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Procedia CIRP 68 (2018) 64 – 69

19th CIRP Conference on Electro Physical and Chemical Machining, 23-27 April 2018, Bilbao, Spain

Effects of Different Electrode Materials on High-speed Electrical Discharge

Machining of W9Mo3Cr4V
Guang Zhu a, Qinhe Zhanga*ˈKan Wanga, Yuhua Huanga, Jianhua Zhanga
a
Key Laboratory of High Efficiency and Clean Mechanical Manufacture (Ministry of Education), School of Mechanical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan
250061, China

* Corresponding author. Tel.: + (86)531-88392850; fax: + (86)531-88392850. E-mail address: zhangqh@sdu.edu.cn

Abstract

In order to break through the limit in material removal rate (MRR) of electrical discharge machining (EDM), electric arc machining (EAM), as
a new and high-speed processing method, is used to machine difficult-to-machine materials. This method has an exciting high MRR with tens
times increase in EDM and a low relative electrode wear ratio (REWR) when machining W9Mo3Cr4V. The electrode material is an important
factor that affects the processing cost and quality of EAM. In this paper, traditionally conductive metal materials were used as electrode
materials to process W9Mo3Cr4V in EAM, including brass (H62), copper (T2), stainless steel 304, aluminum alloy 6061 and graphite (C).
Experimental results show that tubular graphite (C) is the best electrode material for EAM. Additionally, when tubular graphite with 16mm
external diameter and 12mm internal diameter is used as tool electrode, the effects of processing parameters (peak current, electrode polarity,
electrode speed and flushing pressure) are also investigated in present study. MRR, REWR, white layer thickness (WLT) and surface roughness
(Rz) are selected as output responses.
© 2018The
© 2018 The Authors.
Authors. Published
Published by Elsevier
by Elsevier B.V.
B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 19th CIRP Conference on Electro Physical and Chemical Machining.
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 19th CIRP Conference on Electro Physical and Chemical Machining
Keywords: electrical discharge machining, high-speed processing, electrical arc machining, electrode materials, processing parameters

1. Introduction
W9Mo3Cr4V is a kind of universal tungsten-molybdenum
high speed steel (HSS), and it is widely used in the industry as
one of important tool materials. It has great machinability, hot
and cold plasticity properties, which improve its applications
in turn, drills, milling cutters, hobs, broaches and slotting tools
[1]. This material is difficult to machine using conventional
mechanical processes because of its high hardness and
strength. Electrical discharge machining (EDM) is a
noncontact special method which can machine arbitrary
conductive materials regardless of its hardness and strength.
Hence, EDM is right for processing W9Mo3Cr4V HSS.
However, the application of EDM is restricted by its
comparatively low material removal rate (MRR). In order to
improve the processing efficiency, investigators have
conducted abundant studies. Yu Z et al. [2] compared
machining characteristics between dry EDM milling, oil EDM
milling and oil die sinking EDM. They found that dry EDM
milling was most appropriate for three-dimensional milling of
cemented carbide and had a higher MRR. Yilmaz O et al. [3]
investigated the effect of electrode type in EDM. By using
single and multi-channel tubular electrodes to drill Inconel
718 and Ti–6Al–4V, they demonstrated that single-channel
electrode type could get higher MRR than multi-channel
electrode type. Gu L et al. [4] compared the MRR of Ti6Al4V
in EDM with a bundled die-sinking electrode and a solid die-
sinking electrode, they demonstrated that the MRR with the
bundled electrode could reach 150 mm3/min, about 5 times
that of solid electrode. Zhao W et al. [5] proposed the blasting
erosion arc machining (BEAM), they introduced electro-arc
into EDM and obtained a high MRR. Simultaneously, in a
similar theory, Wang F et al. [6] developed a new compound
machining process employing super high speed EDM milling
and arc machining to mill Ti6Al4V and significant
improvement has been achieved.

