516 Int. J. Process Management and Benchmarking, Vol. 8, No.

4, 2018

Experimental investigation on surface integrity in

machining of Inconel X750 with WEDM using Taguchi
technique

Mandeep Kumar* and Hari Singh

Department of Mechanical Engineering,
National Institute of Technology,
Kurukshetra, India
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
*Corresponding author

Abstract: The objective of the present work is to investigate the effects of

various WEDM process parameters such as pulse on time, pulse off time, servo
voltage, peak current, wire tension and wire feed rate on the surface roughness
of the machined samples. The analysis of variance was carried out for raw data
as well as for signal to noise ratio. Four input parameters have been found to be
statistically significant for their effects on the response of interest. The
optimum value of surface roughness was obtained at pulse on time – 110; pulse
off time – 51; spark gap voltage – 65 V; peak current – 90 A; wire feed – 11;
wire tension – 5. The confirmation experiments were also performed for
validating the predicted results. Scanning electron microscopy was performed
on the machined samples to investigate the effect and microstructure of the
samples after machining.

Keywords: machining; optimisation; ANOVA; SR; Inconel; Taguchi; WEDM;

GRA; scanned electron microscopy; SEM; recast layer.

Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Kumar, M. and Singh, H.

(2018) ‘Experimental investigation on surface integrity in machining of Inconel
X750 with WEDM using Taguchi technique’, Int. J. Process Management and
Benchmarking, Vol. 8, No. 4, pp.516–530.

Biographical notes: Mandeep Kumar is pursuing his PhD from N.I.T.

Kurukshetra, India. His areas of interest are advanced machining, experimental
designs, advanced optimisation techniques. He has published four research
papers in reputed journals and conferences.

Hari Singh is currently a Professor in Mechanical Engineering Department at

NIT Kurukshetra, India. He completed his BS, MS and PhD from the then REC
Kurukshetra (now NIT Kurukshetra) in 1987, 1994 and 2001, respectively. He
has about 29 years of teaching and research experience in the present institute.
He has published more than 125 research papers in national/international
journals and conference proceedings. He has supervised eight PhDs and 30
MTechs.

Copyright © 2018 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

 Experimental investigation on surface integrity 517

1 Introduction

Applications of nickel-based alloys are increasing day by day due to their superior
properties such as hardness at prominent temperatures and high corrosion resistance.
Machining of nickel-based alloys has been one of the challenging tasks to the
manufacturers in the recent past. Inconel X-750 is a precipitation-hardenable
nickel-chromium alloy used for its corrosion and oxidation resistance and high strength at
temperatures up to 1,300°F. Although much of the effect of precipitation hardening is lost
with increasing temperature over 1,300°F, heat-treated material has useful strength up to
1,800°F. Alloy X-750 also has excellent properties down to cryogenic temperatures.
Inconel alloys are oxidation and corrosion resistant materials well suited for service in
extreme environments subjected to pressure and heat. This alloy has a high hardness
value ranging in between 302–363 BHN. So, it is difficult to machine this material with
conventional machining. Wire EDM can be one option to machine this material. The wire
electrical discharge machining (WEDM) has become an important non-traditional
machining process, widely used in the aerospace, nuclear and automotive industries. This
is because the WEDM process provides an effective solution for machining hard
materials with intricate shapes, which are difficult to machine by conventional machining
methods. Figure 1 represents the WEDM setup used in this study.

Figure 1 WEDM setup (see online version for colours)

Wire-cut electro discharge machining (WEDM) is one of the most effective

non-traditional machining methods to machine difficult to machine materials used in
technologically advanced industries like aerospace, nuclear, missile, etc. The process uses
electro-thermal mechanism of spark erosion similar to the one used in EDM for cutting of
the material. The material should be conductive in order to machine with WEDM. The
material is cut by a series of isolated electrical discharges between the wire and the work
piece. The work piece is submerged in a dielectric fluid which acts as a coolant and plays
an important role in machining. When the dielectric fluid is supplied between the wire
electrode and work piece, it becomes ionised and the electric discharge takes place. The
518 M. Kumar and H. Singh

temperature of the region where discharge occurs is raised to very high level. The work
surface gets melted due to this high temperature and thus removed. The dielectric fluid
takes away the removed particles.

