ISSN 2320 6020

IJBSTR RESEARCH PAPER VOL 1 [ISSUE 8] AUGUST 2013

Parametric Optimization of Wire EDM by Using Fuzzy Logic

Rajneesh Kumar Singh1, D. K.Singh2 and Vivek Kumar3
ABSTRACT- The objective of present work is to stimulate the machining of material by WIRE electrical discharge machining
(WEDM) to give effect of input parameters like pulse on time (Ton), pulse off time (T off), tension(T) and flushing rate(FR) which
can bring about changes in the output parameter, i.e. cutting rate, material removal rate and surface roughness. Experimental data was
gathered from WEDM using Brass wire electrode and Die steel skd 61 as work-piece. The rules of membership function (MF) and the
degree of closeness to the optimum value of the Cutting rate, MMR and Ra are within the upper and lower range of the process
parameters. It was found that proposed fuzzy model is in close agreement with the experimental results. By Intelligent, model based
design and control of WEDM process parameters in this study will help to enable dramatically decreased product and process
development cycle times.
KEY WORDS: Wire Electrical discharge Machining (WEDM), Fuzzy Logic, Membership functions (MF).

1. INTRODUCTION
Additional the development of mechanical industry, the
demands for alloy materials having high hardness, toughness
and impact resistance are increasing. However, such materials
are difficult to be machined by traditional machining methods.
Hence, non-traditional machining methods including
electrochemical machining, ultrasonic machining, electrical
discharging machine (EDM) etc. are applied to machine such
difficult to machine materials. WEDM process with a thin
wire as an electrode transforms electrical energy to thermal
energy for cutting materials. With this process, alloy steel,
conductive ceramics and aerospace materials can be machined
irrespective to their hardness and toughness. Furthermore,
WEDM is capable of producing a fine, precise, corrosion and
wear resistant surface [1]. WEDM is considered as a unique
adoption of the conventional EDM process, which uses an
electrode to initialize the sparking process. However, WEDM
utilizes a continuously travelling wire electrode made of thin
copper, brass or tungsten of diameter 0.05-0.30 mm, which is
capable of achieving very small corner radii. The wire is kept
in tension using a mechanical tensioning device reducing the
tendency of producing inaccurate parts. During the WEDM
process, the material is eroded ahead of the wire and there is
no direct contact between the work piece and the wire,
eliminating the mechanical stresses during machining.
1

Author: Rajneesh Kumar Singh is currently pursuing

Master of Technology program in Computer Integrated
Manufacturing, MMM Engineering College, Gorakhpur,
UP,
India,
PH-9918985312.
E-mail: rajneesh.srmcem@gmail.com
2
Co-Author: D. K. Singh is currently Professor & Head in
Mechanical Department in MMM Engineering College,
Gorakhpur, UP, India. E-mail: _dhirenks@mail.com
3
Co-Auther: Vivek Kumar is currently pursuing Master Of
Technology
Program
In
Computer
Integrated
Manufacturing, MMM Engineering College, Gorakhpur,
UP, India.

Several researchers have attempted to improve the

performance characteristics namely the surface roughness,
cutting speed, dimensional accuracy and material removal rate
etc. Puri and Bhattacharyya [2] employed Taguchi
methodology involving alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) and used a datamining technique to study the effect of various input
parameters of WEDM process on the cutting speed and Ra.
They reformulated the WEDM domain as a classification
problem to identify the important decision parameters. In their
approach, however, the optimal process parameters for the
multiple responses need to be decided by the engineers based
on judgment. Kuriakose et. al. [3] carried out experiments
with titanium and material removal rate (MRR) in wire
electrical discharge machining (WEDM) operations. Based on
ANOVA method, the highly effective parameters on both the
Surface roughness and the MRR were found as open circuit
voltage and pulse duration, whereas wire speed and dielectric
flushing pressure were less effective factors. Optimization of
the machining process first requires a mathematical model to
be established to correlate the desired response and the process
control parameters. Thereafter an optimization technique is
applied to find optimal setting of the control parameters to
derive the desired responses. Mukherjee and Ray [4] presented
a generic framework for parameter Optimization in metal
cutting processes for selection of an appropriate approach.
Response Surface Methodology (RSM) is generally employed
to design experiments with a reduced number of experimental
runs to achieve optimum responses. Lalwani et. al. [5] applied
RSM to investigate the effect of cutting parameters on surface
roughness in finish hard turning of MDN250steel using coated
ceramic tool. Fuzzy logic had also been used by Rajyalakshmi
G. [6] for the optimization of WEDM and investigated it effect
on surface roughness. Fuzzy logic is one of the artificial
intelligence techniques having ability to tackle the complex
problem of complex relations among variables that cannot be
accomplished by traditional methods. Fuzzy logic is a form of
many- valued logic; it deals with reasoning that is fixed or

