Study on the persistent and efficient wire electrical discharge machining of SiCp/Al

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Wire breakage easily occurs during the cutting of SiCp/Al through the conductive block power supply method under high-energy conditions, and the causes of this problem are analyzed in this study. To address this problem, an open-guide-wheel power supply method is proposed. This method increases the contact area and angle between the wire electrode and the guide wheel, achieving a stable power supply through rolling contact and effectively suppressing the electric corrosion effect. Additionally, the open structure resolves the issue of the power supply device burning out, which occurs with the traditional closed structure. The experimental results show that using the open-guide-wheel power supply method achieves persistent and efficient cutting of 70 mm 55vol% SiCp/Al. The cutting efficiency is 111.65 mm 2 /min, which is more than three times the long-term cutting efficiency of the conductive block power supply method. SiCp/Al WEDM Persistence and efficiency cutting Wire electrode breakage Power supply method Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 9 Figure 10 Figure 11 Figure 12 Figure 13 Figure 14 Figure 15 1.Introduction SiC particle-reinforced aluminum matrix composites (SiCp/Al) are characterized by high specific strength and modulus, excellent wear resistance and high-temperature resistance, low coefficient of thermal expansion, and superior thermal stability [ 1 , 2 ]. Owing to their wide range of applications, rapid development, relatively low cost, and suitability for large-scale production, they have become leading metal-matrix composite materials [ 3 ]. Despite its excellent properties, processing high-volume-fraction SiCp/Al is particularly challenging[ 4 , 5 ]. Wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) offers advantages such as being largely unaffected by the mechanical properties of the material and being suitable for machining complex shapes. Numerous scholars have comprehensively studied the process parameters and optimization of WEDM for SiCp/Al[ 6 , 7 ]. Mohan et al. [ 8 ] demonstrated that during SiCp/Al processing via electric discharge machining and WEDM, the shielding effect of SiC particles leads to a low material removal rate, poor surface quality of the workpiece, and increased processing difficulty as the volume fraction of SiC particles increases. Yang et al. [ 9 ] investigated the microstructure of SiCp/Al composites processed by WEDM, and discussed the characterization of the removed products. Chen et al. [ 10 ] revealed that removal mechanism of SiCp/Al in WEDM includes melting, evaporation, shedding, oxidation and thermal decomposition, and studied the influences of processing parameters on material removal rate and surface roughness. Phate et al. [ 11 ] proposed a model based on dimensional analysis and the Taguchi method and found that the SiC volume fraction, wire travel speed, and wire electrode tension considerably impacted machining. SiCp/Al composites subjected to WEDM exhibit considerably different electro-erosion characteristics from conventional materials. Chen et al. [ 12 ] proposed a new wire electrode of zinc coating and surface microstructure to process high-volume-fraction SiCp/Al, which can improve the machining characteristics and reduce wire rupture in WEDM. WEDM can be classified into two categories: Low-Speed WEDM (LS-WEDM) and High-Speed WEDM (HS-WEDM), depending on the speed at which the wire moves. HS-WEDM is also defined as reciprocating traveling type wire electrical discharge machines. HS-WEDM cannot match the cutting accuracy and surface quality of LS-WEDM. Efforts on the development of HS-WEDM should focus on further improving cutting efficiency and ensuring the durability of high-efficiency machining [ 13 ]. Existing research indicates that the average machining current used for HS-WEDM of high-volume-fraction SiCp/Al is only 1.8A, with a cutting efficiency of 25 mm 2 /min, which is insufficient for efficient cutting of SiCp/Al [ 14 ]. The primary objectives of this paper are to enhance the power input energy of HS-WEDM for SiCp/Al; to analyze the issues associated with the existing conductive block power supply method under high energy conditions; and to transform the traditional closed structure of the guide wheel power supply method into an open type, to meet the requirements for continuous and efficient WEDM of SiCp/Al under high-energy conditions. 2. Materials and methods 2.1 Experimental Setup The experiment was conducted using an HF400 HS-WEDM machine tool (Fig. 1 ). During the experiment, an oscilloscope was used to collect machining voltage and current waveforms. A scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy-dispersive spectrometer system (S-4800N, HITACHI, Japan) was utilized to observe the morphology and elemental composition of the wire electrode surface. Additionally, a DM6801B digital thermometer was used to monitor the surface temperature of the guide wheel. The workpiece was machined according to the experimental conditions and parameters outlined in Table 1 . Table 1 Experimental parameters Item Parameters Material 55vol%SiC p /Al, Thickness: 70 mm Wire Molybdenum wire, diameter = 0.18 mm Working fluid JR1A, 1:40 Cutting parameter Pulse width, 15 µs; Duty cycle, 1:4; MOSFET tube number, 5 Wire speed 12 m/s 2.2 Experimental Material The experimental material is 55vol% SiCp/2009Al, prepared using powder metallurgy method, and the main performance parameters are presented in Table 2 . The powder metallurgy method enables the production of reinforced particles at the nanometer scale, ensuring uniform distribution and favorable interface structure [ 15 ]. As illustrated in Fig. 2 , the dark gray SiC particles are evenly distributed in the 2009 aluminum matrix materials and well combined with the matrix. As SiCp/Al MMC in high volume fraction, 55vol% SiCp/2009Al has many excellent properties that aluminum matrix materials do not have, and has become a research hotspot in recent years [ 16 ]. Table 2 Main performance parameters of 55vol% SiCp/2009Al Density (g/cm 3 ) Elastic Modulus (GPa) Strength (Mpa) Specific Stiffness (E/p) Coefficient of Expansion (10 − 6 /K) Thermal Conductivity (W/m·K) 2.95 195 ± 5 450 66.1 9.5 ± 1 200 ± 5 3 Issues with the current conductive block power supply method 3.1 Broken wire problem under high energy The current power supply method for HS-WEDM machine tools involves the use of a conductive block. The workpiece is connected to the positive pole of the pulse power supply, while the conductive block is in short-circuit contact with the wire electrode and connected to the negative pole. This configuration operates in a positive-polarity processing mode. However, during the processing of SiCp/Al, as illustrated in Fig. 3 , there is a continuous and intense spark discharge phenomenon at the contact point between the wire electrode and the conductive block. The conductive block undergoes electrical erosion, quickly developing a deep groove that exceeds the diameter of the wire electrode. When the average machining current exceeds 3 A, the sparks at the conductive block become more intense under high energy, causing a sharp increase in the depth of the etched groove and making the wire electrode more susceptible to breaking. As illustrated in the Fig. 4 , compared to the conditions of low energy, the wire electrode under high energy conditions is melted at the conductive block, resulting in larger discharge craters and elongated cracks on the wire surface. Wire electrode breakage leads to replacement of the wire electrode and re-initiation of processing, which increases operational costs. Sometimes it even leads to workpiece scrapping. 3.2 Analysis of coating material on the wire electrode surface To address the issue of wire breakage under high energy, the severe spark discharge phenomenon at the conductive block is first analyzed. The workpiece is machined using the experimental parameters shown in Table 1 . The morphology of the wire electrode before and after processing is observed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. As illustrated in Fig. 5 , randomly distributed white particles are attached to the surface of the wire electrode after processing. These particles range from 10 to 20 µm in length, with some aggregations reaching 75 µm. Table 3 presents the EDS results of the wire electrode surface before and after processing. Following processing, aluminum and silicon elements occur on the surface of the wire electrode, with the oxygen content reaching as high as 45.04% (compared with 10.64% before processing). These white particles can be identified as high-hardness, low-conductivity aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ) and silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ) insulating particles. Table 3 EDS results of wire electrode surface before and after machining (Wt%) Mo O C Al Si wire before machining 55.79 10.64 33.57 - - wire after machining 3.07 45.04 27.93 21.58 2.37 The analysis of the source of coating material on the wire electrode surface is as follows: During SiCp/Al WEDM, material transfer occurs between the positive and negative electrodes. The positive workpiece melts and gasifies under the bombardment of electrons, causing aluminum and silicon elements from the workpiece to splash onto the negative wire electrode [ 17 ]. Moreover, the water in the working fluid decomposes into oxygen at high temperatures, which rapidly reacts with the melted and gasified workpiece material to form aluminum oxide and silicon dioxide. These insulating particles are propelled onto the wire electrode by the force of discharge explosions. Owing to the random nature of sputtering and the erosion caused by positive ion bombardment on the wire electrode during positive-polarity processing, the aluminum oxide and silicon dioxide insulating particles adhering to the wire electrode are randomly distributed and vary in size. It is hypothesized that these insulating particles maintain a certain discharge gap between the wire electrode and the conductive block, contributing to the formation of sparks. The conductive block undergoes electrical erosion and experiences friction from the insulating particles, resulting in the formation of grooves. 