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Keywords

Electrical discharge machining, Stainless Steel 304L, NPMEDM, Al2O3, SiO2

Document Type

Research Paper

Abstract

Electro-Discharge Machining (EDM) is a unique manufacturing method. Recently developed thermo-electric methods include Nano Powder-Mixed Electric Discharge Machining (NPMEDM), which suspends metallic Nanopowder in a dielectric. This study examines how Al2O3 -SiO2 Nanopowder concentration and mixing ratio affect EDM dielectric fluid surface integrity (outputs) on stainless steel 304L. Material Removal Rate (MRR), Electrode Wear Rate (EWR), and surface roughness (Ra) are used to evaluate machining efficiency. Nanofluid has much better heat conductivity than dielectrics, enhancing material removal. Material Removal Rate rises with discharge current. At Run No. 26, increasing Al2O3 particle proportion with 35 A discharge current, 2 g/l particle concentration, 200 µs pulse on time, and 50 µs pulse off time increases material removal rate by 13%. Increasing discharge currents lowers Ra. Lowering discharge current to 20 A, particle concentration to 3 g/l, pulse on time to 150 µs, and pulse off time to 75 µs lowered aluminium oxide particle composition to 50%, increasing Ra by 4.5% at Run No. 37. Increased discharge currents lower EWR. By increasing discharge current to 25 A, particle concentration to 4 g/l, pulse on time to 200 µs, and pulse off time to 100 µs, aluminium oxide particle composition was reduced to 40%, leading to a 33.3% rise in EWR at Run No. 50 using Design Expert 11 software. Current 37.8%, pulse on 12.6%, nanopowder concentration 3%, and pulse off 25.85% are needed for MRR. The mixing ratio parameter does not affect MRR. EWR needs 25.5% current and 25.6% nanopowder. Ra depends on nanopowder concentration, peak current at 4.5%, pulse-off duration at 20.24%, current-pulse duration at 7.6%, and current-pulse off duration at 37.9%.

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Highlights

The effect of Al₂O₃-SiO₂ nanopowder on machining stainless steel 304L was experimentally investigated MRR, EWR, and Ra were measured to evaluate the machining performance using nanopowder-mixed EDM RSM was applied to model the relationship between inputs and outputs in the NPMEDM process Surface response optimization increased MRR by 13% and reduced EWR and Ra by 33.3% and 4.5%, respectively

DOI

10.30684/etj.2025.149443.1813

First Page

1066

Last Page

1083

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