Int J Adv Manuf Technol
DOI 10.1007/s00170-014-5780-0
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Selection of optimal process parameters in WEDM while
machining Al7075/SiCp metal matrix composites
Thella Babu Rao & A. Gopala Krishna
Received: 30 September 2012 / Accepted: 10 March 2014
# Springer-Verlag London 2014
Abstract Aluminium metal matrix composites (MMCs) re-
inforced with silicon carbide particulate (SiCp) find several
applications due to their improved mechanical properties over
the conventional metals for a wide variety of aerospace and
automotive applications. However, the presence of discontin-
uously distributed hard ceramic in the MMCs made them as
difficult-to-cut materials for conventional machining methods.
The wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM), as a
widely adopted non-traditional machining method for
difficult-to-cut precision components, found an appropriate
metal removal process for MMCs to enhance quality of cut
within the stipulated cost. While machining the advanced
materials like MMCs, a clear understanding into the machin-
ing performance of the process for its control variables could
make the process uncomplicated and economical. In light of
the growing industrial need of making high performance-
low cost components, the investigation aimed to explore the
machining performance characteristics of SiCp reinforced
Al7075 matrix composites (Al7075/SiCp) during WEDM.
While conducting the machining experiments, surface
roughness, metal removal rate, and wire wear ratio are
considered the responses to evaluate the WEDM perfor-
mance. Response surface methodology is used to develop
the empirical models for these WEDM responses. SiC par-
ticulate size and volume percentages are considered the
process variables along with pulse-on time, pulse-off time,
T. B. Rao (*)
Department of Mechanical Engineering, GITAM University,
Hyderabad Campus 502 329, India
e-mail: baburao_thella@yahoo.co.in
A. G. Krishna
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College of
Engineering, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University,
Kakinada 533 003, Andhra Pradesh, India
e-mail: dr.a.gopalakrishna@gmail.com
and wire tension. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) is used to
check the adequacy of the developed models. Since the
machining responses are conflicting in nature, the problem
is formulated as a multi-objective optimization problem and
is solved using the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic
Algorithm-II to obtain the set of Pareto-optimal solutions.
The derived optimal process responses are confirmed by the
experimental validation tests, and the results are analyzed by
SEM.
Keywords Al7075/SiCp . Stir casting . WEDM .
Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II
1 Introduction
Ceramic reinforced metal matrix composites (MMCs) are now
gaining much attention in aerospace, naval, and automobile
industries [1]. The properties like light weight, hardness, good
wear resistance, and low thermal expansion are preferred over
the conventional alloys for a wide variety of the applications.
However, the presence of hard ceramic in the MMCs made
them difficult-to-cut. Therefore, effective machining of these
advanced materials has become a challenge to the present
manufacturing industries. Several experimental studies [25]
have been made on the machinability of the MMCs using
traditional machining methods like turning, milling, and dril-
ling. Tungsten carbide (WC) tools have been used in turning
to cut the Al/silicon carbide particulate (SiCp) MMCs [6]. A
rapid growth of BUE over the cutting insert was observed
during machining due to the presence of hard reinforcement in
the MMC. Also, because the welded BUE material would not
part off by the action of the cutting tool edge, this became
more severe while cutting at low speeds and resulted in severe
flank wear, surface roughness, and cutting forces. However,
PCD tools expressed better performance than WC tools [7].

As the SiC particulate is much harder than WC tools, Davim
[8] made a comparative experimental study between the cut-
ting performances of brazed polycrystalline diamond (PCD)
tools and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond-coated
tools for machining A356/SiC/20p MMCs. The obtained re-
sults showed that PCD tools are important in cutting this
composite type of reduced machinability. Actually, CVD
diamond-coated tools show a short life, as the tool wear
evolution becomes very fast after coating rupture. Therefore,
this analysis recommended the PCD tools for machining
MMCs to obtain a longer tool life and a better surface finish
than WC and CVD tools. Also, Caroline et al. [9] examined
the performances of CVD and PVD diamond tools for ma-
chining of Al/SiCp MMCs. The presence of abrasive in the
work material was found as the crucial cause for the rapid
progress of flank wear on both PVD and CVD tools. There-
fore, the research has been progressed towards the compensa-
tion of the consequences of the ceramic particulate in the
matrix by providing the chip breaker on tool and tool geom-
etry. Even though, during machining with conventional ma-
chining processes, the presence of abrasive particles at the
interface of the cutting tool and work piece causes rapid wear
of tool edge and significant damage to the cut surface as well
[10, 11]. The experimental investigations in the literature
realized that the conventional machining methods are not
appropriate for economical machining of MMCs while mak-
ing precision components.
Simultaneously, non-conventional machining methods as
non-contact metal removal methods have gained importance
to machine MMCs effectively in industries with their several
advanced technologies and amenities [1216]. These methods
have proven for effective machining of materials regardless of
the hardness and the complexity in contours over the compo-
nents. Electrical discharge machining (EDM), electrochemical
machining, abrasive jet machining, and laser beam machining
are the extensively adopted non-traditional machining
methods to machine MMCs [812]. However, these methods
are found as inadequate for making complex contoured com-
ponents and require huge and costly accessories. Subsequent-
ly, wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) as a non-
contact type machining method has proved as an economical
and efficient method for machining metal matrix composites
into complex contours [13, 14]. Therefore, the study of the
influence of the WEDM parameters for machining MMCs
became utmost important to improve the production effective-
ness and efficiency, while making the components with high
precision.
During WEDM, the presence of discontinuously distribut-
ed hard ceramic in the matrix results an abrupt breakage of
wire. In this context, Yan et al. [15] studied the reasons and
stated the remedies for wire breakage in account to the varying
content of ceramic reinforcements in the aluminum MMCs.
This investigation stated that the increased percentage of
Int J Adv Manuf Technol
reinforcement resulted widened and deepened the crater over
the surface of the electrode wire in turn caused to wire break-
age. Therefore, to prevent the wire breakage, high wire speed,
low wire tension, and high flushing rate were recommended to
machine MMCs. Patil et al. [16] evaluated the performance of
WEDM for machining Al/SiCp on the considerations of
pulse-on time, pulse-off time, pulse current, wire speed, wire
tension, and flushing pressure as process control variables to
study the cutting speed and surface finish. The experimental
investigations of Manna et al. [17] revealed that the metal
removal rate (MRR) is highly influenced by open gap voltage
followed by pulse-on time, while the surface roughness is
significantly affected by wire tension and wire feed. Seo
et al. [18] also conducted the EDM experiments on Al/SiCp
composites to maximize the metal removal rate in terms of
peak current and pulse-on time. Sushant et al. [19] investigat-
ed the effect of current, pulse-on time and air gap voltage on
MRR, tool wear rate, and radial overcut with the generation of
mathematical models and also found the increased trend of
MRR and radial over cut for increased pulse duration.
Karthikeyan et al. [20] developed mathematical models for
optimization of EDM characteristics. The performance mea-
sures modeled in that experimental study are material removal
rate, tool wear rate, and surface roughness. Ashish et al. [21]
conducted an experimental study on EDM process parameters
to derive the optimal settings of the process. Habib [22]
developed mathematical models for correlating the interactive
and higher order influences of various EDM parameters such
as pulse-on time, pulse peak current, average gap voltage, and
percent volume fraction of SiCp on material removal rate,
volumetric electrode wear, spark gap size, and surface rough-
ness. The response surface methodology (RSM) was used as
the modeling tool in this investigation. Garg et al. [23] con-
ducted an extensive literature review on various investigations
made with sinking EDM and WEDM on metal matrix com-
posite materials and concluded that (a) many of the investiga-
tion have been carried out in sinking EDM, while so much
work has not been reported on wire-EDM; and (b) most of the
research work has been carried out on optimization of perfor-
mance measures based on electrical process parameters and
flushing pressure; whereas, very little work has been done
with the consideration of the non-electrical process parameters
like work piece rotation, electrode rotation, size, and fraction
of reinforcement.
Keeping up with the expanding demands of high-
performance components made up of MMCs, the present
investigation focused on the following aspects when com-
pared with the earlier works: (a) the effect of different partic-
ulate sizes and their volume fractions have been taken into
consideration; and (b) three important performance measures
of WEDM, viz., surface roughness, metal removal rate, and
wire wear ratio have been treated as the objective functions to
simultaneously optimize them. The empirical modeling and
Int J Adv Manuf Technol

