Finite Element Based Thermal Modelling for Optimized Parameter and Experimental Validation of Aluminium-Silicon Carbide During Electrical Discharge Machining Assisted Drilling Process

Abstract

Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) is a high-precision, non-conventional machining process widely used to produce intricate geometries in biomedical and aerospace components. It is particularly effective for fabricating micro-holes, complex shapes, and achieving high dimensional accuracy in difficult-to-machine materials such as aluminum-based (Al-SiC) composites. To optimize EDM performance for precise microchannel fabrication, the influence of key process parameters must be systematically analyzed. In this study, material removal rate (MRR) and surface roughness (Ra) were considered as performance responses, while duty cycle, discharge current (Ip), and pulse-on time (Ton) were selected as input variables. A finite element method (FEM)-based model was developed to analyze the transient thermal behaviour during EDM drilling. The model employs a 2D axisymmetric domain and incorporates varying discharge current and pulse-on time conditions. The results demonstrate that the developed model effectively predicts thermal distribution and supports optimization of EDM parameters for improved machining performance.