Influence of Different Dielectrics and Machining Parameters for Electrical Discharge-Assisted Milling of Titanium Alloy

The machinability of the hybrid machining method for electrical discharge assisted milling (EDAM) has been validated in previous research. The influence of three different dielectrics (kerosene, EDM oil, and deionized water) on the performance of the EDAM was investigated in this study. An analysis of the discharged signal, surface morphology, and elemental composition of the electrode under different machining parameters reveals the influence of different dielectrics. The results show that compared with deionized water, kerosene and EDM oil have a higher discharge frequency. After long-term discharge, debris and carbides will be generated during processing, which will affect the microhardness and discharge stability of the processed material. Among the result of EDAM, EDM oil produced the best surface integrity, with surface roughness values 34.93%, 87.92%, and 121.68% lower than those of kerosene, deionized water, and conventional milling (CM), respectively. The results show that EDAM reduces the microhardness after machining by reducing the plastic deformation of the surface.