Influence of the type and grain size of the electro-conductive phase on the Wire-EDM performance of ZrO2 ceramic composites

This paper investigates the Wire-EDM behaviour of various newly developed electro-conductive ZrO2 ceramic matrix composites. The influence of the type and grain size of the second phase (WC, TiC and TiCN, from micro sized to nano sized grains) on the EDM material removal rate and obtained surface roughness is experimentally studied. This investigation is based on a design of experiments supported by a fundamental study of the material removal mechanisms. It is shown that a variation in grain size of the second phase material significantly influences the EDM performance, which can be largely related to the microstructure and the properties of the developed material.