Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2009) 40:95–104
DOI 10.1007/s00170-007-1307-2
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Material removal rate and electrode wear ratio study
on the powder mixed electrical discharge machining
of cobalt-bonded tungsten carbide
Kuang-Yuan Kung & Jenn-Tsong Horng & Ko-Ta Chiang
Received: 7 August 2007 / Accepted: 5 November 2007 / Published online: 7 December 2007
# Springer-Verlag London Limited 2007
Abstract In this article, a material removal rate (MRR) and
electrode wear ratio (EWR) study on the powder mixed
electrical discharge machining (PMEDM) of cobalt-bonded
tungsten carbide (WC-Co) has been carried out. This type
of cemented tungsten carbide was widely used as moulding
material of metal forming, forging, squeeze casting, and
high pressure die casting. In the PMEDM process, the
aluminum powder particle suspended in the dielectric fluid
disperses and makes the discharging energy dispersion
uniform; it displays multiple discharging effects within a
single input pulse. This study was made only for the
finishing stages and has been carried out taking into
account the four processing parameters: discharge current,
pulse on time, grain size, and concentration of aluminum
powder particle for the machinability evaluation of MRR
and EWR. The response surface methodology (RSM) has
been used to plan and analyze the experiments. The
experimental plan adopts the face-centered central compos-
ite design (CCD). This study highlights the development of
mathematical models for investigating the influence of
processing parameters on performance characteristics.
K.-Y. Kung
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Nanya Institute of Technology,
No. 414, Sec. 3, Chung Shang East Rd.,
Chung-Li, Taiwan 320, Republic of China
e-mail: kykoung@nanya.edu.tw
J.-T. Horng : K.-T. Chiang (*)
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
HsiuPing Institute of Technology,
No. 11, Gungye Rd.,
Dali City, Taichung, Taiwan 41280, Republic of China
e-mail: kota@mail.hit.edu.tw
Keywords Powder mixed EDM . Tungsten carbide .
Response surface methodology . Material removal rate .
Electrode wear ratio
1 Introduction
The electrical discharge machining (EDM) process is an
electrical spark-erosion process which removes workpiece
material by means of a series of recurring electrical spark.
The discharging sparks occur between the electrode and
electro-conductive workpiece flushed with or submerged in a
dielectric fluid. The EDM process has the advantage of
spark-erosion in order to machine the hard-to-cut material
and then easily achieve the required shapes and sizes with
enhancing machining productivity and better dimensional
accuracy [1, 2]. Since it has more versatile benefits, the
EDM has been widely applied in the modern metal industry
for producing complex cavities in moulds and dies, which
are difficult to manufacture by conventional machining.
However, the material removal mechanism is achieved by
the melting and evaporation of workpiece material at each
electrical discharge spot, which are then ejected and flushed
away by the dielectric fluid. Due to the rapid high
temperature melting and cooling process, subsurface defects
such as cracks, spalling, porosity, residual stress, metallurgi-
cal transformations, and heat affected zones (HAZ) are easily
found on the machined surface of the workpiece [3–5]. To
restore the machined surface properties and remove the
surface detects, the technique of fine powder mixed into the
dielectric fluid of EDM, called the powder mixed EDM
(PMEDM), is thus proposed.
Erden and Bilgin [6] first studied the effect of abrasive
powder (copper, aluminum, iron, and carbon) mixed into
the dielectric fluid of EDM and proposed that the
96
machining rate increased with an increase of the powder
concentration due to decreasing the time lag. Jeswani [7]
proposed that the material removal rate was improved
around 60% and electrode wear ratio was reduced about
15% by using the kerosene oil mixed with 4 g/l graphite
powder as the dielectric fluid in the EDM process. Mohri et
al. [8], Yan and Chen [9], and Uno and Okada [10]
