WED machinability of a 25% silicon carbide particle reinforced 6061/Al alloy composite

Wire Electro Discharge Machining is used for the processing of heat treated high quality alloys or for the machining of complex shapes of advanced materials. Results on the machinability performances of a 25% SiC particle reinforced Al 6061 T6 composite and of the Al 6061 alloy by both roughing and finishing methods are given. Machining tests were performed with the following parameters: 1) peak current 16, 32, 64 A; 2) pulse duration 1.6, 6.4 ms; 3) voltage 120 V; 4) wire SW25X, 0.25 mm diameter, Charmilles Technology. The machined surfaces were observed at the SEM using both secondary electrons (SE) and back-scattered electrons (BSE). EDAX semi-quantitative analyses were also carried out. The surface features, roughness, hardness and contamination for the process parameters used are pointed out. Results are compared with the ones obtained machining the base Al 6061 T6 Alloy.