Fig. 1 Flow chart of overall

methodology Development of Machining and Response surface Prediction of
Al7075/SiCp recording of methodology models for
MMCs observations (RSM) responses
Model building

Pareto-optimal
Solutions Non-dominated

Obj.2
Formulation of
Sorting Genetic
Multi-objective
Algorithm-II
optimization problem
(NSGA-II)
Obj.1 Optimization

optimization of the WEDM parameters for machining of (NSGA-II) [24] has been used to obtain the optimal sets of
Al7075/SiCp MMCs has been carried out. The RSM has been solutions. The overall methodology of the present investiga-
used to develop the empirical models for the responses. Fur- tion is summarized in Fig. 1.
ther, these models are used for optimization. The optimization
problem is formulated as a multi-objective optimization prob-
lem, as the chosen objectives found with conflicting nature.
2 Response surface methodology (RSM)
An efficient and widely used multi-objective optimization
algorithm called Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm
The response surface methodology is one of the most effective
statistical methods introduced by G.E.P. Box and K. B. Wilson
Start [25] to develop and to analyze the interactive and quadratic
effects between the variables. It is a well-known and widely
Initialize used methodology to develop quantitative models in
population
of size N manufacturing and machining applications [2631]. The ex-
perimentally measured responses in the present investigation
Gen = 0 are considered for modeling and analysis using RSM. In
general, most of the experimental data fit to quadratic models,
Selection, crossover, Mutation and the general second-order polynomial response is de-
to create child population
Q of size N scribed as in Eq. (1).
Xn Xn X
Combined population Y y b0 bi x i bii x2i bij xi x j 1
R=P+Q
i1 i1 i< j

Front = 1
where Y is the estimated response on a logarithmic scale and y
is the measured response on a logarithmic scale. xi is the
Is No Identify logarithmic transformation of the ith variable, and n represents
gen=gen+1 Population Non-dominated
R sorted? Individual
Table 1 Properties of Al7075/SiCP

Yes Front =Front+1 SiCP UTS Elongation Hardness

Crowded distance size/vol.% (MPa) (%) (HB)
sorting
25 m / 5 % 220.66 4.00 96
New population 25 m / 10 % 240.50 2.40 94
P of size N 25 m / 15 % 264.25 0.65 99
50 m / 5 % 223.88 3.20 115
Yes
Is gen. < 50 m / 10 % 228.33 1.95 105
max.gen. 50 m / 15 % 258.22 0.45 103
75 m / 5 % 222.22 2.40 126
No
75 m / 10 % 238.88 1.26 124
Stop
75 m / 15 % 310.00 0.25 89
Fig. 2 Flow chart of NSGA-II
 Int J Adv Manuf Technol

(a) Table 3 Control factors and their levels

Sl. no Variable Notation Levels

1 0 +1

1 Particulate size (m) X1 25 50 75

2 Volume of SiCp (%) X2 5 10 15
3 Pulse-on time (s) X3 5 7 9
4 Pulse-off time (s) X4 25 35 45
5 Wire tension (g) X5 1 5 9

(b)
values are the estimates of the corresponding parameters
which are estimated by the method of least squares. In the
above equation, the second, the third, and the fourth term
represent the linear, the second-order, and the interactive
effects of the input variables, respectively. In the present work,
the development of the mathematical models and analysis was

Table 4 Design of experimental matrix: L27 Orthogonal array

Exp. no. Coded control factor Ra MRR WWR

(c) X1 X2 X3 X4 X5 (m) (g/min)