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appropriate rather than fixed and exact. In contrast with crisp
logic, where binary sets have two-valued logic; true or false,
fuzzy logic variables may have a truth value that ranges in
degree between 0 and 1. The Mamdani implication method is
employed for fuzzy inference reasoning in this paper.

SELECTION OF PROCESS PARAMETERS

2. PRINCIPLE WORKING OF WEDM

The WEDM machine tool comprises of a main worktable (XY) on which the work piece is clamped; an auxiliary table (UV) and wire drive mechanism. The main table moves along X
and Y-axis and it is driven by the D.C servo motors. The
travelling wire is continuously fed from wire feed spool and
collected on take up spool which moves though the work piece
and is supported under tension between a pair of wire guides
located at the opposite sides of the work piece. A series of
electrical pulses generated by the pulse generator unit is
applied between the work piece and the travelling wire
electrode, to cause the electro erosion of the work piece
material. While the machining operation is continuous, the
machining zone is continuously flushed with water passing
through the nozzle on both sides of work piece. Since water is
used as a dielectric medium, it is very important that water
does not ionize. Therefore, in order to prevent the ionization
of water, an ion exchange resin is used in the dielectric
distribution system to maintain the conductivity of water.

Fig 1. Schematic Diagram of the Basic Principle of WEDM

Process (International Journal of Scientific Engineering and
Technology Volume No.2, Issue No.6, pp : 600-606)
3. EXPERIMENAL SET UP.
Experiments have been performed on five axis CNC Wire cut
EDM (Fanuc robocut -1iE) at MSME Indo Danish Tool
Room, Jamshedpur, and Jharkhand. (India). The WEDM
machine tool has the following specifications:

PULSE ON TIME
The pulse on time is referred as Ton and it represents the
duration of time in micro seconds, s, for which the current is
flowing in each cycle.
PULSE OFF TIME
The pulse off time is referred as T off and it represents the
duration of time in micro seconds, s, between the two
simultaneous sparks.
WIRE TENSION
Wire tension determines how much the wire is to be stretched
between upper and lower wire guides.
FLUSHING PRESSURE
Flushing Pressure is for selection of flushing input pressure of
the dielectric. The flushing pressure range on this machine is
0-7.
WORK PIECE MATERIAL
The Skd 61 alloy steel plate of 100mm x 50mm x 7.5mm size
has been used as a work piece material for the present
experiments. Skd 61 is special hot-worked chromium toolsteel with good hardness and toughness properties. It is used
for extreme load conditions such as hot-work forging,
extrusion etc.

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for each input variable (pulse on time, pulse off time, tension,
and flushing rate) as shown in fig 3.