2212-8271 © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 19th CIRP Conference on Electro Physical and Chemical Machining
doi:10.1016/j.procir.2017.12.023
 Guang Zhu et al. / Procedia CIRP 68 (2018) 64 – 69
According to the above researches, the introduction of
electro-arc, named a novel EDM [5, 6], was found to be
contributed to a higher MRR. Therefore, the novel EDM,
electrical arc machining (EAM), was adopted to process
W9Mo3Cr4V HSS in this paper. The novel EDM is a process
which has a gap filled by work medium with a certain pressure
between the electrode and workpiece connected to a DC
power supply. When workpiece is approached by electrode to
a certain distance, the plasma channel is formed. The ultrahigh
current offered by the DC power supply can join the gap and
produce a high temperature plasma. The wrokpiece and
electrode material are melted by the high temperature and
simultaneously the debris is removed by the work medium.
The flushing with a certain pressure and the rotating electrode
are used to break the arc and deionize the channel.
In this process, the electrode material plays a dominant role.
In traditional EDM, the investigations about the choice of
electrode material have been conducted. Lee S et al. [7]
conducted an experiment investigating the influence of
different electrode materials on the machining characteristics
when shaping tungsten carbide in EDM. They found that
copper tungsten gave a great MRR and a low electrode wear
rate (EWR). Singh S et al. [8] investigated the output
parameters in electrical discharge machining of En-31 tool
steel by various materials tool electrodes. They indicated in
contrast to copper tungsten and brass, the copper and
aluminum electrodes have a better MRR. While copper and
copper–tungsten electrodes achieve a lower EWR. Jahan M et
al. [9] conducted the experiment using tungsten (W), copper
tungsten (CuW) and silver tungsten (AgW) electrodes in the
micro-EDM. They demonstrated that AgW electrode produces
smoother surface while CuW electrode get the best MRR.
Muthuramalingam T et al. [10] explored the effects of tool
electrode on machinability of AISI 202 stainless steel using
copper, brass, and tungsten carbide electrodes. The results
demonstrated that tungsten carbide produced better surface
finish, whereas copper tool offered higher material removal
rate after machining process. Dewangan S et al. [11] focused
on investigating the influence of copper, brass, and graphite
electrode on EDMed surface integrity and found that brass
electrode is the most suitable option followed by copper tool
when considering the surface integrity. Conversely, graphite
electrode provided the maximum white layer and surface
Table1. The chemical component of W9Mo3Cr4V HSS
Chemical component /%
C Si Mn W Mo
0.77~ 0.85 0.20~ 0.40 0.20~ 0.40 8.50~ 9.50 2.70~ 3.30
Table 2. The processing parameters of experiment
Parameter (units) Value
Electrode materials Aluminum, Stainless steel, Brass, Copper, Graphite
Current(A) 500
Spindle speed(r/min) 1000
Workpiece Polarity Positive
Flushing pressure(MPa) 0.6
Dielectric Tap water
65
crack density. Shen Y et al. [12] used pure tungsten (W),
cerium tungsten (WCe20), copper (Cu), tungsten copper alloy
(W80), and graphite (C) as the electrode materials when
machining Inconel718 by a novel compound machining. The
results indicated that graphite is the best electrode material for
compound machining. However, the study of different
electrode materials in EAM is not enough, the machining
performances of different electrode materials in EAM has not
been fully studied.
In the present research, an attempt has been made to study
the influences of different electrode materials on machining
behaviors in EAM. Brass (H62), copper (T2), stainless steel
304, aluminum alloy 6061 and graphite (C) were used as the
electrode materials to machine W9Mo3Cr4V HSS. Each
experiment was repeated for three times to ensure the
accuracy of the investigations. The evolutions of EAM
properties such as MRR, relative electrode wear ratio (REWR),
white layer thickness (WLT) and surface roughness (Rz) are
illustrated.
2. Materials and Methods
A low voltage and large current direct-current power
supply was used in the experiment. Its output voltage is 70 V
and the maximum output current is 500 A. The anode and
cathode of the power supply were connected with electrode
and workpiece. The dielectric liquid was provided by a high
pressure flushing pump reached the surface of workpiece via
the electrode and removed the erosive debris. The flushing
pressure was controlled by an unloading valve.
The workpieces used in experiment were W9Mo3Cr4V
HSS with a dimension of 70 mm×25 mm×5 mm. The
chemical component of W9Mo3Cr4V HSS is listed in Table 1.
The electrodes used were aluminum, stainless steel, brass,
copper and graphite materials with 16 mm external diameter
and 12 mm internal diameter. The tap water was used as
dielectric to flush the machine gap through the inner
electrodes with a pressure of 0.6 MPa. The processing
parameters are listed in Table 2. The method of hierarchical
milling was adopted. The milling depth is 3 mm and the
single layer of milling depth is 0.5 mm.
Cr V S P
3.60~ 4.20 1.30~ 1.60 ≤0.03 ≤0.03
66 Guang Zhu et al. / Procedia CIRP 68 (2018) 64 – 69

