Surface characteristics of mild steel using EDM with Cu-MWCNT composite electrode

The surface properties of machine components are enhanced by surface modification. The workpiece surface can be modified using electro discharge machining (EDM) process. In this paper, mild steel work surface was modified by EDM operation using copper-multiwalled carbon nanotube (Cu-MWCNT) composite-coated 6061Al electrode. Five different electrodes (uncoated, Cu coated, Cu-MWCNT (0.5, 0.75, and 1 gL(-1)) composite-coated 6061Al electrode) were used for machining of mild steel work in order to compare the EDMed surface. The microstructure, elemental composition analysis, microhardness, and surface roughness of EDMed surface were investigated. The microstructural and elemental compositional analyses indicated that the MWCNTs were included into the mild steel workpiece during EDM operation. The microhardness (HV) of machined surface was enhanced by 163% compared to the base mild steel. The micro-crack formation on machined surface was significantly decreased by using Cu-MWCNT composite-coated 6061Al electrode.