1 1 1 1 1 1 0.83 0.053 0.003

2 1 1 0 0 0 1.15 0.058 0.019
3 1 1 1 1 1 1.54 0.062 0.057
4 1 0 1 1 0 1.08 0.046 0.005
5 1 0 0 1 1 1.31 0.026 0.024
6 1 0 1 0 1 1.38 0.078 0.054
7 1 1 1 1 1 1.42 0.008 0.015
8 1 1 0 1 1 1.33 0.050 0.023
9 1 1 1 0 0 1.86 0.068 0.070
Fig. 3 Distribution of SiCp in Al7075 alloy matrix: (a) 25 m in size and 10 0 1 1 0 1 1.25 0.035 0.011
5 % in volume fraction, (b) 50 m in size and 10 % in volume fraction, 11 0 1 0 1 1 1.04 0.024 0.016
and (c) 75 m in size and 15 % in volume fraction 12 0 1 1 1 0 1.63 0.093 0.057
13 0 0 1 1 1 0.96 0.006 0.006
the number of input variables. is the experimental random 14 0 0 0 1 0 1.39 0.052 0.023
error which is normally distributed with mean equal to 0. b 15 0 0 1 0 1 1.89 0.071 0.074
16 0 1 1 1 0 1.51 0.029 0.014
Table 2 Machining conditions
17 0 1 0 0 1 1.85 0.033 0.043
(a) Work piece (anode): Al7075/SiCp MMCs 18 0 1 1 1 1 1.75 0.037 0.059
(b) Tool (cathode): brass wire of diameter 250 m 19 1 1 1 1 0 1.28 0.008 0.017
(c) Work piece height: 6 mm 20 1 1 0 1 1 1.72 0.058 0.034
(d) Cutting length: 75 mm 21 1 1 1 0 1 1.65 0.072 0.065
(e) Angle of cut: vertical 22 1 0 1 1 1 1.65 0.034 0.022
(f) Location of work piece: center to the table 23 1 0 0 0 1 1.41 0.036 0.033
(g) Servo reference voltage: 35 V 24 1 0 1 1 0 1.91 0.041 0.051
(h) Average voltage gap maintained: 40 V 25 1 1 1 0 1 1.53 0.017 0.025
(i) Die-electric temperature: 25 C 26 1 1 0 1 0 1.87 0.007 0.042
(j) Die-electric fluid: distilled water 27 1 1 1 1 1 2.57 0.067 0.092
Int J Adv Manuf Technol

done with the use of a statistical tool called Stat-Ease Design
Expert 6.0.9[32].
3 An evolutionary multi-objective optimization
approachNSGA-II
Evolutionary algorithms have an excellent competency in
exploring Pareto-optimal front for multi-objective optimiza-
tion problems. The present work involves the application of a
fast and elitist multi-objective genetic algorithm: NSGA-II
proposed by Deb [24]. It is an extensively used method to
generate a set of Pareto-optimal solutions for a distinct variety
of problems [3335]. Basically, it works on GA operators of
reproduction, crossover, and mutation and is having its supe-
riority with non-dominance and elitism which reduces the
computational complexity while exploring the Pareto-
optimal set [36]. The general flow chart of the NSGA-II is
shown in Fig. 2. Its simulation begins with the creation of a
parent population P of size N randomly. A child population Q
of size N is created by using the genetic operators. New
population R of size 2N is formed by joining the elements of
populations P and Q. Non-dominated sorting procedure is
then applied on the newly created population R to sort
and get the set of non-dominated individuals called non-
dominated fronts. These fronts are ranked based on their
non-dominance level. The elements in the non-dominated
fronts are diverged with the operation of crowded
comparison.
4 Experimental setup
4.1 Manufacturing of Al7075/SiCp MMCs
Al7075 cast aluminum alloy is selected as matrix alloy as it is
being used for variety of potential applications in aerospace and
automobile industries [37]. SiCp is used as a reinforcement as it
has superior mechanical and thermal properties and higher wear
resistance. The average size of the particulate is reinforced in

Table 5 ANOVA for surface

roughness (Ra) Source Sum of squares df Mean square F value Prob>F

Model 3.494824 20 0.174741 14,593.75 <0.0001 Significant

X1 0.245238 1 0.245238 20,481.41 <0.0001
X2 0.720000 1 0.72 60,131.76 <0.0001
X3 0.844255 1 0.844255 70,509.11 <0.0001
X4 0.009352 1 0.009352 781.0226 <0.0001
X5 0.177152 1 0.177152 14,795.08 <0.0001
X1 X2 0.001811 1 0.001811 151.2213 <0.0001
X1 X3 0.000636 1 0.000636 53.10732 0.0003
X1 X4 0.000049 1 0.000049 4.102780 0.0892
X1 X5 0.000654 1 0.000654 54.62808 0.0003
X2 X3 0.000713 1 0.000713 59.56677 0.0002
X2 X4 0.000247 1 0.000247 20.60186 0.0039
X2 X5 0.001138 1 0.001138 95.02215 <0.0001
X3 X4 0.000213 1 0.000213 17.81668 0.0056
X3 X5 0.000418 1 0.000418 34.87995 0.0010
X4 X5 0.000378 1 0.000378 31.55513 0.0014
X12 0.013024 1 0.013024 1087.724 <0.0001
X22 0.058093 1 0.058093 4851.683 <0.0001
X32 0.043656 1 0.043656 3645.977 <0.0001
X42 0.001214 1 0.001214 101.3944 <0.0001
X52 0.000509 1 0.000509 42.52981 0.0006
Residual 0.000071 6 0.000012
Cor total 3.494893 26
Std. dev. 0.00346 R2 0.9997
Mean 1.50963 Adj R2 0.9873
C.V. % 0.229215 Pred R2 0.9816
Press 0.062 Adeq precision 44.65357
 Int J Adv Manuf Technol