2 Literature review

In the recent past several researchers have directed their efforts towards the development
of mathematical models for the performance measures of WEDM, and tried to optimise
the same with different optimisation techniques. Gokler and Ozanozgu (2000)
investigated the effects of cutting parameters on surface roughness (SR) in the WEDM
process for different steel materials. A series of experiments were performed on 1040
steel material of thicknesses 30, 60 and 80 mm, and on 2379 and 2738 steel materials of
thicknesses 30 and 60 mm respectively. Miller et al. (2003) investigated the effect of
spark on-time duration and spark on-time ratio on the material removal rate (MRR) and
surface integrity of four types of advanced materials: porous metal foams, metal bonded
diamond grinding wheels, sintered Nd-Fe-B magnets, and carbon-carbon bipolar plates.
Five types of constraints on the MRR due to short circuit, wire breakage, machine slide
speed limit, and spark on-time upper and lower limits were identified. Liao et al. (2004)
investigated the machining characteristics of Wire-EDM to achieve a fine surface finish.
The traditional circuit was modified using low power for ignition and for machining as
well. Hascalyk and Caydas (2004) investigated the machining characteristics of AISI D5
tool steel in WEDM process. During experiments, parameters such as open circuit
voltage, pulse duration, wire speed and dielectric fluid pressure were changed to explore
their effect on the SR and metallurgical structure. Optical and scanning electron
microscopy, SR and micro hardness tests were used to study the characteristics of the
machined specimens. Chiang and Chang (2006) presented an effective approach for the
optimisation of the wire electric discharge machining process of Al2O3 particle reinforced
material (6061 alloy) with multiple performance characteristics based on the grey
relational analysis (GRA). Singh and Garg (2009) investigated the effects of various
process parameters of WEDM like pulse on time, pulse off time, gap voltage, peak
current (IP), wire feed (WF) and wire tension (WT) to reveal their impact on MRR of hot
die steel (H-11) using one variable at a time approach. The optimal set of process
parameters has also been predicted to maximise the MRR. Khanna and Singh (2010)
optimised the effects of various process parameters of WEDM like – pulse width, time
between two pulses, maximum feed rate, servo reference mean voltage, short pulse time
and wire mechanical tension – to get their maximum impact on MRR while machining D-
3 material. Antar et al. (2011) machined Udimet 720 nickel-based super alloy and Ti-
6Al-2Sn-4Zr-6Mo titanium alloy using Cu core coated wires (ZnCu50 and Zn rich brass)
as tool on Wire EDM. The authors concluded that an increase in productivity of about
40% for Udimet 720 and about 70% for Ti6246 was possible when replacing standard
uncoated brass wire with diffusion annealed coated wires under the same operating
parameters. Jangra et al. (2012) optimised the multi machining characteristics in WEDM
of WC-5.3%Co composite. The four characteristics optimised simultaneously were MRR,
SR, angular error and radial overcut. The GRA coupled with entropy measurement was
employed. Shandilya et al. (2012) used response surface methodology and artificial
neural network for predicting the SR of SiCp/6061 metal matrix composite using
 Experimental investigation on surface integrity 519