3.3 Mechanism of spark discharge formation between the wire electrode and the conductive block To analyze the mechanism of spark discharge formation between the wire electrode and the conductive block, an interelectrode equivalent circuit model (Fig. 7 ) is established based on the measurement scheme of the discharge waveform illustrated in Fig. 6 . The positive pole of the pulse power supply is connected to the workpiece through the current limiting resistance R. Spark discharge occurs between B (the wire electrode) and C (the workpiece), which is equivalent to R0 (the equivalent resistance of the working fluid medium) and R1 (the equivalent resistance of the discharge channel) in parallel, and R1 and ZD1 (the voltage regulator in the working fluid) in series. No spark discharge is shown in Fig. 7 (a), while in Fig. 7 (b), spark discharge occurs between B (the wire electrode) and A (the conductive block), which will be analyzed further in the subsequent text. Then, the conductive block is connected to the negative pole of the power supply to form a current circuit, with the resistance of the wire electrode and the workpiece being disregarded. Following the measurement scheme illustrated in Fig. 6 , an oscilloscope is employed to capture the machining voltage and current waveforms between the conductive block and the workpiece (Fig. 8 ). The voltage probe records the voltage AC, which comprises the sum of voltages AB (between the conductive block and the wire electrode) and BC (between the wire electrode and the workpiece). Figure 8 (a) illustrates that in the absence of sparks at the conductive block, the voltage waveform is smoother, with fewer fluctuations in the high-frequency component; the voltage is maintained at 29 V. Figure 8 (b) reveals that when sparks occur at the conductive block, the waveform exhibits multiple peaks and experiences significant voltage fluctuations. For example, the wave crest M increases the voltage value from 29 V to 37 V within 2 µs. Moreover, the peak current waveform remains relatively consistent at 27 A. Prior to the formation of spark discharge, the wire electrode and the conductive block are in a state of short-circuit contact. As illustrated in Fig. 9 (a), despite the presence of Al 2 O 3 and SiO 2 insulating particles on the wire electrode surface, a substantial contact area is maintained with the conductive block, resulting in a relatively low contact resistance value, R2. As the wire electrode slides a distance L1 to the position illustrated in Fig. 9 (b), spark discharge occurs at the conductive block. Two insulating particles create a gap between the wire electrode and the conductive block. In the interelectrode equivalent circuit illustrated in Fig. 7 (b), the contact resistance R2 tends toward infinity, causing a decrease in the circuit current i and a reduction in the partial voltage on the current limiting resistance R. Consequently, the voltage AC rises, and wave crests begin to appear. Under the influence of a strong electric field, the air between the wire electrode and the conductive block undergoes breakdown along the shortest path. The breakdown air exhibits good conductivity, equivalent to R3 (the resistance of the discharge channel) and ZD2 (the voltage regulator in the air) in series in Fig. 7 (b). Consequently, the voltage AC increases from 29 V to 37 V, contributing to the spark discharge between the wire electrode and the conductive block, as well as between the wire electrode and the workpiece. As the wire electrode continues to slide a distance L2 on the conductive block, the spark discharge persists until the wire electrode and the conductive block return to a state of short-circuit contact, as illustrated in Fig. 9 (c), and the spark discharge ceases. The spark duration, denoted as T, represents the time during which the wire electrode and the conductive block maintain a gap, evidenced by the wave crest M lasting for 2 µs. Figure 9 (c) illustrates that the time T is correlated with the size L2 of the insulating particles. Taking the measured insulation particle size of 20 µm from SEM in Fig. 5 as an example, at a wire traveling speed of 12 m/s, the continuous spark time T, calculated as \(\:T=L2/V\) is 1.6 µs. This duration aligns with the duration of the wave crest M and represents a pulse width at the microsecond level. From the above analysis, spark discharge occurs in the air between the wire electrode and the conductive block owing to the presence of Al 2 O 3 and SiO 2 insulating particles on the wire electrode surface. This results in an increase in voltage and the appearance of wave crests. The amplitude of the wave crest represents the voltage acting on the electrodes, while the duration of the wave crest indicates the duration of the spark discharge between the wire electrode and the conductive block. Moreover, the larger the volume of Al 2 O 3 and SiO 2 insulating particles, the longer the spark discharge duration. Considering the entire pulse width, the wave crest duration, representing the action time of spark discharge at the conductive block, is variable owing to the uneven size and distribution of insulating particles adhering to the wire electrode. 3.4 Mechanism of wire electrode breakage under high energy Experiments have revealed that increasing the average machining current intensifies sparks at the conductive block, consequently increasing the likelihood of wire electrode breakage. The mechanism behind wire electrode breakage is analyzed as follows: First, Fig. 10 illustrates the voltage and current waveforms when spark discharge occurs between the wire electrode and the conductive block at different energy levels. Under low-energy conditions of one Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor (MOSFET) tube, the peak current is 12 A, and the voltage increases from 23 V to 32 V within 1.7 µs or 4.5 µs. In contrast, under high-energy conditions with 5 MOSFET tubes, the peak current is 34 A, and the voltage increases from 36 V to 46 V within 6.5µs. There is a notable disparity in both the amplitude and duration of the voltage wave crests under different energy levels. Under low-energy machining conditions, the energy input is minimal, leading to a lower amplitude of voltage wave crests. Additionally, the erosion product particles generated by the molten gasification of the workpiece are small [ 18 , 19 ], resulting in a limited volume of insulating particles adhering to the wire electrode. Consequently, spark discharge exhibits a short action time, characterized by a brief peak duration, typically around 1.7 µs. A longer duration, such as 4.5 µs, may occur when insulating particles accumulate at a particular location on the wire electrode. At this stage, the wire electrode and conductive block experience low-energy, short-duration spark discharge. The wire electrode can still maintain a certain level of tensile strength, which explains why it is relatively resistant to breaking during SiCp/Al machining under low-energy conditions. Conversely, during machining under high-energy conditions, the amplitude and duration of the voltage wave crest increase significantly, indicating that the wire electrode and conductive block are subjected to high-energy, long-duration spark discharge. The wire electrode remains in a high-temperature discharge state in the air for an extended period, and it melts owing to its inability to withstand the discharge energy. Second, under high energy, the erosion depth of the conductive block rapidly increases, resulting in a rough groove surface. Additionally, the contact angle between the high-speed traveling wire electrode and the conductive block is minimal, and the wire electrode oscillations during operation further intensify the discharge formation between the conductive block and the wire electrode. Third, the wire electrode and the conductive block remain in an unstable sliding contact state. Consequently, the wire electrode undergoes severe plastic deformation and eventually breaks owing to the combined effects of high discharge temperature, wire electrode tension, and frictional forces at the conductive block. The utilization of the conductive block power supply method cannot meet the demand for persistent and efficient SiCp/Al WEDM under high-energy conditions. 