investigated the effects of silicon powder addition on
machining rate and surface roughness in EDM. Wong et
al. [11], Furutani et al. [12], and Yan et al. [13] suggested
that the machined surface properties, including hardness,
wear resistance, and corrosion resistance could be signifi-
cantly improved by using the PMEDM process. Wu [14]
discussed the improvement of the machined surface of
EDM by adding aluminum powder and surfactant into
dielectric fluid. Kansal [15] worked to optimize the process
parameters of PMEDM by using the response surface
methodology. The literature mentioned above reveals that
the additive powder particle reduces the insulating strength
of the dielectric fluid and disperses the discharging energy
dispersion; these advantages improve the material removal
and refine the machined surface roughness.
Ceramic materials are extensively used in the industrial
fields that produce cutting tools, self-lubricating bearings,
nozzles, turbine blades, internal combustion engines, and
heat exchangers [16]. Because the ceramic materials
possess exceptional mechanical and chemical properties
such as high compression strength, high hardness, low
ductility, high corrosion resistance, low specific weight, and
a high strength even at very high temperatures [17], they
have a wide range of applications. The typical processes of
engineering ceramic components are compacting techni-
ques of powder metallurgy and high temperature sintering.
However, producing complex shapes in ceramics with high
dimensional accuracy is very difficult to achieve through
these conventional machining techniques and they are
expensive to produce. The use of traditional cutting
machinery to machine hard and brittle ceramic materials
can cause cracks on the machined surface [18].
This work focused on the powder mixed EDM
(PMEDM) of a ceramic material, such as cobalt-bonded
tungsten carbide (WC-Co), in the finishing stages. Cobalt-
bonded tungsten carbide is a high strength and difficult-to-
cut material, which is produced by compacting techniques
of powder metallurgy and high-temperature sintering. In the
conventional EDM process, the machined surface produces
a significant amount of cracks and spalling which decreases
the hardness, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance.
Hence, the present study attempts to use the technique of
PMEDM for machining the cobalt-bonded tungsten carbide
material. In this way, a material removal rate (MRR) and
electrode wear ratio (EWR) study has been carried out on
the influence of the processing parameter and the effects of
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2009) 40:95–104
aluminum powder particle mixed into the dielectric fluid
through the response surface methodology (RSM). The
RSM is an empirical modeling approach for determining
the relationship between various processing parameters and
responses with the various desired criteria, and it is used to
determine the significance of these processing parameters
on the coupled responses [19]. It is one of the most widely
used methods to solve the optimization problem in
manufacturing environments [20–22].
2 Description of the experiments
2.1 Equipment used in the experiments
A series of experiments was performed on a die-sinking
CNC EDM machine of type OMEGA-CM43 with a
dielectric cycling system. Figure 1a shows a photograph
of this equipment. Different grain sizes and different
concentrations of aluminum powder particles were sus-
pended in the dielectric fluid. A dielectric cycling system
maintained a uniform distribution of the added powder
particles by using the cycling capability. Commercial-grade
mineral oil (TOTAL EDM44) with a flash point of 85°C
was used as the dielectric fluid and the side injection of
dielectric fluid was adopted. In Fig. 1b, a jet flushing
system was employed to assure adequate flushing of the
EDM process debris from the gap zone. The electrolytic
copper with diameter 25 mm was used as an electrode. The
physical and mechanical properties of electrolytic copper
are a melting point of 1,360 K, density of 8.94 g/cm3,
thermal conductivity of 226 W/mK, and electrical resistiv-
