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journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jmatprotec

Effects of electrical discharge energy on machining performance and bending strength of cemented tungsten carbides
Yan-Cherng Lin a, , Lih-Ren Hwang b , Chao-Hsu Cheng b , Pao-Lin Su b
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Nankai Institute of Technology, No. 568, Zhongzheng Road, Caotun Town, Nantou County 54243, Taiwan b Department of Mechanical Computer Aided Engineering, Chungchou Institute of Technology, Yuanlin, Changhau 51003, Taiwan
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a r t i c l e
Article history:

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a b s t r a c t
This work elucidates the effect of electrical discharge energy on surface crack and bending strength of cemented tungsten carbide by electrical discharge machining (EDM). Cemented tungsten carbides graded K10 and P10 were used as workpiece materials, and the machining parameters of EDM were varied to study the effects of electrical discharge energy on material removal rate (MRR) and surface roughness. Moreover, the micro-cracks on the machined surface induced by EDM and the effects of electrical discharge energy on the bending strength were also examined. The experimental results reveal that the MRR increased with the elec-

Received 24 January 2007 Received in revised form 8 November 2007 Accepted 16 December 2007

Keywords: EDM Cemented tungsten carbide Material removal rate Surface roughness Bending strength

trical discharge energy. The surface cracks on the machined surface were more serious when the discharge energy was higher. The surface cracks and large discharge craters on the machined surface markedly reduced the bending strength. Thus, using EDM process to machine cemented tungsten carbides depends on carefully setting the machining parameters to prevent surface crack. 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1.

Introduction

Cemented tungsten carbide has excellent mechanical properties, such as high hardness, high toughness and high strength. It thus presents inevitable challenges when the cemented tungsten carbide is to be machined to form a mould or a tool using a conventional machining process, except grinding. Moreover, a mould or a tool made of cemented tungsten carbide has some unique features, such as high precision and small quantity, so shaping the cemented tungsten carbide by powder metallurgy (P/M) is not economical. Electrical discharge machining (EDM) is a non-conventional process that removes superuous materials by thermal erosion mecha-

nisms such as melting and vaporizing, such that ionization ow sets up a local high temperature within discharge column between the electrode and the workpiece. An EDM machine is very simple and its operation is easy. EDM can be used to machine electrical conductive materials, regardless of the mechanical properties of the workpiece, so shaping advanced materials with high hardness, toughness and strength is feasible. These include tool steels, cemented tungsten carbides and conductive ceramics. Hence, the use of EDM to machine difcult-to-machine materials and to understand the machining characteristics is an interesting and imperative topic in advanced manufacturing (Petrofes and Gadalla, 1988; Lau et al., 1990; Hung et al., 1994; Lau et al., 1995; Cheng et al.,

Corresponding author. Tel.: +886 49 2563489x3111; fax: +886 49 2565674. E-mail address: ycline@nkc.edu.tw (Y.-C. Lin). 0924-0136/$ see front matter 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2007.12.056

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1996; Zhang et al., 1997; Hocheng et al., 1997; Lee and Tai, 2003; Lee et al., 2004). Several studies have been conducted to explore the machining characteristics of cemented tungsten carbides. Gadalla and Tsai (1989a,b) studied the effects of the cobalt content and the grain size of the WC on the machining characteristics of the cemented tungsten carbide. Their experimental results indicated that increasing the cobalt content could improve the stabilization of the EDM, to increase the material removal rate (MRR). The feasibility of EDM on cemented tungsten carbide was also investigated by several researchers, and their experimental data revealed that EDM is an efcient process to shape the cemented tungsten carbide (Pandit and Rajukar, 1981; Levy and Wertheim, 1988; Puertas et al., 2004). Low thermal conductivity and brittleness cause the cemented tungsten carbide to exhibit micro-cracks on its machined surface, created by the thermal stress during EDM (Lee et al., 1988; Ramulu and Garbini, 1991; Endo et al., 1991; Nakamura et al., 1991; Lee et al., 1992; Lee and Li, 2003). Therefore, the defects on the machined surface, such as micro-cracks and micro-pores, severely reduce the service life, reliability and machining precision of a tool or a mould made of cemented tungsten carbide. Moreover, few studies suggested that the fracture strength of composite material varied signicantly depending on the peak current and surface roughness of machined surface (Fu and Wu, 1994; Liu and Huang, 2003). The surface defects on the machined surface must be further investigated to elucidate the formation of micro-cracks and the effect of micro-cracks on bending strength. Accordingly, the cemented tungsten carbides were machined at a suitable electrical discharge energy without creating critical defects on the machined surface, such that the EDM process is a high-quality machining process with highly efcient and precise to machine cemented tungsten carbides. This work involved cemented tungsten carbides graded K10 and P10, which are widely employed in mold and tool applications as workpiece materials to evaluate the effects of electrical discharge energy on the bending strength of the workpiece after EDM. Moreover, the machining performance of EDM, measured by the MRR, the surface roughness and the patterns of the micro-cracks on the machined surface was also determined. The effect of micro-cracks on bending strength of the machined surface was comprehensively understood. Therefore, suitable conditions for EDM were used to reduce the damage caused by the micro-cracks on the machined surface during the machining of the cemented tungsten carbides.