4 Open-guide-wheel power supply method To address the aforementioned issues associated with the current conductive block power supply method, the use of the guide wheel power supply method for SiCp/Al WEDM is proposed. The rationale is as follows: First, to tackle the spark discharge problem between the wire electrode and the conductive block, the guide wheel power supply method increases the contact area between the wire electrode and the guide wheel to 1/4 of the guide wheel circumference, thereby reducing the contact resistance. Although certain contact areas may be interrupted by insulating particles adhering to the wire electrode, overall, reliable short-circuit contact can still be established. This can effectively mitigate the electric corrosion effect between the wire electrode and the guide wheel. Second, for the wire electrode operating at high speeds and experiencing vibration, the utilization of the guide wheel power supply method enables rolling contact. This reduces the vibration of the wire electrode, thereby addressing the issue of wire breakage caused by unstable contact. However, traditional guide wheel power supply methods encounter limitations during high-energy machining. The structural diagram is illustrated in Fig. 11 . Typically, power is supplied through the guide wheel shaft, which is in contact with either the power supply column and ball (Fig. 11 a) or the carbon brush (Fig. 11 b). Electrical energy is transmitted from aforementioned power supply device to the guide wheel and then to the wire electrode [ 20 ]. The average machining current that can be sustained is ~ 4A. Because of the closed structure employed, the power supply device and guide wheel undergo significant friction and Joule heating during the cutting process, generating substantial heat in the contact area. If the average machining current is increased (e.g., >6A), the power supply device will melt owing to prolonged heat accumulation during processing. Consequently, the guide wheel cannot operate smoothly and transmit electrical energy, thereby impeding normal processing. Hence, this paper introduces an open-guide-wheel power supply method. As illustrated in Fig. 12 , the setup is situated at the upper guide wheel of the HS-WEDM machine tool, and it mainly comprises the guide wheel and the round rod assembly. A spring is inserted into the assembly and positioned within the sleeve. The round rod assembly functions as a power supply device, with one end connected to the negative supply lead of the pulse power supply, while the other end maintains full contact with the guide wheel owing to the spring action. The red circular area of the guide wheel in Fig. 12 (c) represents the contact area between the power supply device and the guide wheel. In contrast to the traditional guide wheel power supply method that transmits electrical energy from the center point O, the power supply contact area is increased, and an unenclosed construction is adopted, facilitating efficient heat dissipation. The guide wheel operates smoothly without wire electrode breakage after continuous cutting for 8 hours at an average machining current of 7.5 A, demonstrating the reliability of open-guide-wheel power supply method. The temperature rise curve of the guide wheel surface, measured using a thermometer during processing, is illustrated in Fig. 13 , with a room temperature of 9°C. During the initial processing, there is a slight increase in the surface temperature of the guide wheel, but the rate of increase gradually decelerates until it stabilizes at 21°C, reaching thermal equilibrium. This indicates that the open-guide-wheel power supply method exhibits effective heat dissipation during high-energy processing, thereby meeting the requirements for consistent and efficient cutting. 5 Machining sample A persistent and efficient cutting test was conducted on a 70 mm 55vol% SiCp/Al sample using the open-guide-wheel power supply method. The processing conditions were based on the parameters outlined in Table 1 . The workpiece is illustrated in Fig. 14 . The total cutting area of the sample was 24640 mm 2 , and the cutting was completed within 3.5 hours. The average machining current was 6.5A, resulting in a cutting efficiency of 111.65 mm 2 /min, with a surface roughness of R a 2.98 µm. Throughout the machining process, no sparks occurred between the guide wheel and the wire electrode, and the contact remained stable with a consistent power supply. As illustrated in Fig. 15 , the open-guide-wheel power supply yielded a cutting efficiency over three times that achieved via the conductive block power supply under low-energy conditions for SiCp/Al WEDM. Moreover, the open-guide-wheel power supply method addresses the wire electrode breakage problem associated with the use of the conductive block power supply under high-energy conditions. Thus, the open-guide-wheel power supply method effectively achieves persistent and efficient SiCp/Al WEDM. 6 Conclusions This article analyzes the issues associated with the existing conductive block power supply method under high energy conditions. And an open-guide-wheel power supply have been employed for persistent and efficient WEDM of SiCp/Al under high-energy conditions.Finally, the following main conclusions are obtained: High-volume-fraction SiCp/Al WEDM based on the conductive block power supply under high-energy conditions is prone to wire breakage owing to the following reasons: The presence of aluminum oxide and silicon dioxide insulating particles on the wire electrode surfaceleads to a gap discharge state between the wire electrode and the conductive block. Additionally, the contact angle between the wire electrode and the conductive block is small, resulting in unstable sliding contact. With an increase in discharge energy, the high-speed and vibrating wire electrode becomes susceptible to wire breakage owing to the combined effects of high discharge temperature, wire electrode tension, and frictional forces at the conductive block. The open-guide-wheel power supply method enhances the contact area and angle between the wire electrode and the guide wheel, ensuring stable power supply through rolling contact. This effectively addresses the issue of wire breakage encountered with the conductive block power supply method under high-energy conditions. Moreover, the open structure resolves the problem encountered with the traditional guide wheel power supply method, preventing burnout of the power supply device due to its closed structure. Employing the open-guide-wheel power supply method enables the realization of persistent and efficient cutting of 70 mm 55vol% SiCp/Al. The cutting efficiency reaches 111.65 mm 2 /min, over three times the long-term cutting efficiency achieved using the conductive block power supply method. Declarations Acknowledgments The authors extend their sincere thanks to those who contributed in the preparation of the instructions. Funding information This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Number 51975290). Conflicts of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. Ethical approval Not applicable. Consent to participate Not applicable. Consent to publish Not applicable. Authors Contributions All authors have been personally and actively involved in substantive work leading to the report. Availability of data and materials The data and materials set supporting the results are included within the article. Code availability Not applicable. -Ethical Approval伦理批准 1. The manuscript has not been published in whole or in part elsewhere; 2. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5223710","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":364976005,"identity":"77c13caa-7bb8-44f9-9254-c65b82fba170","order_by":0,"name":"Hailin Yang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hailin","middleName":"","lastName":"Yang","suffix":""},{"id":364976008,"identity":"a305b26c-be0f-4e10-8da1-28d1280f9870","order_by":1,"name":"Zhidong Liu","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAwElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACPmYgkcBgA+WyEaGFjZmBsSGBIY0ULQxALQwMh0nRws5j/uBhzvk8g+OHHzB8KDvMwD+7gZDDeAwbErfdLjY4k2bAOOPcYQaJOweI05K44UCCATNv22EGA4kEorScS9xw/vkH5r8kaDmQuOFGjgEzI3Fa2ApnJG5LTpx5403BwZ5z6TwSNwho4ec/vOHjz212iX3n0zc++FFmLcc/g4AWFHAAiHlIUD8KRsEoGAWjABcAAOyiQn0KyU4XAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0009-7548-6790","institution":"Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zhidong","middleName":"","lastName":"Liu","suffix":""},{"id":364976010,"identity":"8fe1e580-e6f7-468c-a952-37dee4d48d76","order_by":2,"name":"Xuan Wang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Xuan","middleName":"","lastName":"Wang","suffix":""},{"id":364976012,"identity":"48f791dd-6f60-4e6b-989d-64ab05088a88","order_by":3,"name":"Xiaochuan Wu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Xiaochuan","middleName":"","lastName":"Wu","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-10-08 09:07:22","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5223710/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5223710/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-025-15683-9","type":"published","date":"2025-06-04T15:57:27+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":66676474,"identity":"0bf0cf70-c45c-4e9e-bca3-34cd0cd01682","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-15 11:19:18","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":1138784,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003ePhotograph of the experimental equipment\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5223710/v1/e960a33235e04835d756e36d.png"},{"id":66677287,"identity":"8514bea4-0f79-4b5d-bc80-04a6185f7a46","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-15 11:27:18","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":682794,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eThe micro-structure of 55vol% SiCp/2009Al\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5223710/v1/72df563727db5a6cba68dd52.png"},{"id":66677786,"identity":"5252b580-eff0-4a52-acc8-a5a729db1bcf","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-15 11:35:19","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":330209,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eConductive block develops a groove due to spark discharge\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5223710/v1/1910d6e49d55447fab58021b.png"},{"id":66676476,"identity":"279825a1-a7ac-4133-9b83-b8d46aac1b59","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-15 11:19:19","extension":"png","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":319683,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSurface morphology of the wire electrode under different energy conditions\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5223710/v1/0366c01bb1a2e0ee547a0100.png"},{"id":66676482,"identity":"0da7daee-cd18-4ab7-a743-331e1162592c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-15 11:19:19","extension":"png","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":593841,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eMorphology and elemental analysis of the wire electrode after processing\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e(a)\u003c/strong\u003e Test area\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e(b)\u003c/strong\u003eComponent analysis\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"5.