Influence of workpiece hardness on EDM performance

The aim of this research is to show the influence of the hardness of the alloy steel on the material removal rate and on the workpiece surface roughness.The Taguchi methodology was used to study that influence. The result of the verification test for workpiece surface roughness was a strong confirmation. This type of outcome allows the use of the additive model to predict the workpiece surface roughness with an average error of 0.4%.The result of the verification test for material removal rate was a poor confirmation due to an interaction of parameters. This type of outcome does not allow the additive model to predict the material removal rate with accuracy. Therefore, a linear regression model was developed for material removal rate using workpiece hardness and its interactions, among other variables. This model predicts the material removal rate with an average error of 1.06%.These results show that workpiece hardness and its interactions have influence on the material removal rate and on the workpiece surface roughness.