Research on material removal rate of SiC/Al particulate metal matrix composite by micro-wire electrical discharge machining

The material removal of SiC/Al particulate (SiCp/Al) metal matrix composite by micro-wire electrical discharge machining (micro-WEDM) is influenced by many factors, which makes it difficult to obtain the mathematical model of material removal rate (MRR) effectively. To solve this problem, an experimental study method is conducted under the constraint conditions. A central composite design (CCD) testing with 3-factor and 5-level is carried out, SiCp/Al metal matrix composite machining test scheme is designed, and then a second-order relational model is established between MRR and main power parameters (open-circuit voltage, discharge capacitance, and pulse duration) by using response surface methodology. Through multiple quadratic fitting, a quadratic regression mathematical model of MRR is obtained. Constrains of actual machining condition upon the parameters are analyzed further. With the goal of improving MRR of SiCp/Al metal matrix composite by micro-WEDM, a parameters optimization model is established. Particle swarm optimization algorithm and its procedure are designed to solve the model. The result shows that the algorithm could be used to achieve optimized process parameters which satisfy multiple constraints rapidly and effectively.