Whenever sparking takes place between two electrical contacts a small

amount of material is removed from each of the contacts. This fact was
realized and the attempts were made to harness and control the spark energy
to employ it for useful purpose, for machining of metals.
A relaxation circuit (known as RC circuit) was proposed in which electrodes
(tool and workpiece) are immersed in the dielectric like kerosene, and are
connected to the capacitor.

A schematic diagram of electric discharge machining using relaxation circuit.

(i) Voltage vs. time relationship,

(ii) Current vs. time relationship in
EDM using relaxation circuit

Principle of EDM process

Advantages
Any electrically conductive material is machined irrespective
of mech. Properties
No physical contact between the tool and workpiece
Elimination of post-operations (grinding, lapping, etc.)
No heating in the bulk of the material
Complicated contours can be produced to a high degree of
accuracy and surface finish
The surface produced by EDM consists of a multitude of small
craters. This may help in oil retention and better lubrication
Applications of EDM
It plays a major role in the machining of dies, tools, etc., made
of tungsten carbides, refractory metals and hard steels.
Alloys used in the aeronautics industries, hastalloy, nimonic,
etc., could also be machined conveniently.
Intricate shapes in the mold cavity.

 The dielectric serves some important functions, viz, cools down the tool and
workpiece, cleans (or flushes away) the IEG, and localizes the spark energy into a
small cross-sectional area. Energy content in each spark and frequency of sparking
are governed by the conditions in the IEG.
EDM is a thermoelectric process
Duration of each spark is very short. The entire cycle time is usually few microseconds.
The spark energy is capable of partly melting and partly vaporizing material from
localized area on both the electrodes, i.e. workpiece and tool.

The material is removed in the form of craters which spread over the entire surface
of the workpiece.

 Particles eroded from the electrodes are known as debris. it is the mixture of irregular
shaped particles (resulting from re-solidification from the molten state) as well as
hollow spherical particles (resulting from the vapour condensation)
A very small gap (even lesser than hundredth of a millimetre) between the two electrodes is to be maintained to have the spark to occur. For this purpose, a tool driven by
the servo system is continuously moved towards the workpiece.
During EDM, pulsed DC of 80-100 V at approximately 5 kHz is passed through the
electrodes. It results in the intense electrical field at the location where surface
irregularity provides the narrowest gap.
The ionization soon becomes so intense that a very narrow channel of continuous
conductivity is established.

Thus, it ends up in a momentary current impulse resulting in a discharge which may

be an arc or a spark.

 Due to evaporation of dielectric the pressure in the plasma channel rises to a very
high value (say, 200 atm.) and it prevents the evaporation of superheated metal. As
soon as the off-time of a pulse starts, the pressure drops instantaneously allowing the
superheated metal to evaporate.
Movement of the tool towards the workpiece is controlled by a servomechanism.
Rough machining at high MRR with poor surface finish, and finish machining at low
MRR with high surface finish.

Characteristics RC pulse generator

Low material removal rate (MRR) because of long idle time (or charging time) and very
short spark time.
Improved surface finish, achieved during finish machining, is associated with further
reduction in MRR.
High tool wear rate (TWR).
The peak current attained in RC circuit is very high. This high value of peak current results
in a very high temperature which is not required and it may also result in thermal
damage to both the workpiece and the tool.
Controlled pulse generator overcomes these problems. such generators can give low
peak current, short idle time, and desired length of pulse, enabling to select either rough
machining conditions (high energy and low frequency of sparking), or finish machining
conditions (low energy and high frequency).

Peak current attained and its rapid decline on

spark initiation in RC circuit.

Normal and reverse polarity in EDM.

Typical voltage and current

characteristic for a controlled
pulse generator.

Waveform of EDM process

An illustration of on-time, off time, pulse time and duty cycle.

Distribution of spark energy evolved during EDM

EDM MACHINE

Schematic diagram of EDM system.

