Experimental investigation on optimizing wire-cut EDM process parameters of hybrid MMC(AA7475/ZrO₂/Gr) using artificial neural network

Abstract

Wire cut Electrical discharge machining (WCEDM) is a widely used method for machining complex shapes in advanced materials like metal matrix composites (MMCs) and hybrid metal matrix composites (HMMCs). To address these challenges, this study focusses on the wire-cut EDM (WCEDM) process of a workpiece made from zirconium dioxide and graphite-reinforced aluminium alloy 7475 with a molybdenum electrode. The effects of input process variables such as peak current (IP), pulse-on-time (TON), and flushing pressure (PF) on the output response features are investigated. These output responses include material removal rate (MRR), surface roughness (SR), and wire wear ratio (WWR). To optimise the process parameters, the Taguchi design technique is used. An artificial neural network (ANN) with a feed-forward back propagation architecture is utilised to find the best fit for the optimisation challenges. ANN predicted the results with an accuracy of 97.81% for MRR, 97.95 % for SR and 95.865% for WWR. The results reveal that the WCEDM of AA7475/ZrO2/Gr with a molybdenum electrode achieved minimal WWR and SR, while maximizing the MRR.