WEDM. Box-Behnken design was employed and 29 experiments were carried out using
four process input variables, i.e., servo voltage, pulse-on time (TON), pulse-off time (TOFF)
and WF rate. Khanna and Singh (2013) identified process parameters that affect MRR
and SR in machining of cryogenic treated D-3 material on wire-cut electric discharge
machine tool. Central composite design was used to plan and conduct the experiments.
Kumar et al. (2013) investigated the surface integrity of pure titanium using WEDM. It
was observed that pulse on time and IP significantly deteriorate the surface integrity of
machined samples, which produce the deeper, wider overlapping craters, pockmarks,
globules of debris and micro-cracks. Padhi et al. (2014) reported empirical relations for
estimation of performance characteristics such as cutting rate, SR and dimensional
deviation while machining EN-31 steel with WEDM using response surface methodology
and artificial neural network. Goswami and Kumar (2014) proposed a multi response
optimisation method using utility concept for WEDM of Nimonic 80-A alloy. The MRR
and SR along with surface topography of the machined surface were the investigated
machining characteristics. Chalisgaonkar and Kumar (2014) undertook the development
of a multi response optimisation technique using traditional utility method in conjunction
with the weight assignment concept. Pure titanium was taken as work material for
experimentation. The effect of key process parameters such as wire type (zinc coated and
uncoated brass wire), pulse on time, pulse off time, IP, WF, servo voltage and wire offset
were investigated on MRR, SR and wire weight consumption. Bobbili et al. (2015)
planned a multi response optimisation technique based on Taguchi method coupled with
GRA for wire-EDM operations on ballistic grade aluminium alloy for armour
applications. The four input variables namely TON, TOFF, IP and spark voltage were varied
to see their effects on MRR, SR and gap current. Kumar et al. (2015) made an analysis to
optimise the process parameters such as IP, pulse on time, WF and wt.% of Boron
Carbide (B4C) that affect the output responses, namely, kerf width and SR, through the
GRA. Aluminium (6351) alloy reinforced with 5 wt.% Silicon Carbide (SiC) and 0, 5,
10 wt.% of B4C prepared through the stir casting process was used for the evaluation.
Pramanik et al. (2015) investigated the effects of size of reinforced particle on MRR, SR
and wear of wire electrodes in WEDM of metal matrix composites. It was found that
larger particles significantly reduced the MRR, as they were better able to protect the
matrix material from EDM sparks compared to smaller particles. Manjaiah et al. (2016)
made an effort to explore the effect of pulse on time, pulse off time and servo voltage on
MRR and SR in WEDM of Ti50Ni40Cu10 shape memory alloy using response surface
methodology. The investigations revealed that pulse on time and servo voltage have
predominant effects in maximising MRR and minimizing SR. Mani Babu et al. (2016)
machined hypereutectic Al-Si alloys with WEDM. The pulse on time, pulse off time, WF
and variation of percentage of silicon were varied to see their effect on MRR and SR.
Two multi-objective optimisation methodologies namely GRA and principal component
analysis (PCA) were implemented. It was observed that PCA was found to perform better
than GRA.
In the reported literature, it has been observed that the work has been done on some
selected materials but there is no work done on the machining of Inconel X-750 on
WEDM. So, this current article is targeted to analyse the effect of input parameters of
WEDM on SR while machining Inconel X750. The selected material has numerous
applications in advanced industries.
520 M. Kumar and H. Singh

3 Materials and methods

The material used in this study was Inconel X750 which is a nickel-based alloy. The
chemical composition of the work material in wt % is as: Ni 70, Cr 14-17, Fe 5-9,
Nb 0.7-1.2, Co 1, Mn 1, Cu 0.5, Al 0.4-1, Ti 2.25-2.75, Si 0.5, C 0.08 and S 0.01. The
work material in the form of plate with dimensions 150 * 100 * 23 mm has been taken for
the experimental work. The experiments were performed on the four axis CNC type
(Electronica Sprintcut) WEDM machine installed at Advanced Manufacturing Lab, NIT
Kurukshetra, India.
The degree of freedom (DOF) is the number of independent components which are
free to vary. For a parameter, it is calculated as the number of levels minus one. There are
six input parameters in this study each with three levels. Three two-factor interactions
have also been studied and the DOF of an interaction is equal to the product of DOF of
interacting factors. The total DOF for the experiment thus becomes 20. Now, we have to
select an orthogonal array which is a three-level design and has DOF more than 20. So,
Taguchi’s L27 orthogonal array with six input variables and three interactions (Table 1)
was selected for final experimentation.
Table 1 Taguchi’s L27 orthogonal array

Run 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
A B A*B A*B C A*C A*C B*C D E B*C F -
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
2 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
3 1 1 1 1 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
4 1 2 2 2 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3
5 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 1 1 1
6 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 1 1 1 2 2 2
7 1 3 3 3 1 1 1 3 3 3 2 2 2
8 1 3 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 3 3 3
9 1 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 1
10 2 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3
11 2 1 2 3 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1
12 2 1 2 3 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2
13 2 2 3 1 1 2 3 2 3 1 3 1 2
14 2 2 3 1 2 3 1 3 1 2 1 2 3
15 2 2 3 1 3 1 2 1 2 3 2 3 1
16 2 3 1 2 1 2 3 3 1 2 2 3 1
17 2 3 1 2 2 3 1 1 2 3 3 1 2
18 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 2 3 1 1 2 3
19 3 1 3 2 1 3 2 1 3 2 1 3 2
20 3 1 3 2 2 1 3 2 1 3 2 1 3
 Experimental investigation on surface integrity 521