ity of 17.1 nΩm. According to the bibliography in the EDM
field and the results of related experiments, the electrode
used in this study was subjected to a negative polarity in
order to ensure the promotion of good surface quality [1–3].
2.2 Material used in the experiments
The workpiece material used in this study is cobalt-bonded
tungsten carbide (94WC-6Co; Protool Industrial Co.,
USA), which is composed of approximately 94% tungsten
carbide (WC) and 6% cobalt (Co). This material is
frequently used for cutting tools due to its excellent
hardness properties (HRA 92.8). Although the major
machining application of this type of cemented tungsten
carbide is for cutting tools, the scope of alternative
applications is quickly growing such as moulding material
for metal forming, forging, squeeze casting, and high
pressure die casting. Furthermore, it possesses a high
compressive strength (5.7 kN/mm2), as well as good
resistance of wear and oxidation at high temperature status.
The compound materials of tungsten carbide were mixed
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2009) 40:95–104
Fig. 1 a Experimental setup. b The jet flushing system used in the
EDM process
with cobalt (Co) in a certain proportion in order to provide
a high resistance to thermal shock. It has a density of
14.9 g/cm3, a thermal conductivity of 100 W/mK and a
thermal expansion coefficient of 4.3 × 10−6 K−1 at a
temperature of 200°C. The experimental specimens of
cobalt-bonded tungsten carbide were cut into rectangular
blocks of 100×100×10 mm3.
3 Design of the experiments
3.1 Design factors selected
The status of aluminum powder particles mixed into the
dielectric fluid plays a significant role in determining and
evaluating the EDM characteristics of a product. There is a
large number of design factors to be considered concerning
the effects of aluminum powder particles, but in this study
97
the following two factors of aluminum particles added to
the dielectric were chosen.
1. Grain size of aluminum powder particles (SAl, μm)
2. Concentration of aluminum powder particles (CAl, g/l)
The physical and mechanical properties of aluminum
powder particle are a melting point of 933 K, density of
2.73 g/cm3, thermal conductivity of 2.38 W/cmK, electrical
resistivity of 2.45 μΩcm, and specific heat of 0.215 cal/gK.
In addition, the discharge current (IP, A) and pulse on
time (τP, μs) were only taken into account as design factors
for the finishing stages. The reason why these two factors
have been chosen is that they are the most general and
frequently used among EDM researchers [1–3]. The
electrode used in this study was subjected to a negative
polarity. Table 1 shows the setting of experimental
parameters in the PMEDM process of 94WC-6Co.
3.2 Response variables selected
The experimental procedure was set at the finishing stages
where the surface roughness reached quite high demands.
The response variables selected in this study were MRR,
EWR, and the surface roughness (SR). Both MRR and
EWR refer to the machining efficiency of the PMEDM
process and the wear of copper electrode, respectively, and
are defined as follows:
wear weight of workpiece
MRRðg=minÞ ¼ ð1Þ
time of machining
wear weight of electrode
EWRð%Þ ¼
100% ð2Þ
wear weight of workpiece
The workpiece and electrode were weighed before and after
each experiment using an electric balance (Sartorius, USA)
with a resolution of 0.01 mg to determine the value of MRR
and EWR. For efficient evaluation of the PMEDM process,
the larger MRR and the smaller EWR are regarded as the
best machining performance. Therefore, the MRR is
regarded as a “the larger-the-better characteristic” and the
EWR is regarded as “the smaller-the-better characteristic” in
this study.
3.3 Experimental design
The experimental plans were designed on the basis of the
central composite design (CCD) technique. The factorial
portion of CCD is a full factorial design with all
combinations of the factors at two levels (high, +1 and
low, −1) and composed of the eight star points and six
central points (coded level 0) which are the midpoint
98 Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2009) 40:95–104