The masses before and after experiment of electrodes and

workpieces are measured by an electronic scales (AUW120D). 3. Results and Discussions
According to the masses, based on the processing time
recorded, the MRR and TWR can be obtained: 3.1. Experiments on Electrode Materials

1000(mwb -mwa ) In this part, five kinds of tubular electrodes with 16 mm

(mm3 /min)
MRR
Uwt (1)
external diameter and 12 mm internal diameter were used to
conduct comparative experiments with the peak current of
500 A. The tubular electrodes can provide a better flushing
1000(mEb -mEa )
TWR
UEt  mm3 / min  (2)
TWR
RTWR u100% (3)
MRR
There, mwb is the mass of workpiece before machining
and mwa is the after; mEb is the mass of electrode before
machining and mEa is the after; U w is the density of
workpiece and is the density of electrode.
To obtain the WLT and Rz, the workpieces were cut along
the X axis as shown in Fig. 1(A). The obtained sections were
ground, polished and corroded by Marble reagent (CuSO 4:
HCL: H2O=1 g: 10 ml: 10 ml) for 5 ~ 10 s. A metallographic
microscope was used to observe the surface and capture
Fig.1 Contour lines of workpiece in EAM
images, as shown in Fig. 1(B). Finally, the obtained
metallographic images were introduced into the microanalysis
software Image Pro-Plus 6.0 to obtain the upper and lower
contour lines of the white layer, as shown in Fig. 1(C). The
average distance of the two curves was the WLT. The
distance between the peak and trough of contour lines was Rz.
Table 4 Processing parameters of single factor experiment and comparative experiment
Number Peak current Ip/A Flushing pressure P/Mpa
1 100ˈ200ˈ300ˈ400ˈ500 0.6
2 400 0.2ˈ0.4ˈ0.6ˈ0.8ˈ1
3 400 0.6
4 400 0.6
condition [12]. The machining behaviors of W9Mo3Cr4V
HSS for EAM were shown in Fig.2.
Fig.2 MRR and REWR of EAM with different electrode materials
Graphite used as electrode material has significant
advantages in MRR and REWR compared with the other
electrode materials. In particular, the MRR using graphite
electrode is several times higher than that of copper and brass,
tens times higher than that of stainless steel and aluminum
alloy. The REWR of graphite is several hundred times lower
than copper, stainless steel and aluminum alloy, tens times
lower than brass. This significant difference can be attributed
to the large difference between the melting points of graphite
and other materials. Melting in high temperature is the main
way to remove materials in arc machining and the low
melting point of electrode material would result in a high
EWR [6][13]. Therefore, graphite is the best choice for the
electrode material as it produces higher MRR and lower
REWR because of its high melting point.`
3.2. Machining performances of graphite electrode
To examine the best machining performances of
W9Mo3Cr4V HSS for EAM using graphite electrode, single
factor experiment and comparative experiment were
conducted in this paper. The parameters of peak current,
flushing pressure, electrode speed and workpiece polarity
were considered. The processing parameters of experiment
were listed in Table 4.
Electrode speed R/(r/min) Workpiece polarity
2000 +
2000 +
100ˈ500ˈ1250ˈ2000ˈ2750 +
2000 +ˈ-
 Guang Zhu et al. / Procedia CIRP 68 (2018) 64 – 69
3.2.1 Effect of peak current
The effects of peak current on MRR and REWR were
shown in Fig.3. The MRR increases with the increase of peak
current, whereas the effect of the peak current on REWR is
opponent. This result may be explained by the increase of the
peak current causes the increase of the discharge energy.
Therefore, the MRR increases. Equation 3 shows that REWR
is the ratio of EWR to MRR, as the current increases, the
increase of MRR is higher than EWR, which results in that
the REWR decreases.
Fig.3 Effects of peak current on MRR and REWR
Fig.4 Effects of peak current on WLT and Rz