Table 1 Taguchi’s L27 orthogonal array (continued)

Run 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
21 3 1 3 2 3 2 1 3 2 1 3 2 1
22 3 2 1 3 1 3 2 2 1 3 3 2 1
23 3 2 1 3 2 1 3 3 2 1 1 3 2
24 3 2 1 3 3 2 1 1 3 2 2 1 3
25 3 3 2 1 1 3 2 3 2 1 2 1 3
26 3 3 2 1 2 1 3 1 3 2 3 2 1
27 3 3 2 1 3 2 1 2 1 3 1 3 2

Based on the literature review and a pilot study, six input parameters – spark gap voltage
(SV), TON, TOFF, WF, IP and WT – were varied to see their effect on SR. The levels of the
input parameters were decided on the basis of pilot experiments using one factor
at-a-time approach. The specimens were prepared in cylindrical shape of base diameter
5 mm. The deionised water was used as the dielectric fluid. Three trials were conducted
for each experiment planned and their mean was taken as the final reading for SR. The
various input parameters with their levels are incorporated in Table 2.
Table 2 Input parameters with levels

Levels
Symbols Factors Unit
I II III
A Ton 110 116 122 Machine unit
B Toff 37 44 51 Machine unit
C SV 25 45 65 Volt
D IP 90 130 170 Ampere
E WF 5 8 11 m/min
F WT 5 8 11 Machine unit

4 Design of experiments by Taguchi method

The statistical design of experiments (DOE) is an efficient procedure for planning

experiments so that the data obtained can be analysed to yield valid and objective
conclusions. DOE begins with determining the objectives of an experiment and selecting
the process factors for the study. Taguchi’s L27 orthogonal array was used for this study.
Table 3 shows the experimental results of the SR for different settings of parameters.
Three trials were conducted for each setting in order to minimise the chances of error.
MINITAB-17 software was used for the design and analysis purpose in this study. In this
work, six input parameters (TON, TOFF, IP, SV, WF, WT) and three interactions
(TON * TOFF, TOFF * SV, TON * SV) have been studied. Signal to noise ratio was obtained
by using MINITAB-17. The selected characteristic, SR, is of the type ‘Lower the Better’.
The S/N ratio is calculated by the logarithmic transformation of loss function as in
equation (1) (Ross, 1996) and values are reported in Table 3 along with the raw data.
522 M. Kumar and H. Singh

⎡1 ⎤
∑
n
S/N ratio = −10 log10 ⎢ Y2 ⎥⎦ (1)
⎣n i =1 i

Table 3 Experimental readings of SR

Run Trial1 (µm) Trial2 (µm) Trial3 (µm) S/N ratio Mean (µm)
1 1.725 2.119 1.629 –5.2803 1.8243
2 2.416 2.563 2.478 –7.9114 2.4856
3 1.638 2.45 1.619 –5.7621 1.9023
4 2.63 2.792 2.33 –8.2696 2.5840
5 2.509 2.146 2.113 –7.0941 2.2560
6 1.824 1.682 1.672 –4.7478 1.7260
7 1.914 1.74 2.124 –5.7218 1.9260
8 1.583 1.614 1.688 –4.2380 1.6283
9 1.486 1.517 1.576 –3.6755 1.5263
10 3.401 3.581 3.472 –10.845 3.4846
11 3.272 3.284 3.295 –10.327 3.2836
12 1.852 1.936 1.984 –5.6875 1.9240
13 3.033 3.684 3.564 –10.727 3.4270
14 3.107 2.909 2.972 –9.5341 2.9960
15 3.014 2.814 2.732 –9.1145 2.8533
16 2.782 2.971 2.705 –9.0097 2.8193
17 2.712 2.922 2.673 –8.8532 2.7690
18 2.314 2.264 2.275 –7.1755 2.2843
19 4.158 4.127 4.118 –12.328 4.1343
20 3.046 3.182 3.148 –9.8994 3.1253
21 3.412 3.582 3.374 –10.774 3.4560
22 2.924 3.382 2.864 –9.729 3.0566
23 3.398 3.943 3.848 –11.451 3.7296
24 2.742 2.846 3.272 –9.4323 2.9533
25 3.932 3.445 3.598 –11.279 3.6583
26 2.548 2.614 2.785 –8.4678 2.6490
27 1.742 1.725 1.891 –5.0451 1.7860

