Comparison of material transfer in electrical discharge machining of AISI H13 die steel

Abstract

The electrical discharge machining (EDM) process is extensively used in the tool and die making industry for accurate machining of internal profiles in hardened materials. Although it is essentially a material removal process, efforts have been made in the recent past to use it as surface treatment method. This article investigates and compares the effect of material transfer from electrode bodies (copper, copper-chromium, and copper-tungsten) and tungsten powder suspended in the dielectric medium during die-sinking EDM of AISI H13 die steel. Results show a 76 per cent increase in micro-hardness by machining with a copper-tungsten electrode and a 111 per cent increase by machining with tungsten powder mixed in the dielectric. The copper-chromium electrode gives the best surface roughness (Ra) value of 2.67 μ m. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis of the machined surfaces show alloying of parent material with tungsten and tungsten carbide. Chemical composition of the machined surfaces was further checked on an optical emission spectrometer to verify the results. Besides a significant presence of tungsten, an increase in the percentage of carbon is also observed. © IMechE 2009. © 2009 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.