Experimental Investigation on Surface
Morphology of Micro-EDMed Ti-6Al-4 V
Alloy
Ramver, Vineet Kumar Yadav, Pradeep Kumar and Akshay Dvivedi
Abstract Micro-machining of titanium alloys by conventional machining processes
have limitations, for instance, high tool wear, chatter, vibrations, etc. To overcome
these limitations of conventional machining processes, micro-EDM is suitable to
machine titanium alloys owing to its ability to machine hard materials. In the present
work, micro-EDM was used to drill micro-holes in Ti-6Al-4 V alloy using EDM oil
as a dielectric medium. The effect of applied voltage on the morphology of machined
surface was investigated. Microscopic characterization of machined surface showed
that the surface obtained at higher applied voltage embraces relatively higher non-
conformities such as micropore, debris deposition, porosity, uneven surface, etc., as
compared to those at lower applied voltage.
1 Introduction
In this perpetually evolving world, the demand for miniaturized parts and products
has been burgeoning in various industries, like automotive, biomedical, avionics,
optics, electronics, etc. These miniaturized components have features with sizes up
to a few hundred micrometers. The conventional machining methods like micro-
turning, milling, etc., are now applied to produce such features; however, the direct
contact between the tool and work surfaces during machining engenders difficul-
ties [1, 2]. To overcome these drawbacks, advanced machining processes especially
micro-electrical discharge machining (micro-EDM) has been used to fabricate such
features on difficult to machine materials such as Ti-6Al-4 V alloys. Micro-EDM pro-
cess is possessing the ability to fabricate complex 3D features such as micro-holes,
micro-channels, and micro-molds on any electrically conductive work material irre-
Ramver · V.K. Yadav (B) · P. Kumar · A. Dvivedi
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT),
Roorkee 247667, India
e-mail: vineet437@gmail.com
Ramver
e-mail: ramver.pme@gmail.com
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
A. K. Parwani and PL. Ramkumar (eds.), Recent Advances in Mechanical
Infrastructure, Lecture Notes in Intelligent Transportation and Infrastructure,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9971-9_8
69