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5223710/v1/6f08b8f81c6aa3193ab62101.png"},{"id":66676488,"identity":"af18e42a-89a2-4e0a-b0d2-e2280351cfe3","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-15 11:19:20","extension":"png","order_by":6,"title":"Figure 6","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":503012,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eMeasurement scheme of the discharge waveform\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"6.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5223710/v1/58f4106596db234abe2bc980.png"},{"id":66677288,"identity":"0a367eb9-7ca8-436e-b26b-97d61e989588","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-15 11:27:19","extension":"png","order_by":7,"title":"Figure 7","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":183886,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eInterelectrode equivalent circuit model\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e(a)\u003c/strong\u003e No spark at the conductive block\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e(b)\u003c/strong\u003e Spark at the conductive block\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"7.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5223710/v1/3a88562142c9cb527adbecb7.png"},{"id":66677789,"identity":"5cb4d8b1-dbf8-40b3-a4bd-dbd71577259b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-15 11:35:19","extension":"png","order_by":8,"title":"Figure 8","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":371471,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eVariation in discharge waveform\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e(a)\u003c/strong\u003e No spark at the conductive block\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e(b)\u003c/strong\u003e Spark at the conductive block\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"8.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5223710/v1/60cbda5e7667335bb21f2440.png"},{"id":66678656,"identity":"ef935298-cbaa-4601-894e-e5a28029e73b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-15 11:43:19","extension":"png","order_by":9,"title":"Figure 9","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":425658,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eProcess of spark discharge formation between the wire electrode and the conductive block\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"9.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5223710/v1/6918b745d39afadf5b0cfeaa.png"},{"id":66677294,"identity":"eacd8173-736c-4a03-abff-348df1a4d8c1","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-15 11:27:19","extension":"png","order_by":10,"title":"Figure 10","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":409370,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eVariations in discharge waveform under different energy levels\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e(a)\u003c/strong\u003e Under low energy \u003cstrong\u003e(b)\u003c/strong\u003eUnder high energy\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"10.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5223710/v1/d451d6e13ffda03411ca0b01.png"},{"id":66676478,"identity":"f219d7c7-9969-49ad-8933-2b0c3d795e60","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-15 11:19:19","extension":"png","order_by":11,"title":"Figure 11","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":578749,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eStructure of traditional guide wheel power supply meth\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e(a)\u003c/strong\u003e Power is supplied through the guide wheel shaft\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ein contact with the power supply column and ball\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e(b)\u003c/strong\u003e Power is supplied through the guide wheel shaft\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ein contact with the carbon brush\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"11.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5223710/v1/43205aa95db6bb77f3a5014f.png"},{"id":66676484,"identity":"a88b2b9d-7761-4ba0-b7dd-4901fa076b5f","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-15 11:19:19","extension":"png","order_by":12,"title":"Figure 12","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":628687,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eOpen-guide-wheel power supply method\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"12.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5223710/v1/a932e6b9bc54b303833396fa.png"},{"id":66676486,"identity":"047d7b42-40e9-4831-a706-7fd8b52e4383","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-15 11:19:19","extension":"png","order_by":13,"title":"Figure 13","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":92383,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eTemperature rise curve of guide wheel surface\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"13.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5223710/v1/890989bf34c79ffdba017c76.png"},{"id":66677292,"identity":"a0919232-b9e5-494a-aaed-0ffc460abac7","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-15 11:27:19","extension":"png","order_by":14,"title":"Figure 14","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":449195,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e70 mm 55vol%SiCp/Al workpiece\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"14.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5223710/v1/bce192828b4745ca6ec6185c.png"},{"id":66677787,"identity":"a91b0969-19ae-49b2-a71d-a13051f8baff","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-15 11:35:19","extension":"png","order_by":15,"title":"Figure 15","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":130886,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eCutting efficiency in different power supply methods\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"15.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5223710/v1/0b2e7c8e1797e167ef8f68cb.png"},{"id":84243147,"identity":"cd88114e-d075-46d8-a4f3-329c4e4b754a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-09 16:12:39","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":10070665,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5223710/v1/f5fb7561-ed58-41d1-adb6-e856286534b2.pdf"},{"id":66676473,"identity":"e4f0f4a4-e6b2-40a5-a801-76c43d570f2d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-15 11:19:18","extension":"docx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":21270,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Highlights.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5223710/v1/51a3fca53c01b8b7b33077e2.docx"}],"financialInterests":"","formattedTitle":"Study on the persistent and efficient wire electrical discharge machining of SiCp/Al","fulltext":[{"header":"1.Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eSiC particle-reinforced aluminum matrix composites (SiCp/Al) are characterized by high specific strength and modulus, excellent wear resistance and high-temperature resistance, low coefficient of thermal expansion, and superior thermal stability [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e]. Owing to their wide range of applications, rapid development, relatively low cost, and suitability for large-scale production, they have become leading metal-matrix composite materials [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDespite its excellent properties, processing high-volume-fraction SiCp/Al is particularly challenging[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e]. Wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) offers advantages such as being largely unaffected by the mechanical properties of the material and being suitable for machining complex shapes. Numerous scholars have comprehensively studied the process parameters and optimization of WEDM for SiCp/Al[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e]. Mohan et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e] demonstrated that during SiCp/Al processing via electric discharge machining and WEDM, the shielding effect of SiC particles leads to a low material removal rate, poor surface quality of the workpiece, and increased processing difficulty as the volume fraction of SiC particles increases. Yang et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e] investigated the microstructure of SiCp/Al composites processed by WEDM, and discussed the characterization of the removed products. Chen et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e] revealed that removal mechanism of SiCp/Al in WEDM includes melting, evaporation, shedding, oxidation and thermal decomposition, and studied the influences of processing parameters on material removal rate and surface roughness. Phate et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e] proposed a model based on dimensional analysis and the Taguchi method and found that the SiC volume fraction, wire travel speed, and wire electrode tension considerably impacted machining. SiCp/Al composites subjected to WEDM exhibit considerably different electro-erosion characteristics from conventional materials. Chen et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e] proposed a new wire electrode of zinc coating and surface microstructure to process high-volume-fraction SiCp/Al, which can improve the machining characteristics and reduce wire rupture in WEDM.