(a)

(b)

4. FUZZY LOGIC MODEL FOR WIRE-EDM

The modelling of wedm has been done using fuzzy interface
system (fis). In this study, three angular membership functions
are selected for fuzzy model
(c)

Fig.2: Fuzzy logic model

This step is to define linguistic value assigned to the variables
by fuzzy sub-sets and their associated membership functions
which may be zero or one called the grades of membership.
Zero membership value indicated that it is not a member of the
fuzzy-set & one represents a complete member. A
membership function can have any shape but preferably
should be symmetric which includes, trapezoidal, triangular
and bell shaped. Three membership functions were generated

(d)
Fig 3: Membership function for input parameters (a) T on,
(b) T off, (c) Tension and (d) Flushing rate
Membership functions for cutting rate, MMR and surface
roughness as output variables of the material is shown in fig .4

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(a)

Fig. 5 Formulation of Rules

The set of rules along with membership function is shown in
rule viewer of fuzzy model (Fig. 6). Fig. 6 reveals that after
the formulation of rules, the optimum value of cutting rate
material removal rate and surface roughness at any setting
between the low and high limits of the process parameter can
be predicted.

(b)

(c)
Fig. 4 Membership Functions for Output Parameters.(a)
cutting rate ,(b) MMR and (c) surface roughness

Fig. 6 Rule Viewer of Fuzzy Model

For obtaining optimized solution, the rules at the base have

been defined correctly and these rules were written based upon
the experimental results. While preparing the rules, fuzzy
method was used. Some selected rules are reported in Fig. 5,
using MATLAB 7.9.0 environment using Mamdani-type of
fuzzy inference system in fuzzy logic toolbox.

Fig. 6 clearly shows that at pulse on time 13 s and pulse off

time 68 s, tension 1728and flushing 12 predicts optimum
value of Cutting rate as 1.69 mm/min, MRR as 12.2 mm3/min.
Similarly, for different sets of data points in the identified
universe of discourse of undertaken parameters various other
values of MRR in electrical discharge machining process can
be predicted from the fuzzy model.

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to be 12.69 %for cutting rate, for MMR it is 16.36%and for

surface roughness is17.87%. Thus the system gave an overall
75% accuracy from fuzzy model. Hence can be act as an
alternative to conventional modelling method.
CONCLUSION
The operation of fuzzy logic to evaluate the response of the
output parameter i.e. Cutting Rate, MRR and Surface
Roughness has been emphasized in this paper. After
comparison between the experimental values and the values
generated by fuzzy operation were found to be interrelated
with accuracy of 75%.
During the research the fuzzy logic system was found to be
more simple to evaluate and responsive than experimental
models.
Present study favors that the fuzzy logic technique can be
introduced as a practicable technique to carry out analysis
without conducting actual experiments.
REFERENCES
1.

2.
Fig. 7 Control surfaces of Fuzzy model
Control surface as shown in fig .7 give the interdependency of
input and output parameters guided by the various rules in the
given universe of discourse for the same.

3.

4.
5. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Table 4 gives the comparison of the predicted responses
using
5.

6.

fuzzy model and conducted experimental data. There seems to

be a good agreement between fuzzy model and experimental
values in all cases. In the present study the random 5 data
points were taken and the closest value that of various
responses predicted from fuzzy experimental model was found

Gokler, M. I., Ozanozgu A. M. (2000),

Experimental investigation of effects of cutting
parameters on surface roughness in the WEDM
process, International Journal of Machine Tools &
Manufacture, 40, 18311848.
Puri, A. B. and Bhattacharyya B. (2003), Modeling
and analysis of the wire-tool vibration in wire-cut
EDM, Journal of Materials Processing Technology,
141, 295301.
Kuriakose. S., Shunmugam, M. S. (2004),
Characteristics of wire-electro discharge machined
Ti6Al4V surface, Materials Letters, 58, 2231 2237.
Mukherjee, I and Ray, P.K, A review of
optimization techniques in metal cutting processes,
Computers& Industrial Engineering, Vol. 50, 2006,
pp. 15-34.
D.I. Lalwani, N.K. Mehta, P.K. Jain, Experimental
investigations of cutting parameters influence on
cutting forces and surface roughness in finish hard
turning of MDN250 steel, Journal of materials
processing technology, vol.206, 2008, pp.167179.
Rajyalakshmi.
G,
Venkatan
Ramaiah
P.,
Optimization of Process Parameters of Wire
Electrical Discharge Machining Using Fuzzy logic
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(ISSN: 2277-1581) Volume No.2, Issue No.6, pp :
600-606

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