The Effect of Electrical Discharge Machining Total Heat Generated on White Layer Thickness (WLT) and Fatigue Life for Die Steel

Abstract

The present paper concerns with studying the high complexity nature of the EDM multiple discharge analysis transformed into a feasible solvable mathematical model for the die steel workpiece type AISI D2, the copper and graphite materials electrodes, and the kerosene dielectric by setting the Transient Thermal and the Multiphysics analyses domain loads models using the ANSYS 15.0 finite element analysis. Two load steps modeled the entering setting time analysis, six sub-periods setting time cycle, four heating, and two cooling periods, six transient temperature values, and four transient thermal convection models. The radius spark (discharge channel), the total number of discharges sparks, the total heat power generation, the absorbed heat flux fractions by the electrodes, the workpieces and kerosene fluid dielectric, the heat-affected zones (HAZ), the hard white recast layer thickness (WLT) and properties, the workpiece fatigue safety factor and life after EDM machining were determined and simulated. The thermal model errors compared with theoretical calculations and a modeled predicted equation were also deduced and verified. The experimental results evinced that the maximum total heat flux generated using the graphite material electrodes is (2.619E+009 W/m2) which is higher than when using copper material electrodes by (82.4%), while the minimum value of the white layer thickness (WLT) after EDM machining using graphite tool electrodes is (8.34 μm), which it gives an improvement comparing with using of copper tool electrodes by (40.0%). The macrographic and microstructure evaluation manifest that the discharge spark craters sizes when using graphite tool electrodes reached their sizes. The maximum fatigue stresses and fatigue safety factor when using copper tool electrodes are (240 MPa) and (0.89) which is higher by a value of (3.35%) and (3.45%) comparing with the using of graphite electrodes, respectively.