EDM m/t has four major components

power supply, dielectric system,
tool (electrode) and workpiece, and servo system

Dielectric System
Consists of dielectric fluid, reservoir, filters, pump, and delivery devices.
A good dielectric fluid should have:
High dielectric strength (i.e. remain electrically non-conductive until the required
breakdown voltage between the electrodes is attained),
Take minimum possible time to breakdown (i.e. ignition delay time) once the
breakdown voltage is reached,
Deionize the gap immediately after the spark has occurred,
Serve as an effective cooling medium,
Have high degree of fluidity.
Commonly used dielectric:
transformer oil, paraffin oil, kerosene, lubricating oils, deionized water.
Deionized water
Advantage: Gives high MRR, more effective cooling medium
Disadvantage: High TWR, cause corrosion.
To overcome this problem inhibitors are used. Electrical conductivity is increased to an
unacceptable level.
Used in wire-EDM and drilling small diameter holes.
Filtration of dielectric fluid before re-circulation to maintain fixed dielectric strength.

Various methods for dielectric flushing: (a) suction through electrode, (b) suction
through workpiece, (c) pressure through electrode, (d) pressure through workpiece,
(e) jet flushing, (f) periodic cycle of electrode [HMT, Bangalore, Catalogue].

 Ineffective flush ends up with stagnation of dielectric and build-up of machining

residues which apart from low MRR and poor surface finish also lead to short circuits
and arcs.
Presence of such debris in the IEG, results in bridging the IEG, yields more number of
arcs. Arcs damage both tool and work-piece. Can be eliminated by proper filtration of
the dielectric as well as appropriate flushing of the IEG.
Increase in the pollution of dielectric results in decrease in the breakdown intensity of
the field. IEG at the entrance of the clean fluid is much narrower than at the exit of
the flow. Affects the reproduction accuracy of the process.
Adequate flushing in case of blind cavities is difficult. Flushing through a hole in the
tool is most effective but it gives rise to protruding bump (or spike). A rotating tool
with an eccentric hole (off-centred holes) for dielectric supply can be used.
Jet flushing is less effective hence it should be used only when none of the other
methods can be used due to tool or workpiece configuration.
In case of inflammable dielectric fluids, the workpiece should always be immersed in
the dielectric fluid to minimize any chance of accidental fire.

Electrodes
The tool electrode in EDM process is the means of providing electrical energy to the
work-material.
Machining accuracy depends on the form stability of the tool under the severe
electrical and flushing stress conditions.
WEAR RESISTANCE : The ability of an electrode to produce and maintain detail is directly
related to its resistance to wear and machinability. Minimizing corner wear requires
choosing an electrode material that combines high strength and with a high melting
point.
Desirable properties:
Easily machinable, low wear rate, good conductor of electricity and heat, cheap,
readily available.
Electrode material
Graphite (easily machinable, low wear rate, and high conductivity)
Copper, brass (highly stable and relatively low wear rate)
Copper tungsten (low wear rate, expensive, and cannot be easily shaped)
Cast aluminium, copper boron, and silver tungsten
Copper and graphite are more commonly used because easy machinability.
Graphite electrode with finer grains results in lower TWR (Tool Wear Rate), better
surface finish, and higher MRR. Brittleness is an undesirable characteristic because of
which it is prone to breakage.

Electrode shape degeneration

Due to unequal degeneration of the geometrical form of the tool
Deterioration in electrode shape cant be compensated by overfeeding the roughing
electrode
Needs Higher finishing allowance (volume)
Tool wear quantified by 'wear ratio' (ratio of the volume of tool material removed to the
workpiece material worn out during the same period). Electrode wear is more at the
corners/edges than the rest of the tool. Wear ratio may vary in the range of 0.05:1 to
100:1.
Trepanning operation: A through hole may be produced rather than drilling. Very fast
compared to drilling. Only a small thickness of material around periphery of the cavity is
removed by machining in place of removing the material equal to the volume of through
hole during EDD.