5 Results and discussion

The Taguchi approach for predicting the mean performance characteristic and
determination of confidence intervals for the predicted mean has been applied. The
analysis of variance (ANOVA) was carried out in MINITAB-17 software. Tables 4 and 5
represent the ANOVA results for means and S/N ratios respectively. For 95% confidence
interval, an input factor should have a P-value less than 0.05 in order to have significant
effect on the output.
 Experimental investigation on surface integrity 523

Table 4 ANOVA results for means

Source DF Seq. SS Adj. SS Adj. MS F P

TON 2 6.8636 6.8636 3.43178 139.14 0.007
TOFF 2 1.5366 1.5366 0.76832 31.15 0.031
SV 2 2.4669 2.4669 1.23345 50.01 0.020
IP 2 1.8699 1.8699 0.93497 37.91 0.026
WF 2 0.1919 0.1919 0.09594 3.89 0.205
WT 2 0.0879 0.0879 0.04394 1.78 0.359
TON * TOFF 4 0.3672 0.3672 0.09181 3.72 0.223
TON * SV 4 0.3081 0.3081 0.07703 3.12 0.257
TOFF * SV 4 0.1839 0.1839 0.04597 1.86 0.378
Residual error 2 0.0493 0.0493 0.02466
Total 26 13.9254
S = 0.1570; R-sq. = 99.6%; R-sq. (adj.) = 95.4%

Table 5 ANOVA results for S/N ratios

Source DF Seq. SS Adj. SS Adj. MS F P

TON 2 79.343 79.343 39.671 84.13 0.012
TOFF 2 19.037 19.037 9.518 20.18 0.047
SV 2 28.564 28.564 14.281 30.29 0.032
IP 2 21.470 21.470 10.735 22.76 0.042
WF 2 0.867 0.867 0.433 0.92 0.521
WT 2 0.828 0.828 0.414 0.88 0.533
TON * TOFF 4 3.966 3.966 0.991 2.10 0.347
TON * SV 4 1.767 1.767 0.441 0.94 0.575
TOFF * SV 4 2.646 2.646 0.661 1.40 0.457
Residual error 2 0.943 0.943 0.471
Total 26 159.431 159.431
S = 0.6867; R-sq. = 99.4%; R-sq. (adj.) = 92.3%

From ANOVA results, it can be observed that the pulse on time (TON), pulse off time
(TOFF), SV and IP have P-value less than 0.05 and hence show significant effect whereas
WF and WT have little effect on SR. Therefore, WF and WT can be neglected in future
study. Interaction simply means that the effect of a factor depends upon the level(s) of the
other factor(s). The presence of interaction, particularly extreme interaction, can easily
result in completely erroneous conclusions being drawn if an experimenter is not careful.
The three interactions considered in this study have P-value more than 0.05 and hence do
not show any significant effect on SR and can thus be dispensed with in future work.
524 M. Kumar and H. Singh

Figure 2 Main effects plot of means (see online version for colours)

Main Effects Plot for Means

Data Means
A B C D E F
3.2

3.0
Mean of Means

2.8

2.6

2.4

2.2

2.0

110 116 122 37 44 51 25 45 65 90 130 170 5 8 11 5 8 11

Figure 3 Interaction effect of means (see online version for colours)

Interaction Plot for Means

Data Means
37 44 51

A
3.2 110
116
2.4 A 122

1.6
B
3.2 37
44
B 2.4 51

1.6
C
3.2 25
45
2.4 C 65

1.6
110 116 122 25 45 65

Figure 2 represents the main effects plot of data means on SR and Figure 3 shows the
interaction effect of means. Figures 4 and 5 show the main effects plot and interaction
plot for S/N ratios respectively.
 Experimental investigation on surface integrity 525

Figure 4 Main effects plot for s/n ratios (see online version for colours)

Main Effects Plot for SN ratios

Data Means
A B C D E F

-6
Mean of SN ratios

-7

-8

-9

-10
110 116 122 37 44 51 25 45 65 90 130 170 5 8 11 5 8 11

Signal-to-noise: Smaller is better

Figure 5 Interaction plot for s/n ratios (see online version for colours)