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWEDM can be classified into two categories: Low-Speed WEDM (LS-WEDM) and High-Speed WEDM (HS-WEDM), depending on the speed at which the wire moves. HS-WEDM is also defined as reciprocating traveling type wire electrical discharge machines. HS-WEDM cannot match the cutting accuracy and surface quality of LS-WEDM. Efforts on the development of HS-WEDM should focus on further improving cutting efficiency and ensuring the durability of high-efficiency machining [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e]. Existing research indicates that the average machining current used for HS-WEDM of high-volume-fraction SiCp/Al is only 1.8A, with a cutting efficiency of 25 mm\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e/min, which is insufficient for efficient cutting of SiCp/Al [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe primary objectives of this paper are to enhance the power input energy of HS-WEDM for SiCp/Al; to analyze the issues associated with the existing conductive block power supply method under high energy conditions; and to transform the traditional closed structure of the guide wheel power supply method into an open type, to meet the requirements for continuous and efficient WEDM of SiCp/Al under high-energy conditions.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"2. Materials and methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.1 Experimental Setup\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe experiment was conducted using an HF400 HS-WEDM machine tool (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). During the experiment, an oscilloscope was used to collect machining voltage and current waveforms. A scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy-dispersive spectrometer system (S-4800N, HITACHI, Japan) was utilized to observe the morphology and elemental composition of the wire electrode surface. Additionally, a DM6801B digital thermometer was used to monitor the surface temperature of the guide wheel. The workpiece was machined according to the experimental conditions and parameters outlined in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eExperimental parameters\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"2\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eItem\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eParameters\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMaterial\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e55vol%SiC\u003csub\u003ep\u003c/sub\u003e/Al, Thickness: 70 mm\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWire\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMolybdenum wire, diameter\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.18 mm\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWorking fluid\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJR1A, 1:40\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCutting parameter\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePulse width, 15 \u0026micro;s; Duty cycle, 1:4; MOSFET tube number, 5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWire speed\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12 m/s\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.2 Experimental Material\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe experimental material is 55vol% SiCp/2009Al, prepared using powder metallurgy method, and the main performance parameters are presented in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e. The powder metallurgy method enables the production of reinforced particles at the nanometer scale, ensuring uniform distribution and favorable interface structure [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e]. As illustrated in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e, the dark gray SiC particles are evenly distributed in the 2009 aluminum matrix materials and well combined with the matrix. As SiCp/Al MMC in high volume fraction, 55vol% SiCp/2009Al has many excellent properties that aluminum matrix materials do not have, and has become a research hotspot in recent years [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMain performance parameters of 55vol% SiCp/2009Al\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDensity\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(g/cm\u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eElastic\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eModulus\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(GPa)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStrength\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(Mpa)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSpecific\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eStiffness\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(E/p)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCoefficient of Expansion\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(10\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;6\u003c/sup\u003e/K)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThermal\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConductivity\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(W/m\u0026middot;K)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.95\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e195\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e450\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e66.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e200\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"3 Issues with the current conductive block power supply method","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e3.1 Broken wire problem under high energy\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe current power supply method for HS-WEDM machine tools involves the use of a conductive block. The workpiece is connected to the positive pole of the pulse power supply, while the conductive block is in short-circuit contact with the wire electrode and connected to the negative pole. This configuration operates in a positive-polarity processing mode. However, during the processing of SiCp/Al, as illustrated in Fig. \u003cspan\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e, there is a continuous and intense spark discharge phenomenon at the contact point between the wire electrode and the conductive block. The conductive block undergoes electrical erosion, quickly developing a deep groove that exceeds the diameter of the wire electrode.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eWhen the average machining current exceeds 3 A, the sparks at the conductive block become more intense under high energy, causing a sharp increase in the depth of the etched groove and making the wire electrode more susceptible to breaking. As illustrated in the Fig. \u003cspan\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e, compared to the conditions of low energy, the wire electrode under high energy conditions is melted at the conductive block, resulting in larger discharge craters and elongated cracks on the wire surface. Wire electrode breakage leads to replacement of the wire electrode and re-initiation of processing, which increases operational costs. Sometimes it even leads to workpiece scrapping.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e3.2 Analysis of coating material on the wire electrode surface\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTo address the issue of wire breakage under high energy, the severe spark discharge phenomenon at the conductive block is first analyzed. The workpiece is machined using the experimental parameters shown in Table \u003cspan\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e. The morphology of the wire electrode before and after processing is observed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. As illustrated in Fig. \u003cspan\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e, randomly distributed white particles are attached to the surface of the wire electrode after processing. These particles range from 10 to 20 \u0026micro;m in length, with some aggregations reaching 75 \u0026micro;m. Table \u003cspan\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e presents the EDS results of the wire electrode surface before and after processing. Following processing, aluminum and silicon elements occur on the surface of the wire electrode, with the oxygen content reaching as high as 45.04% (compared with 10.64% before processing). These white particles can be identified as high-hardness, low-conductivity aluminum oxide (Al\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e) and silicon dioxide (SiO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e) insulating particles.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cdiv\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003ctable id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e\n \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEDS results of wire electrode surface before and after machining (Wt%)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/caption\u003e\n \u003cthead\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMo\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eO\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAl\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSi\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/thead\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ewire before machining\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e55.79\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10.64\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e33.57\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ewire after machining\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.07\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e45.04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e27.93\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e21.58\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.37\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe analysis of the source of coating material on the wire electrode surface is as follows: During SiCp/Al WEDM, material transfer occurs between the positive and negative electrodes. The positive workpiece melts and gasifies under the bombardment of electrons, causing aluminum and silicon elements from the workpiece to splash onto the negative wire electrode [\u003cspan\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e]. Moreover, the water in the working fluid decomposes into oxygen at high temperatures, which rapidly reacts with the melted and gasified workpiece material to form aluminum oxide and silicon dioxide. These insulating particles are propelled onto the wire electrode by the force of discharge explosions. Owing to the random nature of sputtering and the erosion caused by positive ion bombardment on the wire electrode during positive-polarity processing, the aluminum oxide and silicon dioxide insulating particles adhering to the wire electrode are randomly distributed and vary in size. It is hypothesized that these insulating particles maintain a certain discharge gap between the wire electrode and the conductive block, contributing to the formation of sparks. The conductive block undergoes electrical erosion and experiences friction from the insulating particles, resulting in the formation of grooves.