steps of 25, 50, and 75 m into the matrix alloy with the
proportions of 5 %, 10 %, and 15 % volume of each.
The simplest and most cost-effective liquid state fabrication
method, stir casting technique, was used to prepare the sam-
ples of Al7075/SiCp MMCs. The matrix alloy was melted to a
temperature of about 685 C in an induction furnace for
30 min, and then, the liquid was stirred at 200 rpm with an
impeller. The measured volume fractions of SiCp were
preheated to 200 C and mixed with the matrix melt separate-
ly, and stirring was continued for 30 min at the hold temper-
ature. This mixture was then poured into the preheated steel
cavity of size 6 mm50 mm80 mm and was allowed to
solidify in the ambient atmosphere. A total of 27 samples were
prepared by varying the particulate size and volume fraction
of reinforcement.
The cast samples of Al7075/SiCp MMCs were used to
examine the mechanical properties which includes ultimate
tensile strength (UTS), ductility and hardness. The obtained
properties are listed in Table 1. Scanning electron microscopic
(SEM) examinations were conducted to analyze the distribu-
tion and homogeneity of reinforced SiCp in cast composites
and are presented in Fig. 3. It can be observed that the
distribution of SiCp at different levels of volume fractions is
typically uniform without much agglomeration.
4.2 Machining of AA7075/SiCp MMCs
Machining experiments were conducted on the fabricated
AA7075/SiCp MMCs using a five-axis CNC-Wire Electrical
Discharge Machine, Model Number CT 520A, made by
Joemars Machinery and Electric Industrial Co. Ltd., Taiwan.
The machining conditions considered for experimentation are
listed in Table 2. During machining, particulate size, volume
fraction of SiCp, pulse-on time, pulse-off time, and wire
tension are selected as machining variables in three levels in
coded conditions as listed in Table 3. The levels of machining
variables are selected based on the literature survey and the
trial experiments.
Initially, the design of experiments was employed to min-
imize the number of experimental runs. The design matrix is
selected by using Taguchis orthogonal array, L27, which
needs 27 runs [38]. While conducting the machining

Table 6 ANOVA for metal re-

moval rate (MRR) Source Sum of squares df Mean square F value Prob>F

Model 0.014577 20 0.000729 5,930.257 <0.0001 Significant

X1 0.000262 1 0.000262 2,129.61 <0.0001
X2 0.001183 1 0.001183 9,622.416 <0.0001
X3 0.005411 1 0.005411 44,025.79 <0.0001
X4 0.001477 1 0.001477 12,019.99 <0.0001
X5 3.57E-06 1 3.57E-06 29.07011 0.0017
X1 X2 4.07E-07 1 4.07E-07 3.312788 0.1186
X1 X3 6.6E-07 1 6.6E-07 5.367123 0.0597
X1 X4 5.69E-07 1 5.69E-07 4.629136 0.0749
X1 X5 1.43E-08 1 1.43E-08 0.116725 0.7443
X2 X3 1.25E-05 1 1.25E-05 102.0632 <0.0001
X2 X4 1.89E-05 1 1.89E-05 153.7835 <0.0001
X2 X5 8.34E-07 1 8.34E-07 6.789263 0.0404
X3 X4 1.76E-05 1 1.76E-05 143.037 <0.0001
X3 X5 7.24E-07 1 7.24E-07 5.89372 0.0513
X4 X5 7.5E-07 1 7.5E-07 6.100378 0.0485
X12 1.56E-05 1 1.56E-05 126.7537 <0.0001
X22 1.98E-07 1 1.98E-07 1.612695 0.2511
X32 0.000352 1 0.000352 2,864.027 <0.0001
X42 0.000101 1 0.000101 822.3552 <0.0001
X52 9.44E-09 1 9.44E-09 0.076786 0.7910
Residual 7.37E-07 6 1.23E-07
Cor total 0.014577 26
Std. dev. 0.000351 R2 0.999949
Mean 0.043807 Adj R2 0.999781
C.V. % 0.800257 Pred R2 0.9993
Press 1.027E-005 Adeq precision 279.0923
Int J Adv Manuf Technol

Table 7 ANOVA for wire wear

ratio (WWR) Source Sum of squares df Mean square F value Prob>F

Model 0.014726 20 0.000736 45.91756 <0.0001 Significant

X1 0.000117 1 0.000117 7.326394 0.0353
X2 0.000604 1 0.000604 37.68895 <0.0009
X3 0.00856 1 0.00856 533.8232 <0.0001
X4 0.00012 1 0.00012 7.497709 0.0338
X5 0.00023 1 0.00023 14.35859 0.0091
X1 X2 6.65E-06 1 6.65E-06 0.414676 0.5434
X1 X3 7.88E-05 1 7.88E-05 4.912653 0.0685
X1 X4 2.72E-05 1 2.72E-05 1.698372 0.2403
X1 X5 5.25E-05 1 5.25E-05 3.276001 0.1203
X2 X3 3.08E-05 1 3.08E-05 1.918289 0.2153
X2 X4 4.79E-06 1 4.79E-06 0.298993 0.6042
X2 X5 7.92E-05 1 7.92E-05 4.941107 0.0679
X3 X4 5.45E-05 1 5.45E-05 3.397614 0.1149
X3 X5 1.49E-05 1 1.49E-05 0.930632 0.3720
X4 X5 2.36E-05 1 2.36E-05 1.47161 0.2707
X12 7.25E-05 1 7.25E-05 4.522672 0.0776
X22 9.61E-05 1 9.61E-05 5.995451 0.0499
X32 0.000636 1 0.000636 39.68863 0.0007
X42 1.44E-06 1 1.44E-06 0.089995 0.7743
X52 8.04E-05 1 8.04E-05 5.015388 0.0664
Residual 9.62E-05 6 1.6E-05
Cor total 0.014822 26
Std. dev. 0.004004 R2 0.993509
Mean 0.035807 Adj R2 0.971872
C.V. % 11.18325 Pred R2 0.9285
Press 1.060E-003 Adeq precision 24.94072