Interaction Plot for SN ratios

Data Means
37 44 51

-5.0 A
110
-7.5 116
A 122
-10.0

-5.0 B
37
-7.5 44
B 51
-10.0

-5.0 C
25
-7.5 45
C 65
-10.0

110 116 122 25 45 65

Signal-to-noise: Smaller is better

526 M. Kumar and H. Singh

From Figures 2 and 4, the optimised condition for SR is – level 3 of SV, level 1 of pulse
on time, level 3 of pulse off time, level 3 of WF, level 1 of IP and level 1 of WT. Since
the two factors, i.e., WF and WT are insignificant, these can be neglected in future study.
So, the predicted optimum value for SR [equation (2); Ross, 1996] is calculated as
µSR = ( µA3 + µB1 + µC1 + µD 2 ) − 3µ (2)

The overall mean is: µ = 2.6758 µm.

By putting values, the predicted value of SR is: µSR = 0.8838 µm.
For calculation of confidence interval, equation (3) (Ross, 1996) has been used

⎧ 1 1⎫
CI CE = Fa (1, fe ) ⋅ Ve ⎨ + ⎬ (3)
n
⎩ eff R ⎭

Here
• fe (error DOF) = 2 (from ANOVA Table 4)
• F0.05 (1, 2) = 18.51 (tabulated value at 95% confidence level)
• Ve (error variance) = 0.02466 (from ANOVA Table 4)
N
• neff =
1 + Total degrees of freedom involved in estiamtion of mean

• N = 81, hence, neff = 81 / (1 + 8) = 9

• R sample size = 3
Putting the values in equation (3),
• CICE = 0.4515
• the 95% confidence interval for µSR is 0.4323 < µSR (µm) < 1.3353.
The confirmation experiments were conducted three times at the optimised settings of
parameters. Table 6 shows the confirmatory experimental results. The mean value of SR
has been found to be within confidence intervals.
Table 6 Confirmatory experimental results

Response (units) Predicted value CICE Experimental value

SR (µm) 0.8838 0.4323 < µSR < 1.3353 1.246

5.1 Scanned electron microscopy (SEM) of the machined samples

The investigation of the microstructure of machined work surface was performed for
assessment of the surface quality obtained using WEDM process. The specimens were
observed with scanning electron microscope with an accelerating voltage of 20.0 kV. The
specimens were etched in a mixture composed of 50 ml distilled water, 50 ml HCl and
5 g copper sulphate for 1 min. The two specimens were selected for microstructure
observation with minimum value of SR and another with maximum value of SR. The
microstructures of these samples have been depicted in Figure 6(a) and Figure 6(b).
 Experimental investigation on surface integrity 527

Figure 6(a) and Figure 6(b) shows the microstructure of the machined sample at
experiment no. 9, Table 1 (Ton: 110 ms, Toff: 53 ms, SV: 65 V, IP: 130 A, WF: 8 and
WT: 5) and microstructure of the machined sample at experiment no. 19, Table 1
(Ton: 122 ms, Toff: 37 ms, SV: 25 V, IP: 170 A, WF: 8 and WT: 11) respectively. In case
of high SR (Exp. no. 19, Table 1), TON is set at its highest level, TOFF being at lowest
level, IP at highest level. This can be observed [Figure 6(b)] that the high value of applied
erosive power caused the formation of large debris and deep craters as apparent on the
surface. These may be the places where individual discharges were able to penetrate far
into the workpiece. The higher TON increases the metal removal rate and also results in
accelerated depletion of brass wire; the residual particles of brass wire get adhered on the
cutting surface.

Figure 6 (a) Microstructure of the machined sample at experiment no. 9, Table 1 (Ton: 110 ms,
Toff: 53 ms, SV: 65 V, IP: 130 A, WF: 8 and WT: 5) (b) Microstructure of machined
sample at experiment no. 19, Table 1 (Ton: 122 ms, Toff: 37 ms, SV: 25 V, IP: 170 A,
WF: 8 and WT: 11)

(a) (b)

The other sample was machined at experimental condition corresponding to low energy
input rate (Experiment No. 9, Table 1), where the TON is set at lowest level and IP is set at
intermediate level, i.e., level 2. The machined surface in this case [Figure 6(a)] appears to
be smoother as discharge craters are extremely small with small amount of debris and
very tiny holes.