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e3.3 Mechanism of spark discharge formation between the wire electrode and the conductive block\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTo analyze the mechanism of spark discharge formation between the wire electrode and the conductive block, an interelectrode equivalent circuit model (Fig. \u003cspan\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e) is established based on the measurement scheme of the discharge waveform illustrated in Fig. \u003cspan\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e. The positive pole of the pulse power supply is connected to the workpiece through the current limiting resistance R. Spark discharge occurs between B (the wire electrode) and C (the workpiece), which is equivalent to R0 (the equivalent resistance of the working fluid medium) and R1 (the equivalent resistance of the discharge channel) in parallel, and R1 and ZD1 (the voltage regulator in the working fluid) in series. No spark discharge is shown in Fig. \u003cspan\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e(a), while in Fig. \u003cspan\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e(b), spark discharge occurs between B (the wire electrode) and A (the conductive block), which will be analyzed further in the subsequent text. Then, the conductive block is connected to the negative pole of the power supply to form a current circuit, with the resistance of the wire electrode and the workpiece being disregarded.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFollowing the measurement scheme illustrated in Fig. \u003cspan\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e, an oscilloscope is employed to capture the machining voltage and current waveforms between the conductive block and the workpiece (Fig. \u003cspan\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e). The voltage probe records the voltage AC, which comprises the sum of voltages AB (between the conductive block and the wire electrode) and BC (between the wire electrode and the workpiece). Figure \u003cspan\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e(a) illustrates that in the absence of sparks at the conductive block, the voltage waveform is smoother, with fewer fluctuations in the high-frequency component; the voltage is maintained at 29 V. Figure \u003cspan\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e(b) reveals that when sparks occur at the conductive block, the waveform exhibits multiple peaks and experiences significant voltage fluctuations. For example, the wave crest M increases the voltage value from 29 V to 37 V within 2 \u0026micro;s. Moreover, the peak current waveform remains relatively consistent at 27 A.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePrior to the formation of spark discharge, the wire electrode and the conductive block are in a state of short-circuit contact. As illustrated in Fig. \u003cspan\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e(a), despite the presence of Al\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e and SiO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e insulating particles on the wire electrode surface, a substantial contact area is maintained with the conductive block, resulting in a relatively low contact resistance value, R2.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAs the wire electrode slides a distance L1 to the position illustrated in Fig. \u003cspan\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e(b), spark discharge occurs at the conductive block. Two insulating particles create a gap between the wire electrode and the conductive block. In the interelectrode equivalent circuit illustrated in Fig. \u003cspan\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e(b), the contact resistance R2 tends toward infinity, causing a decrease in the circuit current \u003cem\u003ei\u003c/em\u003e and a reduction in the partial voltage on the current limiting resistance R. Consequently, the voltage AC rises, and wave crests begin to appear. Under the influence of a strong electric field, the air between the wire electrode and the conductive block undergoes breakdown along the shortest path. The breakdown air exhibits good conductivity, equivalent to R3 (the resistance of the discharge channel) and ZD2 (the voltage regulator in the air) in series in Fig. \u003cspan\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e(b). Consequently, the voltage AC increases from 29 V to 37 V, contributing to the spark discharge between the wire electrode and the conductive block, as well as between the wire electrode and the workpiece.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAs the wire electrode continues to slide a distance L2 on the conductive block, the spark discharge persists until the wire electrode and the conductive block return to a state of short-circuit contact, as illustrated in Fig. \u003cspan\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e(c), and the spark discharge ceases. The spark duration, denoted as T, represents the time during which the wire electrode and the conductive block maintain a gap, evidenced by the wave crest M lasting for 2 \u0026micro;s. Figure \u003cspan\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e(c) illustrates that the time T is correlated with the size L2 of the insulating particles. Taking the measured insulation particle size of 20 \u0026micro;m from SEM in Fig. \u003cspan\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e as an example, at a wire traveling speed of 12 m/s, the continuous spark time T, calculated as \u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\\(\\:T=L2/V\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e is 1.6 \u0026micro;s. This duration aligns with the duration of the wave crest M and represents a pulse width at the microsecond level.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFrom the above analysis, spark discharge occurs in the air between the wire electrode and the conductive block owing to the presence of Al\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e and SiO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e insulating particles on the wire electrode surface. This results in an increase in voltage and the appearance of wave crests. The amplitude of the wave crest represents the voltage acting on the electrodes, while the duration of the wave crest indicates the duration of the spark discharge between the wire electrode and the conductive block. Moreover, the larger the volume of Al\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e and SiO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e insulating particles, the longer the spark discharge duration. Considering the entire pulse width, the wave crest duration, representing the action time of spark discharge at the conductive block, is variable owing to the uneven size and distribution of insulating particles adhering to the wire electrode.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e3.4 Mechanism of wire electrode breakage under high energy\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eExperiments have revealed that increasing the average machining current intensifies sparks at the conductive block, consequently increasing the likelihood of wire electrode breakage. The mechanism behind wire electrode breakage is analyzed as follows: First, Fig. \u003cspan\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e illustrates the voltage and current waveforms when spark discharge occurs between the wire electrode and the conductive block at different energy levels. Under low-energy conditions of one Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor (MOSFET) tube, the peak current is 12 A, and the voltage increases from 23 V to 32 V within 1.7 \u0026micro;s or 4.5 \u0026micro;s. In contrast, under high-energy conditions with 5 MOSFET tubes, the peak current is 34 A, and the voltage increases from 36 V to 46 V within 6.5\u0026micro;s. There is a notable disparity in both the amplitude and duration of the voltage wave crests under different energy levels.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eUnder low-energy machining conditions, the energy input is minimal, leading to a lower amplitude of voltage wave crests. Additionally, the erosion product particles generated by the molten gasification of the workpiece are small [\u003cspan\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e], resulting in a limited volume of insulating particles adhering to the wire electrode. Consequently, spark discharge exhibits a short action time, characterized by a brief peak duration, typically around 1.7 \u0026micro;s. A longer duration, such as 4.5 \u0026micro;s, may occur when insulating particles accumulate at a particular location on the wire electrode. At this stage, the wire electrode and conductive block experience low-energy, short-duration spark discharge. The wire electrode can still maintain a certain level of tensile strength, which explains why it is relatively resistant to breaking during SiCp/Al machining under low-energy conditions. Conversely, during machining under high-energy conditions, the amplitude and duration of the voltage wave crest increase significantly, indicating that the wire electrode and conductive block are subjected to high-energy, long-duration spark discharge. The wire electrode remains in a high-temperature discharge state in the air for an extended period, and it melts owing to its inability to withstand the discharge energy.