Influence of tool materials on surface modification using μEDC process

ABSTRACT

The work aims to assess the influence of tool electrode material while surface modification of Ti-alloy through the micro-electrical discharge coating (μEDC) process. Brass and tungsten micro-tool (800 μm)are chosen based on their mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties to conduct the experiments at different coating criteria such as duty cycle, voltage, and powder (tungsten disulphide) concentration. Various performance indexes i.e., micro-hardness, surface roughness, and recast surface height, are evaluated. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) recognizes the elemental presence on the recast zone formed over Ti-alloy. A comparative analysis of the surfaces generated using both thetools is carried out for their performance measurement. The modified samples’ hardness improved by twice the base material due to the formation of hard phases of tungsten and titanium, as affirmed by the EDX study. The results indicate that both the micro-tool electrodes’ mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties significantly affect the process parameters for surface alteration of Ti-alloy.

KEYWORDS:

• Micro-tool
• micro-hardness
• roughness
• recast
• EDX

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).