Table 1 EDM operating conditions Table 2 Design scheme of processing parameters and their levels

Working conditions Unit Description Parameters Unit Levels

Workpiece 94WC-6Co(100×100× –1 0 +1
10 mm3)
Electrode material Electrolytic copper Grain size of Al powder (SAl), X1 μm 1.5 2 2.5
(ϕ25 mm) Concentration of Al powder (CAl), X2 g/l 10 15 20
Electrode polarity Negative Discharge current (IP), X3 A 2 2.5 3
Working time min 15 Pulse on time (τP), X4 μs 100 150 200
Working area mm2 50×50
Open discharge voltage V 110
Discharge current (IP) A 2–3
Pulse on time (τP) μs 100–200 τ P  τ P0
Duty factor 0.75 X4 ¼ ð6Þ
$τ P
Dielectric fluid Mineral oil (TOTAL
EDM44) where X1, X2, X3, and X4 are the coded values of parameters
Grain size of Al powder (SAl) μm 1.5–2.5 SAl, CAl, IP and τP, respectively. SAl0, CAl0, lP0, and τP0 are
Concentration of Al powder (CAl) g/l 10–20 the values of SAl, CAl, IP, and τP at zero level. ΔSAl, ΔCAl,
ΔIP, and ΔτP are the intervals of variation in SAl, CAl, IP,
and τP, respectively.
between the high and low levels. The star points are at the
face of the cube portion on the design that corresponds to
an α value of 1, and this type of design is commonly 4 Response surface modeling
called the “face-centered CCD”. In this study, the
experimental plan was conducted using the stipulated RSM was employed for the modeling and analysis of
conditions according to the face-centered CCD and processing parameters in the PMEDM process in order to
involved a total of 30 experimental observations at four determine the relationship to MRR and EWR. In RSM, the
independent input variables. Each combination of experi- quantitative form of the relationship between desired
ments was carried out two times under the same conditions response and independent input variables can be repre-
to acquire a more accurate result in the PMEDM process. sented by the following:
The machining period for each experimental specimen is

15 min. This was set up before the operation of the Y ¼ f SAl ; CAl; IP ; t P ð7Þ
machine reached the stable state.
where Y is the desired response and f is the response
The low and high levels selected for the grain size (SAl)
function (or response surface). In the procedure of analysis,
and concentration (CAl) of aluminum powder particle,
the approximation of Y was proposed by using the fitted
discharge current (IP), and pulse on time (τP) were 1.5
second order polynomial regression model which is called
and 2.5 μm, 10 and 20 g/l, 2 and 3 A, and 100 and 200 μs,
the quadratic model. The quadratic model was exactly
respectively. Table 2 shows both coded and actual values of
suitable for carefully studying the interactive effects of
the four process parameters and their ranges. The experi-
combinative factors on the performance evaluations [16–
mental matrix adopted in this study in the coded form is
20]. The quadratic model of Y can be written as follows:
shown in Table 3. The coded values Xi,i =1,2,3,4 of the
processing parameter used in Tables 2 and 3 were obtained X
4 X
4 X
4

from the following transformable equations: Y ¼ a0 þ ai Xi þ aii Xi2 þ aij Xi Xj ð8Þ

i¼1 i¼1 i<j

where a0 is constant and ai, aii, and aij represent the

SAl  SAl0
X1 ¼ ð3Þ coefficients of linear, quadratic, and cross product terms,
$SAl
respectively. Xi reveals the coded variables corresponding
to the machining parameters studied. The material removal
CAl  CAl0 rate (MRR) and electrode wear ratio (EWR), indicated as Y1
X2 ¼ ð4Þ and Y2, respectively, were analyzed. The quadratic model of
$CAl
f is not only used in this study to investigate the response
over the entire factor space but also to locate the region of
IP  IP0 the desired target where the response approaches its
X3 ¼ ð5Þ
$IP optimum or near-optimal value.
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2009) 40:95–104 99

Table 3 Design layout and experimental results

Run Coded factors Actual factors Response variables

X1 X2 X3 X4 SAl CAl IP τP MRR (g/min) EWR (%)

