Wear behavior of B4C reinforced Al 6063 matrix composite electrodes fabricated by stir casting method

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to predict the surface topological characteristics of Al–B4C composite electrodes and oil hardened, non-shrinking (OHNS) die steel in the electrical discharge machining (EDM) process. The surface characteristics of the composite electrodes were evaluated using a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and EDAX analysis. The surface roughness and hardness of the OHNS die steel were measured using a Stylus probe and Brinell hardness tester, respectively. The composite electrodes were prepared with Al 6063 and B4C materials. In the stir casting process, the two materials were mixed at the molten state at different compositions. The chemical composition of the composite electrodes were analyzed by SEM and EDAX testing. The surface roughness of the OHNS steel was measured using a Brinell hardness tester. Based on SEM and EDAX results, 92% Al 6063, 8% B4C produced the best surface roughness in OHNS die steel.