Tool Wear in EDM Process

End wear:
(Starting length Final length)

End wear ratio:

(Depth of Cut) / (End Wear)

Corner wear:
(Apparent Corner wear + End wear)

Corner wear ratio:

(Depth of cut) / (Corner wear)

Volumetric wear:
(Volume of work metal removed / Volume
of Electrode lost)

Side wear:
This wear takes place at the sidewalls of
the electrodes

Taper in EDM
Tapering effect is observed due to side sparks.
Sometimes it is more pronounced as compared to frontal sparks under high
dielectric pollution.
The taper is observed for a bare tool for straight hole drilling.
The tool gets tapered and its corners rounded off due to shape degeneration
Overcut should be taken care of at the stage of tool design.

(a) Schematic diagram for overcut obtained

during EDD (b) trepanning operation

Servo system
Used to maintain a predetermined gap between tool and workpiece.
There is a gap voltage sensor in power supply, which sends signals to the servo system.
As soon as it senses that the gap between the electrodes has been bridged by some
electrically conductive material, a signal will be sent to the servo system to reverse its
direction.
The servo system will keep the tool reciprocating towards the workpiece until the
dielectric fluid flushes the gap, and clears it off the electrically conductive material.
Requirements of the servo system
Sensitivity for small movements
Enough power to overcome weight of ram, electrode, and flushing forces.
Electrode Refeeding
For accurate machining, the reduced length must be compensated; otherwise the length
of each successive hole to be drilled will be shorter than the desired one.

In electrode refeeding the tool, after drilling a hole, is brought back every time to the
reference point wherefrom the depth of drilling is measured.
CNC-EDM

Analysis of R - C circuit
CHARGING VOLTAGE & CHARGING CURRENT
RELAXATION CURRENT

CHARGING CURRENT

Charging

Discharging

V Vct
ict 0
Rc

(1)

V0
Vct
Rc
C

=
=
=
=

Supply voltage
Charged voltage of the condenser at time t
Charging resistance
Capacitance of the condenser

dVct
Also, ict C
dt

dVct
1

dt
Vo Vct
Rc C

Integrating on both side gives

t
K1
Rc C

ln(Vo Vct )

K1 = Constant of integration

To evaluate K1 , using condition that Vct = 0 at t = 0

K1 ln Vo

Vct Vo [1 e

t
Rc C

(2)

From eqns. (1) & (2)

ict

Vo

Rc

t
RC
e c

(3)

= Rc C , The time required by the condenser to attain 0.638 times of its charging voltage
(=0.638 V0) is called Time Constant.

POWER DELIVERED TO DISCHARGING CIRCUIT

Energy delivered to the discharging circuit at any time t

dEn ict .Vct .dt

Vo RCt

.e c
Rc

Rc C
Vo (1 e ) dt

After integration

Vo 2 t / 2t /
En
e e K 2

Rc
2

Where, = Rc C and K2 is a constant & evaluated using

condition that En = 0 at t = 0 (K2 = VO2 / 2Rc)

from (2) & (3)

Substituting value of K2 to get

Vo 2
En
Rc

1 1 2t /
t /

e
2 2

Let En delivered to discharging circuit for time c (= t) then average power delivered.

Pavg
Where,

Vo2 1 1 2 x x

e e

c Rc x 2 2

En

(4)

x c

The condition for maximum power delivered

to the discharging circuit

d Pavg dx 0

(5)

X = 1.26 substituting in Eqn. (2) gives

Vct Vo (1 e 1.26 ) 0.72Vo

DISCHARGING VOLTAGE

(6)

SUPPLY VOLTAGE

Schematic diagram showing the condition

for maximum power delivery for the RC
circuit

The discharging voltage for the max. power delivery is about 72% of the supply voltage.