99 99

95 95
90 90
Normal % Probability

Normal % Probability

80 80
70 70

50 50

30 30
20 20

10 10
5 5

1 1

-1.59 -0.70 0.20 1.10 2.00 -1.85 -0.92 0.00 0.92 1.85
Studentized Residuals Studentized Residuals
Fig. 4 Normal probability plot of residuals for Ra Fig. 5 Normal probability plot of residuals for MRR
 Int J Adv Manuf Technol

1.95
99

Surface roughness (m)

1.75
95
90
1.54
Normal % Probability

80
70
1.34

50
1.14
30
20
1.00 1.00
10
0.50 0.50
5
0.00 0.00

1 Volume of SiCp (%) -0.50 -0.50

Particulate size (m)
-1.00 -1.00

Fig. 8 Interaction effect of particulate size and volume of SiCp on

-2.44 -1.38 -0.32
Studentized Residuals
Fig. 6 Normal probability plot of residuals for WWR
experiments, surface roughness (Ra), MRR, and wire wear
ratio (WWR) are treated as process responses to measure.
MITUTOYO surface roughness tester was used to measure
Ra with a 0.8-mm cut-off value. Six measurements were taken
at different locations in the direction of perpendicular to the
cutting direction, and the average of them was considered the
response value. The weights of work piece before and after
machining were measured. Machining time taken for each cut
is automatically displayed by the machine. Therefore, the
MMR is calculated as the ratio of the weight loss of the work
piece after each cut to the corresponding machining time. For
WWR measurement, the weight of the wire spool was mea-
sured before the machining, and the weight of discarded wire
surface roughness
0.75 1.81
after machining was measured. Then, WWR is calculated as the
ratio of the weight loss of wire after machining to the weight of
wire before machining. The weights of the wire before ma-
chining and after machining were measured using an electronic
balance with high accuracy and recorded as response value of
WWR. The measured responses are listed in Table 4.
5 Development of empirical models
The mathematical relationships between the control variables
and the responses are developed using the response surface
methodology. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) is adopted to
check the adequacy of the developed models. The individual
and interactive influences of the input variables on the output
response are also determined. The second-order models are

Fig. 7 Main effect of WEDM

parameters on surface roughness
Int J Adv Manuf Technol

postulated for the process responses because of the lower

predictability of the first-order model. Tables 5, 6, and 7 repre- 2.04
sent the ANOVA for Ra, MRR, and WWR, respectively. It is

Surface roughness (m)

observed from these tables that the p value is less than 0.05, 1.81

which indicates that the developed models for the responses are
1.57
statistically significant at 95 % confidence level [39]. Also, the
multiple regression coefficients (R2) for Ra, MRR, and WWR
1.34
are also found to be 0.9999, 0.9965, and 0.9979, respectively. It
shows that the second order models can explain the variation in 1.10
the measure responses up to the extent of 99.99 %, 99.65 %,
and 99.79 % respectively. The normal probability plots of the
1.00 1.00
residuals versus predicted response are presented in Figs. 4, 5,
0.50 0.50
and 6. These plots indicate that the residuals are located on a 0.00 0.00
straight line, which means that the errors are distributed nor- -0.50 -0.50
Pulse-on time (s) Volume of SiCp (%)
mally, and hence, the developed models are considered to be -1.00 -1.00

fairly fitted with the observed values. Therefore, the developed Fig. 9 Interaction effect of pulse-on-time and volume of SiCp on surface
second-order empirical models are reasonably adequate in roughness
representing the process.
The second-order models for surface roughness, metal remov- 6.1 Surface roughness
al rate and wire wear ratio were postulated based on the Eq. (1)
and are presented in the Eqs. (1), (2), and (3), respectively. Using Eq. (2), plots of surface roughness vs the chosen
process input variables were obtained for different levels as
Ra 1:3707 0:1983x1 0:2000x2 0:2603x3 0:0428x4 shown in Fig. 7. It is observed from this figure that the surface
0:1811x5 0:0164x1 x2 0:0118x1 x3 0:0058x1 x4 roughness is better at the lower levels of particulate size and
volume percent of the reinforcement, pulse-on time wire
0:0182x1 x5 0:0105x2 x3 0:0050x2 x4 0:0127x2 x5
tension, while the pulse-off time has a negative effect. For
0:0054x3 x4 0:0082x3 x5 0:0136x4 x5 0:0594x1 2
greater sizes and volume percentages, the height of the parti-
0:1014x2 2 0:0859x3 2 0:0216x4 2 0:0169x5 2 cles protrusion would be the higher, and in addition to this, a
2 higher time could be consumed to melt the matrix around the
particulate which results in large craters on the machined
MRR 0:03130:0041x1 0:0046x2 0:0081x3 0:0011x4 surface. Higher discharge energy (pulse-on time) also causes
0:0025x5 0:0003x1 x2 0:0017x1 x3 0:0013x1 x4 more effective explosions; these results in deeper craters on
the machined surface. While the pulse-off time as the time gap
0:0005x1 x5 0:0018x2 x3 0:0022x2 x4 0:0014x2 x5
between two successive pulses allows solidifying and wash-
0:0010x3 x4 0:0009x3 x5 0:0002x4 x5 0:0005x1 2
ing out the molten material from the cutting zone. Hence, an
0:0013x2 2 0:0008x3 2 0:001x4 2 0:0629x5 2
3
1.85
WWR 0:0263 0:0073x1 0:0057x2 0:0264x3
0:0006x4 0:0055x5 0:0009x1 x2 0:0003x1 x3
Surface roughness (m)

1.66

0:0013x1 x4 0:0009x1 x5 0:0012x2 x3

1.47
0:0001x2 x4 0:0019x2 x5 0:0005x3 x4
0:0026x3 x5 0:0002x4 x5 0:0037x1 2 1.27

0:0019x2 2 0:0114x3 2 0:0035x4 2 0:0017x5 2

4 1.08

1.00 1.00
0.50 0.50
6 Analysis of responses
0.00 0.00
-0.50 -0.50
Wire tension (gms) Volume of SiCp (%)
Based on ANOVA, the estimated individual and interaction -1.00 -1.00
effects of the process parameters for the responses are pre- Fig. 10 Interaction effect of wire tension and volume of SiCp on surface
sented in this section. roughness
 Int J Adv Manuf Technol

