Volume 10 Issue 4 ( December )

In manufacturing, material machining plays a vital role in fabricating a wide variety of components and structures. Metal matrix composites (MMCs) exhibit unique behavior during the machining process compared to conventional metals and alloys because of their multiphase composition with distinct physical and mechanical properties. This research investigates the machining behavior of Al6063-TiO₂ composites on the non- conventional machine, which is known as E-D-M machine, and assesses the influence of E-D-M machine process performance factors on this behavior. Using the stir casting technique, Al6063- TiO₂ composites with different TiO₂ concentrations, ranging from 1% to 5% by weight, were synthesized. The resulting composites were characterized, revealing that the composite with 5% TiO₂ concentration showed the highest hardness. The study aimed to identify the optimal EDM machining parameters for these composites by conducting a series of experiments. The EDM machining based experiments involved four factors at four levels: current (4-10 A), POT (pulse on time) (ton, 60-120 μs), POFFT (pulse off time) (toff, 20-26 μs), and pressure (0.6-1.2 atm). This study investigates the impact of introducing TiO₂ nanoparticles ranging in size from 55 nm to 100 nm into Al6063, with the majority falling within the range of 55 nm to 70 nm. The findings show that, when the percentage of TiO₂ nanoparticles grew up to 5 percent, the composite's strength increased proportionally. The largest improvement seen was almost 20% stronger than the base metal Al6063. Besides the increase in strength, a rise in the composite's corrosion resistance was also seen, with the composite exhibiting the best resistance at a 5 percent TiO₂ concentration. A similar tendency was also observed in the composites' wear resistance. However, the volumetric wear rate increased significantly when subjected to a 3 kg weight. This study emphasizes the significance of TiO₂ nanoparticle concentration in regulating the mechanical and electrochemical properties of Al6063- TiO₂ composites. These findings provide valuable data that could guide future efforts to enhance these parameters for a variety of industrial applications. Delta values ordered current, pulse-on time, pressure, and pulse-off time in order of relevance. This ranking helps optimize Al6063- TiO₂ composite EDM process parameters for better machining. This extensive investigation shows that TiO₂ nanoparticles significantly affect the machining behavior of Al6063- TiO₂ composites when EDM is applied. The findings clarify the relationship between EDM performance characteristics and Al6063- TiO₂ composite machining behavior, providing vital data for industrial applications. The findings also open the door to studying the machining features of comparable metal matrix composites and improving their mechanical and electrochemical properties.

Keywords: Al6063, Nanoparticle, TiO₂ , Composite, MMC, EDM machining, Machining Optimization