Fig. 1 Schematic diagram of the experimental setup.

troller, respectively, at a particular interval to evaluate EDM situation. Fig. 1 shows the experimental setup, and Table 1 presents the experimental conditions. A precision electrical balance (0.1 mg resolution) was used to weigh the workpiece before and after each experiment to determine MRR. A precision prole analyzer was employed to measure surface roughness of the machined surface. The surface roughness (Ra) was determined by arithmetically averaging 10 measurements made on different positions of the machined surface. The bending strength test was according to ASTM C1161 (A), but the specimen was shrunk to a reasonable size to satisfy the dimensions of the workpiece. The specimen was then set in a self-constructed xture to perform the four-point bending strength test (Fig. 2). Moreover, the bending strength test was conducted on the dynamometer transducer that was connected to a charge amplier and an oscilloscope, to resolve the breaking load of the specimen. The complete test device was placed on a working table of CNC machining center. The breaking load was obtained from the waveform on the oscil-

2.
2.1.

Methods
Experimental method

Table 1 Experimental conditions Working conditions

Electrode Workpiece Dielectric uid Power supply voltage Peak current Polarity Reference voltage Duty factor Working time Pulse duration

Descriptions
Electrolytic copper Cemented tungsten carbide (K10, P10) Kerosene 250 V 1 A, 3 A, 6 A, 9 A Tool (+), workpiece () 60 V 0.55 20 min 15, 50, 150, 250 s

A series experiments were conducted on an EDM machine with a transistor circuit, and an oscilloscope was connected to workpiece and electrode to detect and record the waveforms of the discharge current and the discharge voltage during each experiment. The detecting waveforms were plotted to elucidate the abnormal electrical discharge during EDM. Furthermore, the position of the electrode and the working time were recorded using an optical ruler and a timer in the con-

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cal compositions and essential properties of the cemented tungsten carbides. Moreover, the electrode material was electrolytic copper, and the working dielectric uid was kerosene. Table 3 presents the dimensions of the workpiece and the electrode. The electrode dimensions in the experiments to determine EDM machining characteristics were 45 mm 12 mm 3 mm, so the machined area on the machined surface was 3 mm 4.8 mm. The dimensions of the electrode used in the bending strength test were 19 mm 100 mm, to ensure that the entire surface of the test specimen was machined by EDM under specic machining conditions. Moreover, the bending test specimen was ground to a thickness of 1 mm using a diamond wheel. The preparation of specimen for bending strength test was schematically illustrated in Fig. 3.

Fig. 2 Fixture of four-point bending test.

3.
3.1.

Results and discussion

MRR

Table 2 Chemical compositions and essential properties of the cemented tungsten carbides Description
Composition Specic gravity Bending strength (MPa) Elastic modulus (GPa) Thermal conductivity (W m1 K1 ) Thermal expansion (1/ C) Resistivity (n m)

K10
94%WC, 6%Co 15.03 1610 608 79.6 5.1 106 200

P10
78%WC, 16%TiC, 6%Co 10.33 1220 529 50.2 6.1 106 290

loscope, as the CNC machining center fed along the Z-axis at a constant feed rate (0.5 mm/min) to fracture the specimen. The feed distance of the Z-axis was set to 0.5 mm, and the bending strength was calculated from Eq. (1). Five bending strength measurements were obtained under each EDM condition, and the typical value was calculated by averaging the ve measurements. Moreover, the bending strength reduction ratio was dened as Eq. (2) to evaluate the effects of electrical discharge energy on bending strength of machined surface. S= 3PL 4bd2 (1)

where S, bending strength; P, breaking load; L, outer span; b, specimen width; d, specimen thickness. Bending Strength Reduction Ratio (%) = SG SEDM 100 SG (2)