1 0 0 0 0 2 15 2.5 150 0.2103 23.12

2 +1 –1 +1 –1 2.5 10 3 100 0.1908 17.29
3 –1 +1 +1 +1 1.5 20 3 200 0.2684 19.44
4 0 0 0 0 2 15 2.5 150 0.2104 17.26
5 –1 –1 +1 –1 1.5 10 3 100 0.1564 25.14
6 +1 +1 +1 –1 2.5 20 3 100 0.2908 20.77
7 0 0 0 –1 2 15 2.5 100 0.2044 21.44
8 +1 +1 –1 –1 2.5 20 2 100 0.2678 19.85
9 –1 +1 –1 –1 1.5 20 2 100 0.2345 26.89
10 –1 –1 –1 –1 1.5 10 2 100 0.1338 24.57
11 0 0 –1 0 2 15 2 150 0.1989 21.62
12 –1 +1 –1 +1 1.5 20 2 200 0.2454 21.02
13 –1 –1 –1 +1 1.5 10 2 200 0.1454 22.99
14 +1 +1 +1 +1 2.5 20 3 200 0.3028 24.68
15 +1 –1 –1 –1 2.5 10 2 100 0.1678 23.94
16 0 0 0 0 2 15 2.5 150 0.2104 21.65
17 0 0 0 +1 2 15 2.5 200 0.2164 15.98
18 –1 –1 +1 +1 1.5 10 3 200 0.1684 26.65
19 +1 0 0 0 2.5 15 2.5 150 0.2278 22.23
20 0 –1 0 0 2 10 2.5 150 0.1679 27.34
21 +1 –1 –1 +1 2.5 10 2 200 0.1798 16.77
22 –1 0 0 0 1.5 15 2.5 150 0.1934 27.37
23 0 +1 0 0 2 20 2.5 150 0.2679 16.61
24 0 0 0 0 2 15 2.5 150 0.2104 27.37
25 –1 +1 +1 –1 1.5 20 3 100 0.2564 23.55
26 0 0 0 0 2 15 2.5 150 0.2103 23.51
27 0 0 0 0 2 15 2.5 150 0.2103 23.53
28 +1 –1 +1 +1 2.5 10 3 200 0.2028 23.54
29 +1 +1 –1 +1 2.5 20 2 200 0.2798 23.53
30 0 0 +1 0 2 15 3 150 0.2219 23.52

5 Results and discussion various discharging waveforms with different concentra-

The 30 experimental runs were conducted in duplicate, and
the average values of MRR and EWR along with the design
matrix are given in Table 3.
5.1 The effect of powder particles on discharge mechanism
Under a series of recurring electrical spark, the powder
particles located between the electrode and workpiece get
energized and behave in a zigzag fashion. Due to the
interlocking between the different powder particles, these
particles will display in the form of a chain at different
places under the sparking area [8–15]. This chain formation
improves in bridging the gap between the electrodes and
decreases the gap voltage and the insulating strength of
dielectric fluid. As a result, the “series discharge” within a
discharge easily takes place and disperses a discharge
energy effect under the sparking area. Figure 2 depicts
tions (CAl) of aluminum powder particle. The discharging
wave form is consistent with the input in the case of
mineral oil without aluminum powder particle being added
as shown in Fig. 2a. However, for the dielectric fluid with
aluminum powder particle, the responded waveforms are
entirely different from the primary input pulse, as shown in
Fig. 2b and c. These waveforms display the dispersion with
a less concentrated discharge in time and spacial domain
within a single pulse.
5.2 Results and analysis of the material removal rate
(MRR)
Table 4 shows the results of the response surface model
evaluation for the proposed quadratic model. As can be
observed in this table, the F-value, the Prob>F, the
determination coefficients (R2), and the adequate precision
(AP) determine the confidence level of the model [23]. The
100 Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2009) 40:95–104

Table 4 Response surface model evaluation

Model Y1 (MRR) Y2 (EWR)

Model degree Quadratic Quadratic

F-value 52.0441 27.0382
Prob >F <0.0001 <0.0001
R2 0.9798 0.9562
Adj- R2 0.9610 0.9384
AP 22.7589 16.8322
Standard 0.0064 0.4186
deviation
Lack of fit Not significant Not significant
Significant SAl, CAl, IP, τP, SAl2
, CAl
2
, SAl, CAl, IP, τP, SAl 2
,
model terms lP2 , SAlIP, SAlτP, IPτP CAl
2
, t 2P , SAlτP, IPτP

the regression model is considered statistically significant,

which is desirable as it demonstrates that the terms in the
model have a significant effect on the responses. The
determination coefficient R2 is defined as the ratio of
the explained variation to the total variation and is a
measure of the degree of fit. When R2 approaches unity, the
response model fits the actual data better, i.e. there is less
difference between the predicted and actual values. Fur-
thermore, the value of AP in this model, which compares
the range of the predicted value at the design point to the
average prediction error, is well above four. Values of this
ratio greater than 4 present adequate model discrimination.
These models obtained present higher values of the
determination coefficients (R2) and adequate precision
(AP) at the same time.
From the results of Table 4, the proposed quadratic model
for MRR is significant with a Prob>F less than 0.05, R2 and
AP are 0.9798 and 22.7589, respectively, and the lack of fit is
not significant. The significant model terms are also summa-
rized in Table 4. In the case of Y1 (MRR), SAl, CAl, IP, τP, SAl
2
,
CAl , IP , SAlIP, SAlτP and IPτP can be regarded as significant
2 2