Fig. 11 Main effect of WEDM

parameters on metal removal rate

increase in pulse-off time resulted in improved surface rough- 6.2 Metal removal rate
ness. As the wire is thin and flexible, the increased tension
leads to dynamic stability condition during the explosion of Individual effects of the chosen process parameters on
spark resulted in more crater depth and caused increased the metal removal rate are depicted in Fig. 11. The
surface roughness as shown in Fig. 7. higher levels of particulate size, volume fractions, and
The Table 5 shows that the interaction effects of particulate pulse-off time deteriorated the metal removal rate with
size and percentage volume, pulse-on time and percentage increasing pulse-on time and wire tension. This could
volume, and wire tension and percentage volume are also be due to the effect of the presence of a large number
significant on surface roughness. Figure 8 presents the inter- of particles in a larger size between the spark gap.
action plot of particulate size and percentage volume and Higher pulse-on time and wire tension resulting im-
betters the surface roughness for the lower levels of both proved metal removal rate due to the intensified and
particulate size and percentage volume. The surface roughness concentrated spark at the cutting zone.
increased for the increase of pulse-on time along with the From the Table 6, the interaction effects of particu-
increased volume of fractions as presented in Fig. 9. From late percentage and pulse-on time, particulate percentage
the Fig. 10, lower levels of percentage of particulate and wire and pulse-off time, and pulse-on the and pulse-off time
tension together resulted in better surface roughness. are found to be significant for the metal removal rate.

0.08 0.06
Metal removal rate (gms/min)
Metal removal rate (gms/min)

0.07 0.05

0.05 0.04

0.04 0.02

0.02 0.01

1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00

0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
-0.50 -0.50 -0.50 -0.50
Pulse-on time (s) Volume of SiCp (%) Pulse-off time (s) Volume of SiCp (%)
-1.00 -1.00 -1.00 -1.00

Fig. 12 Interaction effect of volume of SiCp and pulse-on time on metal Fig. 13 Interaction effect of volume of SiCp and pulse-off time on metal
removal rate removal rate
Int J Adv Manuf Technol

6.3 Wire wear ratio

0.08
Figure 15 depicts the individual effects of the chosen process
Metal removal rate (gms/min)

0.06 parameters on the wire wear ratio. The increase in particulate

0.04
0.03
0.01
1.00
0.50
0.00
-0.50
Pulse-off time (s)
-1.00
Fig. 14 Interaction effect of pulse-on time and pulse-off time on metal
removal rate
Figure 12 presents the interaction plot of particulate
percentage and pulse-on time for MRR. It is depicted
in this figure that smaller volumes of SiC particulate
and higher pulse-on time are needed to improve the
metal removal rate. The reason could be that the larger
SiC particulate takes larger machining time; whereas,
the greater pulse-on time accelerates the metal removal
rate. However, greater volume of SiC reduced the MRR
simultaneously with increased non-cutting pulse-off time
as presented in Fig. 13. The interactive effect of pulse-
on time with the pulse-off time is presented in the
Fig. 14. During pulse-on time, the cutting takes place
while no cutting during the pulse-off time. Therefore,
higher values of pulse-on time with lower values of
pulse-off time resulted higher metal removal rate.
size, volume fraction, pulse-on time, and wire tension caused
the increase of the wire wear ratio while it decreased the pulse-
off time. This could be due to the presence of SiC particles in
the cutting zone that caused the secondary arcing, which lead to
the unstable arc which in turn caused to increase of pits and
cracks on the wire, and hence, increased the wire wear. How-
ever, the increase of pulse of time allows the cooling of the wire
1.00 as well as the workpiece, and hence, protects the thermal
0.50 resistivity of the wire from high intensity sparks.
0.00
From the Table 7, the SiC particulate size in interaction with
-0.50
Pulse-on time (s) pulse-on time and wire tension as well as the particulate volume
-1.00
in interaction with pulse-on time and wire tension are found to
be significant for the wire wear ratio. At higher particulate size
and volume, the wire wear ratio deteriorated for increased pulse-
on time and wire tension as presented in Figs. 16, 17, 18 and 19.
7 Formulation of optimization problem
In view of the process optimization, the developed mathemat-
ical models are subsequently used to formulate the optimiza-
tion problem with objective to minimize Ra, to maximize
MRR, and to minimize WRR simultaneously. Since the ob-
jective functions are found with the correlation for the process
parameters, the problem is formulated as a multi-objective
optimization problem. By considering the backward elimina-
tion procedure, the insignificant terms in the models were
eliminated, so that the complexities in the models were nearly
reduced.

Fig. 15 Main effect of process

parameters on wire wear ratio
 Int J Adv Manuf Technol

0.06 0.07

0.05 0.05
Wire wear ratio

Wire wear ratio

0.03 0.04

0.01 0.02

-0.00 0.00

1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00

0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
-0.50 -0.50
Pulse-on time (s) Particulate size (m) Pulse-on time (s) -0.50 -0.50
Volume of SiCp (%)
-1.00 -1.00 -1.00 -1.00
Fig. 16 Interaction effect of particulate size and pulse-on time on wire Fig. 18 Interaction effect of volume of SiCp and pulse-on time on wire
wear ratio wear ratio