Figs. 4 and 5 display the relationships between peak current and MRR in K10 and P10 cemented tungsten carbides, respectively. The experimental results show that the MRR of cemented tungsten carbide increased with the peak current. Moreover, a shorter pulse duration (15 s) yielded higher MRR. The cemented tungsten carbide has an inherently high melting point (3000 C), so only a minute amount of material was removed because of the lack of electrical discharge energy conducted into the machining zone at a small peak current. As the peak current increased, more electrical discharge energy was conducted into the machining zone. The effects of the material removed mechanisms, such as vaporizing, melting and the application of an impulsive force increased. The impulsive force was caused by the burst of the dielectric uid in the working gap. Thus, the MRR at high peak current condition was noteworthy. In contrast, as the pulse duration was extended, more electrical discharge energy was conducted into the machining zone within a single pulse. Indeed, when the pulse duration was set longer, the discharge column expanded to reduce the electrical energy density at the discharge spot on the machined surface (Lin et al., 2001). Reducing the electrical energy density weakened the effects of vaporizing, melting and impulsive force. Therefore, the MRR did not go with the pulse duration. The MRR fell as the pulse duration increased. The cemented tungsten carbide has a high melting point, and applying a higher energy density of

Table 3 Dimensions of workpiece and electrode

Machining characteristic evaluation Electrode Workpiece Bending strength test Electrode Workpiece Before EDM After EDM After grinding 45 mm 12 mm 3 mm 12.7 mm 12.7 mm 4.8 mm 19 mm 100 mm 12.7 mm 4.8 mm 1.15 mm 12.7 mm 4.8 mm 1.05 mm 12.7 mm 4.8 mm 1 mm

where SG , bending strength obtained from grinding specimen and SEDM , bending strength obtained from EDM specimen.

2.2.

Experimental materials

The cemented tungsten carbides graded P10 and K10, which are the most used in industrial applications, were chosen as the experimental materials. Table 2 depicts the chemi-

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Fig. 3 Specimens for bending strength test.

machining condition (with a higher peak current and shorter pulse duration) to machine the cemented tungsten carbide could increase the MRR.

3.2.

Surface roughness

Figs. 6 and 7 present the relationships between the peak current and the surface roughness in K10 and P10 cemented

Fig. 5 Relationships between peak current and MRR (P10).

Fig. 4 Relationships between peak current and MRR (K10).

tungsten carbides, respectively. The experimental data reveal a smaller peak current yielded a ner surface roughness. When the peak current was set to a low level, the amount of material removed was small and the discharge crater on the machined surface was also small because less elec-

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Fig. 6 Relationships between peak current and surface roughness (K10).

Fig. 7 Relationships between peak current and surface roughness (P10).

Fig. 8 Typical SEM micrographs of micro-crack on cross-section of machined surface.

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Fig. 9 Test curves of bending strength of cemented tungsten carbides. [y (MPa) = 2.552 V (mV)].

trical discharge energy was conducted into the machining zone. Therefore, the topography of the machined surface revealed ne-nishing, and obtained a low surface roughness. The input electrical discharge energy increased with the peak current, so the discharge crater was deeper and larger because more of the workpiece material removed, and then the machined surface would become coarser. Therefore, the surface roughness of the machined surface became coarser with the increase of peak current.

the machined surface. Indeed, the cemented tungsten carbide exhibits low thermal conductivity. The machined surface had numerous micro-cracks because of the steep thermal residual stress gradient, as the electrical discharge energy increased. The micro-cracks on the machined surface severely constrain the application of cemented tungsten carbides in modern industry. In fact, the intensive micro-cracks on the machined surface not only greatly shortened the service life but also seriously threatened the reliability of machinery components made of cemented tungsten carbides.

3.3.

Micro-cracks on machined surface 3.4. Effect of electrical discharge energy on bending strength
Fig. 9 plots the testing curves of the bending strength of cement tungsten carbides graded P10 and K10. This gure presents no evidence of plastic deformation from the start of the test procedure to the failure of the specimen. This result may be attributable to the inherent features of cement tungsten carbides. Cement tungsten carbide is a typical brittle material, so it exhibited brittle fracture during the bending strength test. Moreover, the micro-cracks on the machined surface facilitated the behavior of the brittle fracture.

Fig. 8 depicts the micro-cracks on the cross-section of the machined surface in the cemented tungsten carbides after EDM. This gure demonstrates that the micro-cracks were more visible when the electrical discharge energy was set to a higher level (Ip : 9 A; p : 250 s). Moreover, comparing the micro-crack pattern of K10 with that of P10 shows that the pattern of the micro-cracks on P10 was perpendicular to the machined surface and extended more deeply into the substrate. In contrast, the micro-cracks on the K10 grew laterally. Additionally, the machined surface became smoother as the electrical discharge energy was set at a lower level (Ip : 1 A; p : 50 s). No micro-cracks were presented on the cross-section of

