
Pulse on time	2	0.14463	0.072317	1.40	0.308	23.06
Pulse off time	2	0.01268	0.006342	0.12	0.886	2.02
Error	7	0.36188	0.051698			57.69
Total	17	0.62724				100
MR
Voltage (V)	2	0.16103	0.080517	9.28	0.011	21.23
Wire feed rate	2	0.36270	0.181350	20.90	0.001	47.82
Current	2	0.01343	0.006717	0.77	0.497	1.77
Pulse on time	2	0.01710	0.008550	0.99	0.420	2.25
Pulse off time	2	0.14343	0.071717	8.26	0.014	18.91
Error	10	0.06075	0.008679			8.01
Total	17	0.75845				100.00

An experimental investigation of wire breakage and performance optimisation of WEDM process on machining of recycled aluminium alloy metal matrix composite

Figures & Tables

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Fig. 12

Chemical compositions of composite materials

L18 OA

Normalised decision matrix for the CRITIC and SAW methods

A brief overview of the literature

Control variables and their levels

Performance measure of wire breakage

Parameters and their levels chosen for optimisation

Standard deviation, criterion value and weighted value

ANOVA results for MR and Ra

Paradigm

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