The final equations, after eliminating the insignificant WWR 0:03860:0087x1 0:011x2 0:0159x3 0:0016x4
terms, are as follows: 0:0034x5 0:0055x1 x2 0:0029x1 x3 0:0051x1 x4
0:0055x2 x3 0:0044x2 x4 0:0035x2 x5 0:0017x3 x4
Ra 1:3707 0:1983x1 0:2000x2 0:2603x3 0:0430x4
0:0013x3 x5 0:0023x5 2
0:1811x5 0:0164x1 x2 0:0118x1 x3 0:0058x1 x4
7
0:0105x2 x3 0:0050x2 x4 0:0127x2 x5 0:1014x2 2
0:0859x3 2 0:0169x5 2
5 In the above equations, x1, x2, x3, x4, and x5 represent the
logarithmic transformations of particulate size, percentage of
volume of SiCP, pulse-on time, pulse-off time, and wire ten-
sion, respectively, and are as given below:
MRR 0:03130:0041x1 0:0046x2 0:0081x3 0:0006x4
0:0023x5 0:0026x1 x2 0:0014x1 x3 0:0021x1 x4
0:0019x2 x3 0:0022x2 x4 0:0014x2 x5 0:0016x2 2 InX 1 In50
0:0010x3 2 0:0629x5 2 x1 8
In75In50
6

0.05
0.04

0.03
0.04
Wire wear ratio
Wire wear ratio

0.03 0.03

0.02 0.02

0.01 0.02

1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00

0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
-0.50 -0.50 -0.50 -0.50
Wire tension (gms) Particulate size (m) Wire tension (gms) Volume of SiCp (%)
-1.00 -1.00 -1.00 -1.00

Fig. 17 Interaction effect of particulate size and wire tension on wire Fig. 19 Interaction effect of volume of SiCp and wire tension on wire
wear ratio wear ratio
Int J Adv Manuf Technol

Table 8 Feasible bounds for the variable

Variable Lower bound Upper bound

Particulate size (m) 25 75

Percentage of volume of SiCp 5 15
Pulse-on time (s) 5 9
Pulse-off time (s) 25 45
Wire tension (g) 1 9

InX 2 In10
x2 9
In15In10

Fig. 20 Pareto-optimal front

InX 3 In7
x3 10
In9In7
optimized subject to the feasible bounds of the control vari-
ables. The feasible bounds for the variable are listed in
Table 8.
InX 4 In35
x4 11
In45In35
Table 10 Optimum machining conditions

X1 X2 X3 X4 X5 Ra MRR WWR
(m) (%) (s) (s) (g) (m) (g/min)
InX 5 In5
x5 12 25.22 5.00 8.89 44.73 8.92 2.19 0.074 0.140
In9In5
72.36 5.29 7.54 25.25 1.04 0.93 0.025 0.013
29.40 5.40 8.37 25.13 8.89 3.10 0.059 0.093
72.74 5.36 8.33 44.58 1.02 1.09 0.030 0.019
The above relations were obtained from the following
50.86 5.12 8.35 25.03 8.94 2.60 0.052 0.076
transformation equation:
50.83 5.79 8.90 25.26 8.98 2.55 0.052 0.077
28.71 14.53 8.39 25.20 8.93 1.86 0.096 0.056
InX n InX n0
xn 13 25.12 5.25 8.83 44.49 8.92 4.05 0.072 0.135
InX n1 InX n0 25.02 6.31 8.81 25.17 8.91 3.10 0.060 0.094
72.66 5.14 6.69 44.91 1.25 0.91 0.024 0.007
Where, xn is the coded value of any factor corresponding to 73.00 5.48 8.16 25.06 1.01 1.02 0.028 0.020
its natural value Xn, Xn1 is the natural value of the factor at the 25.10 14.57 8.38 25.09 8.94 1.90 0.047 0.043
+1 level, and Xn0 is the natural value of the factor correspond- 25.77 13.3 8.88 25.04 8.96 2.05 0.049 0.051
ing to the base level or zero level. The objective functions are 25.82 5.06 6.87 44.58 1.02 0.79 0.023 0.002
25.19 5.40 8.85 44.93 8.96 3.99 0.072 0.133
29.58 6.36 8.85 25.21 8.91 2.93 0.058 0.089
Table 9 Control parameters of NSGA-II 29.70 6.45 8.15 25.23 8.88 2.73 0.053 0.080
25.02 13.33 7.57 25.13 8.88 1.82 0.044 0.041
S. No. Control parameter
25.13 14.60 8.73 25.23 8.68 1.95 0.048 0.046
1 Population size (N) 100 25.01 13.34 8.89 25.00 8.88 2.06 0.050 0.051
2 Number of generations 100 25.34 14.59 8.77 25.17 1.24 1.43 0.041 0.039
3 Crossover probability (pc) 0.9 72.66 5.14 6.69 44.79 1.17 0.85 0.023 0.004
4 Mutation probability (pm) 0.001 72.82 5.06 6.88 44.90 1.17 0.92 0.025 0.007
5 Distribution index for crossover operator (nc) 20 72.61 5.06 6.71 44.82 1.17 0.87 0.024 0.005
6 Distribution index for mutation operator (nm) 20 28.60 14.59 7.53 25.11 8.89 1.71 0.041 0.037