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Fig. 10 Relationships between peak current and bending strength (K10). Fig. 12 Comparison of bending strength reduction ratio (Ip : 1 A). Figs. 10 and 11 present the relationships between the peak current and bending strength of cement tungsten carbides graded K10 and P10 after EDM process. The experimental results reveal that the bending strength decreased as the peak current increased. Additionally, the bending strength obtained with the shorter pulse duration (15 s) was lower than that obtained with the longer pulse duration (250 s). More electrical discharge energy was conducted into the machining zone as the peak current was increased, so the material-removal mechanisms, such as melting and vaporizing in the working gap were more evident because more thermal energy was generated within the discharge column by ionization. Hence, the surface roughness became coarser, and the bending strength declined. Moreover, the conduction of more thermal energy into the machining zone resulted in a steeper temperature gradient, as well as more surface defects, such as micro-cracks, were produced on the machined surface during the EDM process. In fact, the cemented tungsten carbide has low thermal conductivity, and the temperature gradient of a thermal process was boosted at high energy density. The electrical energy

Fig. 13 Comparison of bending strength reduction ratio (Ip : 3 A).

Fig. 11 Relationships between peak current and bending strength (P10).

density increased as the pulse duration was reduced, and the number of surface defects, such as micro-cracks, is increased because of the dramatic temperature gradient. The bending strength is inevitably reduced. Therefore, the bending strength decreased as the peak current increased, and a shorter pulse duration corresponded to a lower bending strength. Figs. 1215 compare the bending strength reduction ratios of cemented tungsten carbides graded K10 with P10. The ratio is dened as the proportion of the bending strength variation between EDM and grinding process that divided the bending strength obtained by the grinding process. The experimental data show that the bending strength reduction ratio of P10 was 86% when the EDM was set to a 9 A peak current and a 15 s pulse duration (Fig. 15). The bending strength was also reduced by 81% when the EDM was set to a 6 A peak current and a 15 s pulse duration. Although the pulse duration was increased at

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peak current, the bending strength reduction ratio was also around 20%.

4.

Conclusions

This work discussed the effects of electrical discharge energy on MRR, surface roughness, micro-cracks on the machined surface and the bending strength of the cemented tungsten carbides after EDM. The experimental results support the following conclusions: The MRR of cemented tungsten carbide increased with the peak current. Increasing the electrical discharge energy density increased MRR when the pulse duration was short (15 s). The surface roughness increased with the peak current. More surplus material was removed from the machined surface, so larger and deeper craters were formed on the machined surface, causing the surface to be rougher and coarser during EDM at large peak current. The machined surface of the cemented tungsten carbide exhibited obvious micro-cracks, when the electrical discharge energy was set high (Ip : 9 A; p : 250 s). The microcracks of P10 were deep and perpendicular to the machined surface, while those of K10 grew laterally. The integrity of the surface was typically good at a low electrical discharge energy. Almost no visible micro-cracks were observed on the cross-section of the machined surface. The curve of bending strength from the beginning of the test to the nal failure of the specimens revealed no obvious plastic deformation. The fracture of the cemented tungsten carbide was excellent brittleness because intensive microcracks were presented on the machined surface. The bending strength of the cemented tungsten carbide decreased as the peak current increased. The bending strength obtained when the pulse duration was short (15 s) was lower than that when the duration was long (250 s). The bending strength reduction ratio of P10 obtained with EDM at a peak current of 9 A and a pulse duration of 15 s was 86% of that associated with the grinding process. When the pulse duration was increased, the bending strength reduction ratios were around 50% at a high electrical discharge energy (6 A or 9 A). Even when the electrical discharge energy was set low (1 A), the bending strength reduction ratios were also around 3040%. However, the bending strength reduction ratios of K10 were lower than that of P10. It fell by 61% at high electrical discharge energy and around 20% at low electrical discharge energy. Therefore, much effort must be made to select the levels of EDM parameters. Consequently, EDM can prevent micro-cracks on the machined surface to ensure the high-quality machining characteristics.

Fig. 14 Comparison of bending strength reduction ratio (Ip : 6 A).

6 and 9 A peak currents, the bending strength reduction ratios also exceeded 50% at such level of electrical discharge energy. Even if the electrical energy is set to a low value, such as a peak current of 1 A, the bending strength reduction ratio is 3040%. As mentioned above, when the micro-cracks presented on the machined surface during EDM, the service life and reliability of the machinery components made of cemented tungsten carbides were deteriorated severely. Therefore, an intensive attention must be paid for selecting the level of the EDM parameters and preventing micro-cracks on the machined surface. The bending strength reduction ratios of K10 were not as high as those of P10. However, the bending strength declined by 61%, when the peak current was set to 9 A and pulse duration set to 15 s (Fig. 15). The bending strength reduction ratios were around 50% when the peak current was set to 6 A or 9 A. When electrical discharge energy set to a low level, such as 1 A

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Fig. 15 Comparison of bending strength reduction ratio (Ip : 9 A).

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