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSecond, under high energy, the erosion depth of the conductive block rapidly increases, resulting in a rough groove surface. Additionally, the contact angle between the high-speed traveling wire electrode and the conductive block is minimal, and the wire electrode oscillations during operation further intensify the discharge formation between the conductive block and the wire electrode.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThird, the wire electrode and the conductive block remain in an unstable sliding contact state. Consequently, the wire electrode undergoes severe plastic deformation and eventually breaks owing to the combined effects of high discharge temperature, wire electrode tension, and frictional forces at the conductive block.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe utilization of the conductive block power supply method cannot meet the demand for persistent and efficient SiCp/Al WEDM under high-energy conditions.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"4 Open-guide-wheel power supply method","content":"\u003cp\u003eTo address the aforementioned issues associated with the current conductive block power supply method, the use of the guide wheel power supply method for SiCp/Al WEDM is proposed. The rationale is as follows: First, to tackle the spark discharge problem between the wire electrode and the conductive block, the guide wheel power supply method increases the contact area between the wire electrode and the guide wheel to 1/4 of the guide wheel circumference, thereby reducing the contact resistance. Although certain contact areas may be interrupted by insulating particles adhering to the wire electrode, overall, reliable short-circuit contact can still be established. This can effectively mitigate the electric corrosion effect between the wire electrode and the guide wheel. Second, for the wire electrode operating at high speeds and experiencing vibration, the utilization of the guide wheel power supply method enables rolling contact. This reduces the vibration of the wire electrode, thereby addressing the issue of wire breakage caused by unstable contact.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHowever, traditional guide wheel power supply methods encounter limitations during high-energy machining. The structural diagram is illustrated in Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e. Typically, power is supplied through the guide wheel shaft, which is in contact with either the power supply column and ball (Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003ea) or the carbon brush (Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003eb). Electrical energy is transmitted from aforementioned power supply device to the guide wheel and then to the wire electrode [\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e]. The average machining current that can be sustained is ~\u0026thinsp;4A. Because of the closed structure employed, the power supply device and guide wheel undergo significant friction and Joule heating during the cutting process, generating substantial heat in the contact area. If the average machining current is increased (e.g., \u0026gt;6A), the power supply device will melt owing to prolonged heat accumulation during processing. Consequently, the guide wheel cannot operate smoothly and transmit electrical energy, thereby impeding normal processing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHence, this paper introduces an open-guide-wheel power supply method. As illustrated in Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e, the setup is situated at the upper guide wheel of the HS-WEDM machine tool, and it mainly comprises the guide wheel and the round rod assembly. A spring is inserted into the assembly and positioned within the sleeve. The round rod assembly functions as a power supply device, with one end connected to the negative supply lead of the pulse power supply, while the other end maintains full contact with the guide wheel owing to the spring action. The red circular area of the guide wheel in Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e(c) represents the contact area between the power supply device and the guide wheel. In contrast to the traditional guide wheel power supply method that transmits electrical energy from the center point O, the power supply contact area is increased, and an unenclosed construction is adopted, facilitating efficient heat dissipation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe guide wheel operates smoothly without wire electrode breakage after continuous cutting for 8 hours at an average machining current of 7.5 A, demonstrating the reliability of open-guide-wheel power supply method. The temperature rise curve of the guide wheel surface, measured using a thermometer during processing, is illustrated in Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e, with a room temperature of 9\u0026deg;C. During the initial processing, there is a slight increase in the surface temperature of the guide wheel, but the rate of increase gradually decelerates until it stabilizes at 21\u0026deg;C, reaching thermal equilibrium. This indicates that the open-guide-wheel power supply method exhibits effective heat dissipation during high-energy processing, thereby meeting the requirements for consistent and efficient cutting.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"5 Machining sample","content":"\u003cp\u003eA persistent and efficient cutting test was conducted on a 70 mm 55vol% SiCp/Al sample using the open-guide-wheel power supply method. The processing conditions were based on the parameters outlined in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e. The workpiece is illustrated in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig15\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e. The total cutting area of the sample was 24640 mm\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e, and the cutting was completed within 3.5 hours. The average machining current was 6.5A, resulting in a cutting efficiency of 111.65 mm\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e/min, with a surface roughness of R\u003csub\u003ea\u003c/sub\u003e 2.98 \u0026micro;m.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThroughout the machining process, no sparks occurred between the guide wheel and the wire electrode, and the contact remained stable with a consistent power supply. As illustrated in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig16\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e, the open-guide-wheel power supply yielded a cutting efficiency over three times that achieved via the conductive block power supply under low-energy conditions for SiCp/Al WEDM. Moreover, the open-guide-wheel power supply method addresses the wire electrode breakage problem associated with the use of the conductive block power supply under high-energy conditions. Thus, the open-guide-wheel power supply method effectively achieves persistent and efficient SiCp/Al WEDM.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"6 Conclusions","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis article analyzes the issues associated with the existing conductive block power supply method under high energy conditions. And an open-guide-wheel power supply have been employed for persistent and efficient WEDM of SiCp/Al under high-energy conditions.Finally, the following main conclusions are obtained:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003col\u003e \u003cspan\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eHigh-volume-fraction SiCp/Al WEDM based on the conductive block power supply under high-energy conditions is prone to wire breakage owing to the following reasons: The presence of aluminum oxide and silicon dioxide insulating particles on the wire electrode surfaceleads to a gap discharge state between the wire electrode and the conductive block. Additionally, the contact angle between the wire electrode and the conductive block is small, resulting in unstable sliding contact. With an increase in discharge energy, the high-speed and vibrating wire electrode becomes susceptible to wire breakage owing to the combined effects of high discharge temperature, wire electrode tension, and frictional forces at the conductive block.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe open-guide-wheel power supply method enhances the contact area and angle between the wire electrode and the guide wheel, ensuring stable power supply through rolling contact. This effectively addresses the issue of wire breakage encountered with the conductive block power supply method under high-energy conditions. Moreover, the open structure resolves the problem encountered with the traditional guide wheel power supply method, preventing burnout of the power supply device due to its closed structure.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmploying the open-guide-wheel power supply method enables the realization of persistent and efficient cutting of 70 mm 55vol% SiCp/Al. The cutting efficiency reaches 111.65 mm\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e/min, over three times the long-term cutting efficiency achieved using the conductive block power supply method.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/ol\u003e \u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003eAcknowledgments The authors extend their sincere thanks to those who contributed in the preparation of the instructions.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding information\u003c/strong\u003e This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Number 51975290).