5.2 Recast layer

During machining of the workpiece, a small portion of the workpiece and wire electrode
is melted due to spark. A part of this molten material is evicted and flushed away. The
remaining material resolidifies to form a surface layer known as the recast layer. This
recast layer tends to increase the SR of the workpiece. More is the thickness of recast
layer, more is the SR and vice versa. Recast layer thickness tends to increase with
increasing TON and decreasing TOFF. The depth of this melted zone depends upon the
pulse energy and pulse duration. A higher TON setting leads to thicker recast layer. This
indicates that recast layer thickness increases with an increasing peak discharge current,
TON and energy per spark and with decreasing TOFF.
528 M. Kumar and H. Singh

Figure 7 (a) Recast layer of machined sample at experiment no. 9, Table 1 (Ton: 110 ms,
Toff: 53 ms, SV: 65 V, IP: 130 A, WF: 8 and WT: 5) (b) Recast layer of machined
sample at experiment no. 19, Table 1 (Ton: 122 ms, Toff: 37 ms, SV: 25 V, IP: 170 A,
WF: 8 and WT: 11)

(a) (b)

Figure 7(a) and Figure 7(b) shows the recast layer of the machined sample at experiment
no. 9, Table 1 and recast layer of the machined sample at experiment no. 19, Table 1
respectively. Figure 7(b) shows that with greater energy release in each spark, the
quantity of workpiece material which is melted is greater, resulting in a larger quantity of
molten material which resolidifies to form the recast layer. Figure 7(b) shows that the
recast layer is more (almost double) as compared to Figure 7(a).

6 Conclusions

In this research, the experiments have been planned and conducted in order to investigate
the effects of cutting parameters on SR in the WEDM process. It can be concluded from
this work that Inconel X750 is fairly machinable using WEDM process. Optimised
process conditions have been obtained for SR using Taguchi technique. The following
conclusions can be drawn from this study:
1 The pulse on time (Ton), pulse off time (Toff), SV and IP are found to be significant
factors in both the ANOVAs, hence affecting mean and variance of SR at 95%
confidence level.
2 During WEDM of Inconel X750, WF and WT are found to be insignificant to the
response SR.
3 The optimum value of SR was obtained at pulse on time – 110; pulse off time – 51;
SV – 65 V; IP – 90 A; WF – 11; WT – 5.
4 The optimal predicted value comes out to be µSR = 0.8838 µm and the confidence
interval is 0.4323 < µSR < 1.3353.
5 The confirmation experiments are performed at the optimal levels of parameters.
Three set of experiments are performed and their average is taken. The average
comes out to be 1.246 µm and it is well contained within the confidence intervals.
Hence the predicted optimal setting may be implemented.
 Experimental investigation on surface integrity 529

6 The higher discharge energy results in melting eviction, leading to the formation of a
deeper and larger crater on the surface of the workpiece as observed in the
microstructures.
7 The recast layer has been observed to increase with increase in TON and IP. Recast
layer on the machined surface has been found to be almost 100% thicker for the
sample machined at high discharge energy level when compared to the sample
machined at low discharge energy level.
Hence, we can say that WEDM is an adequate process to machine Inconel X750 with a
good surface finish. In this research, we investigated the effects of process parameters on
SR only. It can further be explored for other responses also such as MRR, dimensional
deviation, kerf width, etc.