The effects of peak current on WLT and Rz were shown in
Fig.4. It can be seen that the influence of the peak current on
the WLT is negligible. This matched the finding of Wang C et
al. [13] and Zhang M et al. [14]. They suggested that EAM
has the same white layer formation mechanism as EDM.
Although the higher discharge current imparts more energy to
the workpiece, the heat cannot be conducted to deeper zones
therein with a short pulse duration. As a result, the pulse
duration affects the WLT more than the discharge current.
However, the Rz increases with the increase of the peak
current, which is consistent with the conclusion of the study
on arc plasma and crater geometries by Zhang M et al. [15].
As the peak current increases, the arc column pressure,
temperature and diameter increase, which results in the
increase of diameter and depth of the electroplated craters,
and further the Rz increase.
3.2.2 Effect of flushing pressure
The effects of flushing pressure on MRR and REWR were
shown in Fig.5. With the increase of flushing pressure, the
MRR increases first and then decreases, while the REWR
decreases first and then increases. This results can be
explained by that when flushing pressure is extremely low,
electrochemical products are difficult to expel, which
deteriorates the discharge gap state (short circuit, pause and
knife lift occur frequently), affect the normal process of
machining and increase the REWR. However, when flushing
67
pressure is extremely high, the existence time of a single arc
plasma is reduced, which causes that the pulse width
decreases, therefore, the REWR increases. In addition, higher
flushing pressure can enhance the arc breaking and the
breakdown gap is small in EAM. When the arc breaking
occurs, discharge will not produce until the electrode feed to
the breakdown gap, which shortens the actual discharge time
during processing, therefore, the MRR decreases.
Fig.5 Effects of flushing pressure on MRR and REW
Fig.6 Effects of flushing pressure on WLT and Rz
The effects of flushing pressure on WLT and Rz were
shown in Fig.6. With the increase of flushing pressure, WLT
and Rz decrease. The reason is that with the increase of
flushing pressure, the arc root moves more rapidly on the
electrode surface, which disperses the discharge energy,
therefore, the WLT and Rz decrease.
a) 0.2Mpa b) 1Mpa
Fig.7 Workpieces after machining with different flushing pressures
In order to verify the effect of flushing pressure on the arc
plasma, a comparative experiment with different flushing
pressure was conducted. The workpieces after machining
were shown in Fig.7. When the flushing pressure is 0.2 Mpa,
the trailing of arc is remarkable, which indicates that the
existence time of electro-arc is long. When the flushing
pressure is 1 Mpa, the trailing of arc is not remarkable, which
indicates that the effect of arc breaking under high flushing
pressure is enhanced. Therefore, extremely low flushing
pressure and extremely high flushing pressure are not
conducive to the realization of high-speed processing; the
flushing pressure should be selected to promote the expelling
68 Guang Zhu et al. / Procedia CIRP 68 (2018) 64 – 69
of electrochemical products, disperses the arc discharge and
maintain arc life to a certain time.
3.2.3 Effect of electrode speed
The effects of electrode speed on MRR and REWR were
shown in Fig.8. With the increase of electrode speed, the
MRR increases first and then decreases, while the REWR
decreases first and then increases. This is similar to the effect
of flushing pressure. The reason is that the mechanical
movement arc breaking can be produced by electrode rotation,
which is greatly similar to the arc breaking of fluid by
flushing in elongating and pulling off electro-arc and
promoting arc boot movement.