Vb 0.72V0
1
Energy dissipated across the IEG is given by Wd CVb2
2
Where, Vb is break down voltage

MATERIAL REMOVAL RATE IN R C CIRCUIT

1
t Rc C ln

1 Vct Vo

Vct Vo [1 e

Frequency of charging (fc) is given by f c 1

t

t
Rc C

(From Eqn. (2))

1

1
Rc Cln

1 Vct Vo

Material removal rate is proportional to the total energy delivered in the sparking per second
MRR

MRR K 4CVb2

Rmin

1
CVb2 f c
2

1
1

Rc C

1
ln

1 Vb / V

L
C

(7)

This Eqn. not obeyed during experiments

Based on experimental results

Rmin 30

L
C

EDM process parameters

Effect of current and spark frequency

An increase in current results in increased MRR as well as increased value of surface
roughness.
Similar effect is also observed when spark voltage (or breakdown voltage) is increased.
An increase in spark frequency results in an improved surface finish. Since the energy
available for material removal during a given period of time is shared by a larger
number of sparks, the size of the crater is reduced.
The inter-electrode gap (12-50 m) is determined by
the gap current and gap voltage. A decrease in the gap
results in lower MRR, better surface finish, and higher
accuracy.
Fig. (a) Effect of mean current on
MRR; dielectric =Kerosene, tool =
brass, work = low carbon steel, F
=tool electrode area [ Pandey and
Shan, 1980], (b) Effect of current
during sparking on surface finish
(or crater size), (c) Effect of
frequency of sparking on surface
finish.

FIG: EFFECT OF PULSE DURATION ON (a) MATERIAL REMOVAL (mg/min), (b) SURFACE FINISH, (c) RELATIVE ELECTRODE WEAR

An increase in pulse duration (few s

to several ms)
Decreases MRR (Fig. a) unsteady machining conditions for pulses > 20 s.
o For copper MRR with reverse polarity > MRR with normal polarity.
o MRR (brass) > MRR (copper).
Deteriorates surface finish (Fig. b)
o Copper tool yield better surface finish than brass
Decreases relative electrode wear (REW) (Fig. c)
o For Cu electrode (-Ve polarity) there seems to be a pulse duration for which
REW is negative due to metal deposition.
o REW (Brass) > REW (Cu).
vol. of tool eroded over the test duration
REW

vol. of work eroded over the test duration

100

Three kinds of layers: recast layer, heat affected

zone (HAZ), converted layer
re-cast layer (2.5 to 50 m):
If molten material from the w/p not flushed out
quickly, will resolidify and harden (as a
martensite) due to cooling effect of the dielectric,
and gets adhered to the machined surface.
Extremely hard (65 HRC) and brittle. The surface
is porous and may contain microcracks. Such
surfaces should be removed before using these
Fig. Schematic diagram of three kind
products.
of layers on EDMd component.
Heat affected zone (HAZ, 25 m): Heating, cooling and diffused material are responsible
for the presence of this zone. Thermal residual stresses, grain boundary weaknesses, and
grain boundary cracks are some of the characteristics of this zone.
Conversion zone (or converted layer): Below the HAZ, characterized by a change in grain
structure from its original structure.

APPLICATIONS
EDM can be employed to machine any material (hard, tough, brittle, exotic, etc.)
provided it has some minimum electrical conductivity.
It is used for making through cavities and miniature holes and orifices (say, 50 m),
components for plastic injection moulding m/c.
EDM can be used for making dies for moulding, casting, forging, stamping, coining,
forming, also to make dies for extruding, wire drawing, etc. which require through
holes.
In case of making of intricate shaped dies, the machining time has come down to 50%
or even less.
EDM'd dies are free of burrs and have higher life as compared to the dies made by
using conventional methods. Matte finish obtained during EDM minimizes polishing
time required.
Used for removal of broken taps, drills, studs, reamers, pins, etc.
It can be used to produce complicated shapes
In EDM, no mechanical forces act as in conventional machining; hence the process can
be employed to machine thin and fragile components and fragile features (micro sized
slots) without damage.