Fig. 2 Discharging waveform of voltage using pure mineral oil (a),
mineral oil with 5 g/l of powder concentration (b), and mineral oil
with 25 g/l of powder concentration (c)
values of F-value and Prob>F imply statistical significance
on the regression model and the particular linear, quadratic,
or interaction terms. The desired confidence level is usually
set to 95%. Values of Prob>F smaller than 0.05 signify that
terms because their Prob>F values are less than 0.05. The
backward elimination process removes the insignificant terms
to adjust the fitted quadratic models. These insignificant
model terms can be removed and the test of lack-of-fit also
proves to be insignificant. Through the backward elimination
process, the final quadratic model of response equation in
terms of actual factors is presented as follows:
MRR ¼ 0:005734 þ 0:028824SAl þ 0:000954CAl þ 0:0206341IP
þ0:000101τ P þ 0:000977SAl
2
þ 0:000301CAl 2
þ 0:000177IP2
þ0:000375SAl IP þ 0:00000375SAl τ P þ 0:00000375CAl τ P
ð9Þ
Figure 3 displays the normal probability plot of the
residuals for MRR. Notice that the residuals generally fall
on a straight line implying that the errors are normally
distributed. Furthermore, this supports adequacy of the least
squares fit.
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2009) 40:95–104
Fig. 3 Normal probability plot residuals for the material removal rate
(MRR)
The material removal rate (MRR) evaluation of 94WC-
6Co in the PMEDM process has been analyzed according
to the developed mathematical model. Figure 4 shows the
estimated response surface for the MRR in relation to the
processing parameters of grain size (SAl) and concentration
(CAl) of aluminum powder particle under the discharge
current of 2.5 A and pulse on time of 150 μs. As shown in
Fig. 4 Estimated response sur-
face for the material removal
rate (MRR) according to change
of grain size (SAl) and concen-
tration (CAl) of aluminum pow-
der particle
101
Fig. 4, an increase of aluminum powder concentration will
help to bridge the gap between the electrode and workpiece
with the result that the material removal rate (MRR)
increases. This is because the bridging effect generates the
multiple discharging effects within a single input pulse and
the frequency of discharging increases. Thus, the faster
sparking within a single input pulse takes place, and this
causes faster erosion from the workpiece surface. In Fig. 4
it can be seen that an overly high concentration, regardless
of grain size, would reduce the value of MRR and display
a discharge interference phenomenon. The optimal mate-
rial removal rate would appear at the aluminum powder
concentration of 17.5 g/l. In addition, the above-men-
tioned effects of increasing aluminum powder concentra-
tion have an identical trend of MRR influences for various
grain sizes of aluminum powder particle. From Fig. 4, the
value of MRR is shown to generally increase with the
increase of grain size for any value of aluminum powder
concentration.
Figure 5 depicts the effects of discharge current (IP) and
pulse on time (τP) on the value of MRR under the grain size
of 2 μm and powder concentration of 15 g/l. This figure
shows that the value of MRR increases when the pulse on
time increases and, moreover, this increase becomes more
pronounced as the value of discharge current rises, due to
the higher spark energy which produces more and larger
craters on the machined surface. Therefore, this will result
in higher material removal.
102 Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2009) 40:95–104

Fig. 5 Estimated response sur-

face for the material removal
rate (MRR) according to change
of discharge current (IP) and
pulse on time (τP)

