Experimental investigations on performance characteristics in wire electro discharge machining of Ti50Ni42.4Cu7.6 shape memory alloy

Abstract

This article investigates the effect of pulse on time, peak current and pulse off time on wire electro discharge machining characteristics of Ti 50Ni42.4Cu7.6 shape memory alloy. A Ti 50Ni42.4Cu7.6 alloy was prepared by conventional tungsten arc melting. The machining experiments were performed as per Box-Behnken design on computer control wire electro discharge machining machine using molybdenum wire electrode. The relationships between the process parameters (pulse on time, peak current and pulse off time) and wire electro discharge machining responses (surface roughness and material removal rate) have been established using response surface methodology-based quadratic models. The analysis of variance has been employed to test the significance of the developed second-order mathematical models. The parametric analysis-based results reveal that low peak current with prolonged pulse on duration leads to reduced surface roughness. However, combination of low peak current with low pulse on time is beneficial for achieving better material removal rate for machining of shape memory alloy. IMechE 2013.