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Machinability Analysis and Optimization of Electrical Discharge Machining in AA6061-T6/15wt.% SiC Composite by the Multi-criteria Decision-Making Approach

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Abstract

An investigation was made on AA6061-T6/15wt.% SiC composites fabricated by stir casting method to study its machinability carried out by electrical discharge machining (EDM) method and optimize process parameters by the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method. For experimentation, Taguchi-based L27 orthogonal array was used. EDM machining process parameters selected for this study were current (IP), pulse on time (Ton), and gap voltage (V) which were investigated by material removal rate (MRR), tool wear rate (TWR), circularity (CIR), and cylindricity (CYL). For the multi-objective optimization criteria on machining, entropy method weights incorporated with combinative distance-based assessment (CODAS) methodology to estimate the optimum level of input parameters. Objective-based entropy weight-age method was used to assign weights for output responses. Entropy weights were 0.164, 0.128, 0.402, and 0.306 for MRR, TWR, CIR, and CYL. From the CODAS assessment scores, optimal conditions were achieved at the (ninth) experiment having an IP of 9A, 100 μs of Ton, and gap voltage of 40 V with a relative assessment score of 13.720. The machined surface was examined using a scanning electron microscope. Poor surface finish and micro-voids with craters were achieved by increasing IP and Ton.

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Raw data and material are available on request.

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Acknowledgment

The authors are thankful to Mepco Schlenk Engineering College, Sivakasi and Sri Vidya College of Engineering and Technology, Virudhunagar, K. Ramakrishnan College of Engineering, Trichy, for providing research facilities to carry out this research work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sri Vidya College of Engineering and Technology, Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu, 626 005, India

    G. Karthik Pandiyan

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Mepco Schlenk Engineering College, Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu, India

    T. Prabaharan

  3. Department of Mechanical Engineering, K. Ramakrishnan College of Engineering, Tiruchirappalli, Tami Nadu, India

    D. Jafrey Daniel James

  4. Key Laboratory of High-Efficiency and Clean Mechanical Manufacture, National Demonstration Centre for Experimental Mechanical Engineering Education, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China

    Vinothkumar Sivalingam

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  1. G. Karthik Pandiyan
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  4. Vinothkumar Sivalingam
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Contributions

Karthik Pandiyan G contributed to data curation: lead; investigation: equal; methodology: equal; resources: lead; validation: equal; writing—original draft: equal; writing—review & editing: lead. Dr Prabaharan T contributed to supervision: lead; validation: lead; writing—review & editing: lead. Dr Jafrey Daniel James D contributed to investigation: equal; methodology: equal; writing—original draft: equal; writing—review & editing: equal. Dr Vinothkumar Sivalingam contributed to investigation: equal; methodology: equal; writing—original draft: equal; writing—review & editing: equal.

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Correspondence to G. Karthik Pandiyan.

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Karthik Pandiyan, G., Prabaharan, T., Jafrey Daniel James, D. et al. Machinability Analysis and Optimization of Electrical Discharge Machining in AA6061-T6/15wt.% SiC Composite by the Multi-criteria Decision-Making Approach. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 31, 3741–3752 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-021-06511-8

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