5.3 Results and analysis of electrode wear ratio (EWR) wear. The status of electrode wear affects the dimensional
accuracy of machined components. As can be clearly seen
In the same procedure as MRR, a quadratic model was in Fig. 7, the wear value tends to decrease with aluminum
proposed for EWR, where the results of response surface powder concentration down to a minimum value after
model evaluation were also tabulated in Table 4. As can be which it tends to increase.
seen in this table, the quadratic proposed model for EWR is Moreover, the value of EWR is shown to quickly increase
significant with a Prob >F less than 0.05, R2 and AP are with an increase of grain size. However, the increase is
0.9562 and 16.8322, respectively, and the lack of fit is not diminished after 2.25 μm and the value of EWR decreases
significant. Besides, the SAl, CAl, IP, τP, SAl
2
, CAl
2
, t 2P , SAl τP,
and IPτP can be regarded as significant terms because their
Prob>F values are less than 0.05. After the backward
elimination process, the final quadratic model of response
equation in terms of actual factors is presented as follows:

EWR ¼ 28:5196 þ 25:21279SAl  2:16825CAl þ 24:89658lP

þ0:105879τ P  7:17545SAl2
þ 0:067045CAl
2
 4:15545τ 2P
þ1:0925SAl τ P  0:02733 CAl τ P
ð10Þ
Figure 6 displays the normal probability plot of the
residuals for EWR. Notice that the residuals generally fall
on a straight line implying that the errors are normally
distributed. Furthermore, this supports adequacy of the least
squares fit.
Figure 7 shows the estimated response surface for the
EWR in relation to the processing parameters of grain size
(SAl) and concentration (CAl) of aluminum powder particle,
with the discharge current (IP) and pulse on time (τP)
maintained at middle levels. The electrode wear of the Fig. 6 Normal probability plot residuals for the material removal rate
EDM process includes corner wear, side wear, and end (MRR)
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2009) 40:95–104 103

Fig. 7 The estimated response

surface for the electrode wear
ratio (EWR) according to
change of grain size (SAl) and
concentration (CAl) of aluminum
powder particle

with a further increase in the grain size. Because the spark
gap is filled with large grains and a great amount of removed
debris could easily cause a short circuit, the efficiency of
electrical spark-erosion decreases. As mentioned above, the
dielectric fluid with conductive powder added could improve
the efficiency of discharging and display higher electrode
wear. In general, the workpiece machined with dielectric
fluid plus aluminum powder not only creates a large MRR,
but also presents a relatively large EWR.
Figure 8 shows the effects of discharge current (IP) and
pulse on time (τP) on the value of EWR under the grain size
of 2 μm and powder concentration of 15 g/l. The value of
EWR is shown to quickly increase with an increase of pulse
on time. In Fig. 8, it can also be seen that the value of EWR

Fig. 8 Estimated response sur-

face for the electrode wear ratio
(EWR) according to change of
discharge current (IP) and pulse
on time (τP)
104
increases with an increase of the discharge current. A large
released discharge energy and a better peak current density,
driven by discharge current and pulse on time, can exhibit
the large EWR.
6 Conclusions
In this article, quantitative analyses of machinability of
cobalt-bonded tungsten carbide within the process of
PMEDM were carried out. The quadratic models of MRR
and EWR have been evaluated to correlate the four
processing parameters: discharge current, pulse on time,
grain size, and concentration of aluminum powder particle.
The response surface methodology (RSM) has been used to
plan and analyze the experiments. The experimental plan
adopts the face-centered central composite design (CCD).
The machinability evaluation in the PMEDM process has
been analyzed according to the developed mathematical
model to yield the following conclusions:
1. Using dielectric fluid with conductive aluminum powder
can effectively disperse the discharging energy disper-
sion in order to improve the machining efficiency.
2. The MRR generally increases with an increase of
aluminum powder concentration. This trend is valid up
to a maximum value, after a certain limit, the increase of
aluminum powder concentration leads to the decrease of
MRR.
3. The EWR value tends to decrease with the aluminum
powder concentration down to a minimum value after
which it tends to increase.
4. Both MRR and EWR increase with an increase of the
grain size.
5. Both MRR and EWR apparently increase with the
increase of the discharge current and pulse on time.
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