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConflicts of interest\u003c/strong\u003e The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthical approval\u003c/strong\u003e Not applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent to participate\u003c/strong\u003e Not applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent to publish\u003c/strong\u003e Not applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors Contributions\u003c/strong\u003e All authors have been personally and actively involved in substantive work leading to the report.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailability of data and materials\u003c/strong\u003e The data and materials set supporting the results are included within the article.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCode availability\u003c/strong\u003e Not applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e-Ethical Approval伦理批准\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1. The manuscript has not been published in whole or in part elsewhere;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2. The paper is original and not have been published elsewhere in any form and language (partially or in full).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e3. All authors have been personally and actively involved in substantive work leading to the report and will hold themselves jointly and individually responsible for its content.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-Competing Interests利益冲突\u003c/p\u003e\n"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGEORGANTZIA E, GKANTOU M, KAMARIS G S. Aluminium Alloys As Structural Material: A Review of Research [J]. Engineering Structures,2021, 227, 111372. DOI:10.1016/j.engstruct.2020.111372.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCAO D F, LIU L S, LIU Q W, et al. Compressive Properties of SiC Particle-Reinforced Aluminum Matrix Composites under Repeated Impact Loading [J]. Strength of Materials, 2015, 47(1), 61\u0026ndash;67. 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Materials Today: Proceedings, 2023, 2214-7853. DOI:10.1016/j.matpr.2023.06.113.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYADAV B S C, MUNIAPPAN A, HARIKRISHNA K L, et al. Performance of Different Wire Electrode Materials on Kerf Width in WEDM of Aluminum Hybrid Composite [J]. Materials Today: Proceedings, 2022, 62, 1347-1355. DOI:10.1016/j.matpr.2022.04.802.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMOHAN B, RAJADURAI A, SATYANARAYANA K G. Electric Discharge Machining of Al\u0026ndash;SiC Metal Matrix Composites Using Rotary Tube Electrode [J]. Journal of materials processing technology 2004, 153, 978-985. DOI:10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2004.04.347.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYANG W S, CHEN G Q, WU P, et al. Electrical Discharge Machining of Al2024-65vol% SiC Composites [J]. Acta Metallurgica Sinica, 2017, 30(5), 447-455. DOI:10.1007/s40195-016-0515-x.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCHEN Z, ZHOU H B, YAN Z J, et al. Machining Characteristics of 65 vol.% SiCp/Al Composite in Micro-WEDM [J]. Ceramics International, 2021, 47, 13533-13543. DOI:10.1016/j.ceramint.2021.01.212. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePHATE M, TONEY S, PHATE V. Investigation on the Impact of Silicon Carbide and Process Parameters on Wire Cut-EDM of Al/SiCp MMC [J]. International Journal of Industrial Engineering \u0026amp; Production Research, 2020, 31(2), 177-187. DOI:10.22068/ijiepr.31.2.177.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCHEN Z, ZHOU H B, WU C, et al. A New Wire Electrode for Improving the Machining Characteristics of High-Volume Fraction SiCp/Al Composite in WEDM [J]. Materials, 2022, 15, 4098. DOI:10.3390/ ma15124098.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWANG W Z, QIU M B, LIU Z D, et al. Study on theInfluence of Kerosene Content on Burn in High Speed\u0026ndash;Wire Cut Electrical Discharge Machining Dielectric Fluid [J]. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 2020， 107, 3135\u0026ndash;3143. DOI:10.1007/s00170-020-05187-z.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHUANG Y Y. WEDM Technology for Carbon Silicon Aluminum Composite Material [J]. Metal Working, 2017, 9, 36-37. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-1641.2017.09.019.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCAO L, CHEN B, JIA Z D, et al. Research Progress and Aerospace Applications of Aluminum Matrix Composite [J]. Foundry Technology, 2023, 08, 685-705. DOI: 10.16410/j.issn1000-8365.2023.3202. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWANG Z L, GENG X S,CHI G X, et al. Surface Integrity Associated with SiC/Al Particulate Composite by Micro-Wire Electrical Discharge [J]. Materials and Manufacturing Processes, 2014, 29, 532-539. DOI:10.1080/10426914.2014.901520.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDENG C, LIU Z D, ZHANG M. Effect of Multi-Channel Discharge Distribution on Surface Homogeneity in Super-High-Thickness WEDM [J]. Chinese Journal of Aeronautics, 2023, 36(12), 442-450. DOI: 10.1016/j.cja.2023.03.025.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePAN H W, LIU Z D, LI C R, et al. Enhanced Debris Expelling in High-Speed Wire Electrical Discharge Machining [J]. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 2017, 93, 2913\u0026ndash;2920. DOI: 10.1007/s00170-017-0716-0.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eZHANG M, LIU Z D, PAN H W, et al. Effect of No-Load Rate on Recast Layer Cutting by Ultra Fine Wire-EDM [J]. Chinese Journal of Aeronautics, 2020, 34(4), 124-131. DOI: 10.1016/j.cja.2020.08.007.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLI W P. Electric Device of Wire Cutting Machine while Processing Aluminum Wire Electrode [J]. Mechanical \u0026amp; Electrical Engineering Magazine, 2014, 31 (11): 1423-1425. DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1001-4551.2014.11.011.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"the-international-journal-of-advanced-manufacturing-technology","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"jamt","sideBox":"Learn more about [The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology](https://www.springer.com/journal/170)","snPcode":"170","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/170/3","title":"The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"SiCp/Al, WEDM, Persistence and efficiency cutting, Wire electrode breakage, Power supply method","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5223710/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5223710/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe high-speed wire electrical discharge machining (HS-WEDM) of high-volume-fraction SiC particle-reinforced aluminum matrix composites (SiCp/Al) can only occur under low-energy conditions. Wire breakage easily occurs during the cutting of SiCp/Al through the conductive block power supply method under high-energy conditions, and the causes of this problem are analyzed in this study. To address this problem, an open-guide-wheel power supply method is proposed. This method increases the contact area and angle between the wire electrode and the guide wheel, achieving a stable power supply through rolling contact and effectively suppressing the electric corrosion effect. Additionally, the open structure resolves the issue of the power supply device burning out, which occurs with the traditional closed structure. The experimental results show that using the open-guide-wheel power supply method achieves persistent and efficient cutting of 70 mm 55vol% SiCp/Al. The cutting efficiency is 111.65 mm\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e/min, which is more than three times the long-term cutting efficiency of the conductive block power supply method.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Study on the persistent and efficient wire electrical discharge machining of SiCp/Al","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-10-15 11:19:13","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5223710/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Minor Revisions Needed","date":"2025-04-25T09:49:13+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"","date":"2024-10-11T23:34:46+00:00","index":0,"fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2024-10-11T13:19:21+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2024-10-09T12:31:14+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology","date":"2024-10-08T05:05:12+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"the-international-journal-of-advanced-manufacturing-technology","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"jamt","sideBox":"Learn more about [The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology](https://www.springer.com/journal/170)","snPcode":"170","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/170/3","title":"The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"680b2929-4811-48a2-80ec-782d679c0c00","owner":[],"postedDate":"October 15th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-06-09T16:09:24+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-5223710","link":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-025-15683-9","journal":{"identity":"the-international-journal-of-advanced-manufacturing-technology","isVorOnly":false,"title":"The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology"},"publishedOn":"2025-06-04 15:57:27","publishedOnDateReadable":"June 4th, 2025"},"versionCreatedAt":"2024-10-15 11:19:13","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1007/s00170-025-15683-9","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-025-15683-9","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-5223710","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-5223710","identity":"rs-5223710","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}