Fig.8 Effects of electrode speed on MRR and REWR
Fig.9 Effects of electrode speed on WLT and Rz
The effects of electrode speed on WLT and Rz were shown
in Fig.9. With the increase of electrode speed, the WLT and
Rz decrease unanimously. The principle is same as the effect
of flushing pressure.
Fig.10 Workpieces after machining with different electrode speed
However, the tailing direction of mechanical movement arc
breaking is along the direction of electrode rotation, while the
tailing direction of flushing arc breaking is along the direction
of flushing. This can be verified in Fig.10 and Fig.7. In
addition, when the electrode speed is 100 r/min, the trailing
diverges around the direction of the flushing, which can erase
the edges of arc milling slot, finally reducing the machining
accuracy. However, with the increase of electrode speed,
when the electrode speed is 3500 r/min, the trailing diverges
around the direction of the electrode rotation, which reduces
the machining of the edges of arc milling slot and improve the
machining accuracy.
3.2.4 Effect of workpiece polarity
The effects of workpiece polarity on MRR, REWR, WLT
and Rz were shown in Fig.11. The MRR and REWR of
positive polarity is superior to negative polarity. The reason is
that the anode obtains more energy than cathode in the arc
plasma [16]. The WLT of positive polarity and negative
polarity have no obvious difference, which is consistent with
the principle explained in section 3.2.1. The Rz of negative
polarity is lower than positive polarity. The reason is that the
arc boot is easy to move on the surface of negative electrode,
which results in a more dispersed discharge of negative
electrode surface, therefore, the Rz is low. The workpiece
after machining with different polarity were shown in Fig.12.
Fig.11 Effects of workpiece polarity on MRR, REWR, WLT and Rz
a) Negative b) Positive
Fig.12 Workpieces after machining with different polarity
4. Conclusions
In this study, single factor and comparative experimental
investigations were conducted in EAM of W9Mo3Cr4V HSS.
Different electrode materials were used, and the machining
performances of the EAM were evaluated based on MRR,
REWR, WLT and Rz. The following conclusions are drawn
from the experimental results.
1. Graphite is the best choice for the electrode material as it
produces higher MRR and lower REWR because of its high
melting point.
2. In EAM, the increase of peak current leads to the
increase of MRR and Rz and the decrease of REWR.
However, the peak current has a mild influence on WLT. In
addition, extremely low flushing pressure or electrode speed
 Guang Zhu et al. / Procedia CIRP 68 (2018) 64 – 69
and extremely high flushing pressure or electrode speed are
not conducive to the realization of high-speed processing, the
flushing pressure and electrode speed should be selected
seriously to promote the expelling of electrochemical products,
disperses the arc discharge and maintain arc life to a certain
time.
3. The higher MRR and the lower REWR can be obtained
by positive polarity of the workpiece, the lower Rz can be
obtained by the negative polarity of the workpiece. The effect
of polarity on the WLT is not significant.
In EAM, besides electrode materials, there are still many
other factors that can affect the machining behaviors, such as
the discharge gap, continuous discharge time and the vibration
of workpiece, therefore, the investigations of EAM have a
broad prospect.
5. Acknowledgments
The work is supported by grants from the National Natural
Science Foundation of China (Grant No.: 51375274,
51775316), Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of
Higher Education of China (Grant No.: 20130131120070),
Breeding Project of Inter discipline of Shandong University
(No. 2016JC008).
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