Evaluation of Recast Layer Thickness of Electrical Discharge Machined AISI 202 Stainless Steel with Various Pulse Generators

Abstract

Many of the recent developments in the fields such as aerospace, automobile and nuclear engineering industries are partly due to the increasing usage of difficult-to-machining materials. The machining of these materials is very tedious and time consuming process. Electrical discharge machining process has been developed to overcome these difficulties. It is very important to reduce the recast layer thickness of the machined workpiece using EDM process for improving the surface integrity. In the present study, an attempt has been made to study the effect of conventional transistor pulse generator and modified iso current pulse generator on recast layer thickness. In this study, machining experiments have been conducted on AISI 202 stainless steel with transistor pulse generator and iso energy pulse generator in electrical erosion process. The effects of these pulse generators on recast layer have been evaluated and analyzed. From the experimental results, it has been detected that the iso energy pulse generator has produced lower thickness of recast layer than conventional transistor pulse generator.