Machining of Y2O3 reinforced magnesium rare earth alloys using wire electrical discharge turning process

Abstract Advanced machining has become one of the inevitable processes for the fabrication of miniature industrial components that demands high dimensional accuracy. Magnesium (Mg) and its composites have widespread applications in the areas of aerospace, medical, and automobile sectors. The objective of this work is to analyze the machinability of Mg—rare earth (RE) alloy (Mg3Al2.5La)-based nanocomposites using wire electrical discharge turning (WEDT), a variant of EDM process. Y2O3 (0.6 and 1.9%) reinforced magnesium composites are prepared through disintegrated melt deposition technique. SEM and XRD analyses confirmed the intermetallic phase formation, such as Al11La3, and Al2La. Machining experiments are conducted with input parameters: discharge ON time, wire feed and spindle rotational speed each varied at three levels to study surface roughness (Ra) and volume of material removed (MRR). Results showed that Ra of the machined samples increases and MRR decreases, with the increase in % reinforcement and discharge ON time. The lower Ra value of 2.985 µm and higher MRR of 34.85 mm3/min are observed for the Mg3Al2.5La sample. This result is attributed to the absence of particle pullout and increased thermal conductivity of magnesium alloy during machining. Prediction analysis based on mean values is carried out to confirm the accuracy of the experimental results at optimal parametric levels.