Abstract
Although electrical discharge machining is essentially a material removal process, efforts have been made in the recent past to use it as a surface treatment method. An additive powder in the dielectric medium affects the sparking action and helps in improving the surface properties. It may melt at the high temperature of the plasma channel and alloy with the machined surface under appropriate machining conditions. Breakdown of the hydrocarbon dielectric contributes carbon to the plasma channel. In this paper, changes in surface properties of oil-hardening non-shrinkable die steel after machining with manganese powder suspended in kerosene dielectric medium have been investigated. Results show improvement in microhardness by 73%, and no microcracks on the machined surface. X-ray diffraction analysis of the machined surfaces reveals the transfer of manganese and carbon from the plasma channel in the form of manganese carbide. Quantitative analysis of chemical composition by optical emission spectrometer confirms significant increase in the percentages of manganese and carbon.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Mishra PK (2005) Non conventional machining. Narosa Publishing House, New Delhi. ISBN 81-7319-192-1
Jain VK (2004) Advanced machining processes. Allied Publishers, New Delhi. ISBN 81-7764-294-4
Shankar NU, Krishnan A (1979) Polarity effect in spark erosion machining. Indian J Technol 17(9):363–364
Ho KH, Newman ST (2003) State of the art electrical discharge machining. Int J Mach Tools Manuf 43:1287–1300
Kuneida M, Lauwers B, Rajurkar KP, Schumacher BM (2005) Advancing EDM through fundamental insight into the process. Annals of CIRP 54(2):599–622
Zolotykh BN (1995) Modern physical theory of electric erosion of metals—the basis for development of new directions in EDM. Proc of Int Symp on Electromachining 11:114–116
Aspinwall DK, Dewes RC, Lee HG, Simao J (2003) Electrical discharge surface alloying of Ti and Fe workpieces materials using refractory powder compact electrodes and Cu wire. Annals of CIRP 52(1):151–156
Lahiri BN, Mukherjee SK, Mullick BK (1981) Loss of energy in pyrolysis of dielectric in EDM process. J Inst Eng 62:66–69, pt ME2
Tzeng YF, Lee CY (2001) Effect of powder characteristics on electro discharge machining efficiency. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 17:586–592
Rehbein W, Schulze HP, Mecke K, Wollenberg G, Storr M (2004) Influence of selected groups of additives on breakdown in EDM sinking. J Mater Process Technol 149:58–64
Prabhudev KH (2000) Handbook of heat treatment of steels. Tata McGraw Hill Publishing Company, New Delhi. ISBN 0-07-451831-3
Lakhtin Y (1983) Engineering physical metallurgy. Mir Publishers, Moscow. ISBN 81-239-0602-1
Kalpakjian S, Schmid SR (2001) Manufacturing engineering & technology, 4th edn. Pearson Education Inc., Upper Saddle River. ISBN 81-7808-157-1
Galerie A, Pons M, Caillet M (1989) Surface modification using lasers and ion beams. Mater Sci Technol 5:806–812
ASM Specialty Handbook: Tool Materials (1995) 1st Edition, ASM International, USA. ISBN : 0-87170-545-1
Pollack HW (1988) Materials science and metallurgy, 4th edn. Prentice Hall Inc, USA. ISBN 0-8359-4287-2
Roethel F, Garbajs V (1976) Contributions to the micro-analysis of spark eroded surfaces. Annals of the CIRP 25(1):135–140
Uno Y, Okada A, Cetin S (2001) Surface modification of EDMed surface with powder mixed fluid. Proceedings of the 2nd Int. Conf. on Design and Production of Dies and Molds
Furutani K, Saneto A, Takezawa H, Mohri N, Miyake H (2001) Accretion of titanium carbide by electrical discharge machining with powder suspended in working fluid. Precision Engg 25:138–144
Furutani K, Shimizu Y (2003) Experimental analysis of deposition process of lubricant surface by EDM with molybdenum disulphide powder suspended in working oil. Proc of American Soc for Prec Engg 30:547–550
Yan BH, Tsai HC, Huang FY (2005) The effect in EDM of a dielectric of a urea solution in water on modifying the surface of titanium. Int J Mach Tools Manuf 45:194–200
Kumar S, Singh R, Singh TP, Sethi BL (2009) Surface modification by electrical discharge machining: a review. J Mater Process Technol 209(8):3675–3687
Klocke F, Lung D, Antonoglou G, Thomaidis D (2004) The effects of powder suspended dielectrics on the thermal influenced zone by electrodischarge machining with small discharge energies. Int J Mater Process Technol 149:191–197
Cogun C, Ozerkan B, Karacay T (2006) An experimental investigation on the effect of powder mixed dielectric on machining performance in electric discharge machining. Proc IMechE Part B J of Engg Manufacture 220:1035–1050
Wu KL, Yan BH, Huang FY, Chen SC (2005) Improvement of surface finish on SKD steel using electro-discharge machining with aluminum and surfactant added dielectric. Int J Mach Tools Manuf 45:1195–1201
Lin YC, Yan BH, Huang FY (2001) Surface improvement using a combination of electrical discharge machining with ball burnish machining based on the Taguchi method. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 18:673–682
Phadke MS (1989) Quality engineering using robust design, AT & T Bell Laboratories. P T R Prentice Hall Inc, New Jersey. ISBN 0-13-745167-9
Ross Phillip J (1988) Taguchi techniques for quality engineering. McGraw Hill Book Company, New York. ISBN 0-07-053866-2
Cahn RW (2005) Concise encyclopaedia of materials characterization, 2nd edn. Elsevier Ltd, Oxford. ISBN 0-08-044547-0
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kumar, S., Singh, R. Investigating surface properties of OHNS die steel after electrical discharge machining with manganese powder mixed in the dielectric. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 50, 625–633 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-010-2536-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-010-2536-3