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Study on the micro-EDM processing characteristics of Ti-6Al-4V alloy with different electrode materials

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Abstract

Ti-6Al-4V alloy has been widely used in industrial fields. Electrical discharge machining (EDM) is a commonly used technology for machining Ti-6Al-4V alloy. During EDM of Ti-6Al-4V alloy, the thermal and physical characteristics of tool electrode have an important influence on processing characteristics. In order to study the influence of different electrode materials on the processing characteristics of Ti-6Al-4V alloy, brass electrode, copper tungsten electrode, and tungsten electrode were used to perform EDM of Ti-6Al-4V alloy. In this paper, electrodes with V-groove array structures were designed to carry out powder mixed electrical discharge machining (PMEDM) of Ti-6Al-4V alloy, and the machining results were evaluated based on four indicators: microstructures morphology, tool electrode wear (TEW), material removal rate (MRR), and recast layer thickness (RLT). The processing results show that copper tungsten electrode is recommended to machine Ti-6Al-4V alloy because it has the highest reproduction rate (75.2%), a smaller TEW (139 μm), the highest MRR (255.39 mm3/min), and a thinner RLT (3.35 μm).

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All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are also grateful to the colleagues for their essential contribution to the work.

Funding

This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51775351) and the Science and Technology Planning Project of Shenzhen Municipality (Grant Nos. JSGG20201102145402008). The authors would like to thank the colleagues for their essential contribution to the work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shenzhen Key Laboratory of High Performance Nontraditional Manufacturing, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China

    Sheng-gui Chen, Man-qun Lian, Xiao-yu Wu, Jian-guo Lei, Hang Zhao, Tai-jiang Peng, Feng Luo & Bin Xu

  2. Mechanical and Materials Engineering Department, Western University, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada

    Jun Yang

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  1. Sheng-gui Chen
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  2. Man-qun Lian
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  4. Jian-guo Lei
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  5. Hang Zhao
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  6. Tai-jiang Peng
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  7. Feng Luo
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  8. Jun Yang
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  9. Bin Xu
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Contributions

Bin Xu, Sheng-gui Chen, and Man-qun Lian designed all experiments included in this study, wrote, and modified this manuscript. Xiao-yu Wu and Feng Luo assisted in conducting the experiments. Jian-guo Lei, Hang Zhao, Tai-jiang Peng, and Jun Yang made suggestions about this manuscript.

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Correspondence to Bin Xu.

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Chen, Sg., Lian, Mq., Wu, Xy. et al. Study on the micro-EDM processing characteristics of Ti-6Al-4V alloy with different electrode materials. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 116, 3369–3376 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-021-07664-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-021-07664-5

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