References
Antar, M.T., Soo, S.L., Aspinwall, D.K., Jones, D. and Perez, R. (2011) ‘Productivity and
workpiece surface integrity when WEDM aerospace alloys using coated wires’, Procedia
Engineering, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp.3–8.
Bobbili, R., Madhu, V. and Gogia, A.K. (2015) ‘Modeling and analysis of material removal rate
and surface roughness in wire-cut EDM of armour materials’, International Journal of
Engineering Science and Technology, Vol. 18, No. 4, pp.664–668.
Chalisgaonkar, R. and Kumar, J. (2014) ‘Multi-response optimization and modeling of trim cut
WEDM operation of commercially pure titanium (CPTi) considering multiple user’s
preferences’, International Journal of Engineering Science and Technology, Vol. 18, No. 2,
pp.125–134.
Chiang, K.T. and Chang, F.P. (2006) ‘Optimization of the WEDM process of particle-reinforced
material with multiple performance characteristics using grey relational analysis’, Journal of
Materials Processing Technology, Vol. 180, Nos. 1–3, pp.96–101.
Gokler, M.I. and Ozanozgu, A.M. (2000) ‘Experimental investigation of effects of cutting
parameters on surface roughness in the WEDM process’, International Journal of Machine
Tools and Manufacture, Vol. 40, No. 13, pp.1831–1848.
Goswami, A. and Kumar, J. (2014) ‘Optimization in wire cut EDM of Nimonic 80 – A using
Taguchi’s approach and utility concept’, International Journal of Engineering Science and
Technology, Vol. 17, No. 4, pp. 236-246.
Hascalyk, A. and Caydas, U. (2004) ‘Experimental study of wire electrical discharge machining of
AISI D5 tool steel’, Journal of Materials Processing Technology, Vol. 148, No. 3,
pp.362–367.
Jangra, K., Grover, S. and Aggarwal, A. (2012) ‘Optimization of multi machining characteristics in
WEDM of WC-5.3%Co composite using integrated approach of Taguchi, GRA and entropy
method’, Frontiers of Mechanical Engineering, Vol. 7, No. 3, pp.288–299.
Khanna, R. and Singh, H. (2010) ‘Parametric optimization for material removal rate in wire
electrical discharge machining – a Taguchi approach’, Paper presented at International
Conference on Production and Industrial Engineering, Jalandhar, India.
Khanna, R. and Singh, H. (2013) ‘Performance analysis for D-3 material using response surface
methodology on WEDM’, International Journal of Machining and Machinability of
Materials, Vol. 14, No. 1, pp.45–65.
Kumar, A., Kumar, V. and Kumar, J. (2013) ‘Investigation of microstructure and element migration
for rough cut surface of pure titanium after WEDM’, International Journal of Microstructure
and Materials Properties, Vol. 8, Nos. 4/5, pp.343–356.
530 M. Kumar and H. Singh

Kumar, S.S., Uthayakumar, M., Thirumalai Kumaran, S., Parameswaran, P., Mohandas, E.,
Kempulraj, G., Ramesh Babu, B.S. and Natarajan, S.A. (2015) ‘Parametric optimization of
wire electrical discharge machining on aluminium based composites through grey relational
analysis’, International Journal of Engineering Science and Technology, Vol. 20, No. 1,
pp.33–39.
Liao, Y.S., Huang, J.T. and Chen, Y.H. (2004) ‘A study to achieve a fine surface finish in
Wire-EDM’, Journal of Materials Processing Technology, Vol. 149, Nos. 1–3, pp.165–171.
Mani Babu, D., Venkat Kiran, S., Vundavilli, P.R. and Mandal, A. (2016) ‘Experimental
investigations and multi-response optimization of wire electric discharge machining of
hypereutectic Al-Si alloys’, International Journal of Manufacturing Research, Vol. 11, No. 3,
pp.221–237.
Manjaiah, M., Narendranath, S., Basavarajappa, S. and Gaitonde, V.N. (2016) ‘Influence of process
parameters on material removal rate and surface roughness in WED-machining of
Ti50Ni40Cu10 shape memory alloy’, International Journal of Machining and Machinability
of Materials, Vol. 18, Nos. 1/2, pp.36–53.
Miller, S.F., Shih, A.J. and Qu, J. (2003) ‘Investigation of the spark cycle on material removal rate
in wire electrical discharge machining of advanced materials’, International Journal of
Machine Tools and Manufacture, Vol. 44, No. 4, pp.391–400.
Padhi, P.C., Mahapatra, S.S., Yadav, S.N. and Tripathy, D.K. (2014) ‘Performance characteristic
prediction of WEDM process using response surface methodology and artificial neural
network’, International Journal of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Vol. 18, No. 4,
pp.433–453.
Pramanik, A., Basak, A.K. and Islam, S.M. (2015) ‘Effect of reinforced particle size on wire EDM
of MMCs’, International Journal of Machining and Machinability of Materials, Vol. 17,
No. 2, pp.139–149.
Ross, P.J. (1996) Taguchi Techniques for Quality Engineering, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY.
Shandilya, P., Jain, P.K. and Jain, N.K. (2012) ‘Prediction of surface roughness during wire
electrical discharge machining of SiCp/6061 Al metal matrix composite’, International
Journal of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp.301–315.
Singh, H. and Garg, R. (2009) ‘Effects of process parameters on material removal rate in WEDM’,
Journal of Achievements in Material and Manufacturing Engineering, Vol. 32, No. 1,
pp.70–74.