8 Implementation of NSGA-II
The source code of the proposed optimization algorithm
NSGA-II was implemented using VC++ and run on a Core 2
Duo processor system. Table 9 lists the control parameters,
which were used to implement NSGA-II. For the present
problem, the NSGA-II parameters were used to obtain the
Pareto set, which are as follows: population size=100, maxi-
mum number of generations=100, crossover probability=0.9,
and mutation probability=0.001, and the algorithm was run for
100 generations to achieve better convergence. It was repeated
ten times to get more number of points on the Pareto-optimal
front as shown in Fig. 20. In the Pareto-optimal front, no
solution is better than any other as they are non-dominated
solutions. The optimal values of the input variables and their
corresponding process response values are listed in Table 10.
The choice of a solution among the derived front has to be
made based on production requirements.
9 SEM micrographs
The machining tests were conducted at the optimal parameters
at the extremes of the Pareto-front, and their microstructures
(a)
Machined Surface
(b)
Pull outs Machined Surface
Fig. 21 SEM examination of surface roughness at Pareto-optimal front
extremes. (a) SEM photograph of machined surface at point 1. (b) SEM
photograph of machined surface at point 2
Int J Adv Manuf Technol
of work surface and wire wear were examined using SEM.
The obtained SEM micrographs are depicted in Figs. 21 and
22, respectively. The variation of the machining parameters
has considerably affected the machined surface quality as well
as the wire wear ratio respectively.
Figure 21a, b depicts the SEM images of machined surface
of work piece samples at the optimal points 1 and 2 of the
Pareto-front, respectively, as shown in Fig. 20. The finest
surface quality can be observed in Fig. 21a, which is an
SEM image of the sample with R a = 0.76 m, MRR =
0.021 g/min, WWR=0.007. Figure 21b displays the roughest
surface with the most enlarged craters and cavities. This is
primarily due to the higher volume of SiCp, the high value of
pulse-on time, and the higher wire tension. The presence of
the deepest craters and cavities has lead to the roughest surface
which is responsible for obtaining the maximum surface
roughness (Ra) of 3.64 m for this sample. The other re-
sponses at this point are MRR=0.068 g/min and WWR=
0.119.
Figure 22a, b displays the worn surfaces of the wire corre-
sponding to the process variables at the two extreme points
shown in the Pareto-front. On the worn surface, some of the
recast debris, pockmarks, melted drops, and craters can be
observed. The minimum worn surface is observed in Fig. 22a
(a)
(b)
Fig. 22 SEM examination of wire wear at Pareto-optimal front extremes.
(a) SEM photograph of wire wear at point 1. (b) SEM photograph of
wire wear at point 2
Int J Adv Manuf Technol
which is an SEM image of the sample with Ra =0. 76 m,
MRR=0.021 g/min, WWR=0. 007, while the Fig. 22b dis-
plays the surface of the wire which is greatly worn due to
higher volume of SiCP and higher value of pulse-on time.
10 Conclusions
& The present work proposed an evolutionary method to
determine the optimal machining parameters to achieve
high production rate and good surface quality with good
dimensional accuracy of machine components for ma-
chining the Al7075/SiCP using WEDM process.
& Response surface methodology was used to model the
responses of surface roughness (Ra), MRR, and WWR in
terms of the chosen process variables.
& The problem was formulated as a multi-constraint multi-
objective optimization problem to minimize Ra, maximize
MRR, and minimize WWR simultaneously.
& The most effectively used evolutionary algorithm NSGA-
II was simulated to solve the formulated optimization
problem.
& The resulted optimal solutions were confirmed with the
confirmation experiments and were also analyzed using
SEM examinations.
& Hence, the proposed work enables manufacturing engi-
neer to select the optimal WEDM conditions based on the
designed machined component quality indicators during
machining the Al7075/SiCP MMC.
& Consequently, WEDM process could be automated based
on the chosen optimal values.
References
1. Sikder S, Kishawy HA (2012) Analytical model for force prediction
when machining metal matrix composite. Int J Mech Sci 59:95103
2. Li X, Seah WKH (2001) Tool wear acceleration in relation to work-
piece reinforcement percentage in cutting of metal matrix compos-
ites. Wear 247:161171
3. Sahin Y (2003) Preparation and some properties of SiC particle
reinforced aluminium alloy composites. Mater Des 24:671679
4. Ciftci I, Turker M, Seker U (2004) CBN cutting tool wear during
machining of particulate reinforced MMCs. Wear 257:10411046
5. E. Klkap, O. akr, M. Aksoy, A. nan, Study of tool wear and
surface roughness in machining of homogenised SiC-p reinforced
aluminium metal matrix composite, Journal of Materials Processing
Technology 164165 (2005) 862867
6. Mannaa A, Bhattacharayya B (2003) A study on machinability of Al/
SiC-MMC. J Mater Process Technol 140:711716
7. Heath PJ (2001) Developments in applications of PCD tooling. J
Mater Process Technol 116:3138
8. Paulo Davim J (2002) Diamond tool performance in machining
metalmatrix composites. J Mater Process Technol 128:100105
9. Andrewes CJE, Feng H-Y, Lau WM (2000) Machining of an
aluminum/SiC composite using diamond inserts. J Mater Process
Technol 102:2529
10. Muthukrishnan N, Murugan M, Prahlada Rao K (2008)
Machinability issues in turning of Al-SiC (10p) metal matrix com-
posites. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 39:211218
11. Palanikumar K, Muthukrishnan N, Hariprasad KS (2008) Surface
roughness parameters optimization in machining a356/ SiC/20p met-
al matrix composites by PCD tool using response surface methodol-
ogy and desirability function. Mach Sci Technol 12:529545
12. Senthilkumar RC, Ganesan G, Karthikeyan R (2009) Study of elec-
trochemical machining characteristics of Al/SiCp composites. Int J
Adv Manuf Technol 43:256263
13. Kok M (2010) Tool life modeling for evaluating the effects of cutting
speed and reinforcements on the machining of particle reinforced
metal matrix composites. Int J Miner Metall Mater 17(3):353362
14. Ho KH, Newman ST, Rahimifard S, Allen RD (2004) State of the art
in wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM). Int J Mach Tools
Manuf 44:12471259
15. Yan BH, Tsai HC, Huang FY, Lee LC (2005) Examination of wire
electrical discharge machining of Al2O3p /6061Al composites. Int J
Mach Tools Manuf 45:251259
16. Patil NG, Brahmankar PK (2006) Some investigations into wire
electro-discharge machining performance of Al/SiCp composites.
Int J Mach Mach Mater 1(4):412431
17. Manna A, Bhattacharyya B (2006) Taguchi and Gauss elimination
method: A dual response approach for parametric optimization of
CNC wire cut EDM of PR AlSiC MMC. Int J Adv Manuf Technol
28:6775
18. Seo YW, Kim D, Ramulu M (2006) Electrical discharge machining
of functionally graded 1535 vol % SiCp/Al composites. J Mater
Manuf Proc 21:479487
19. Sushant D, Rajesh P, Nishant S, Akhil S, Hemath Kumar G (2007)
Mathematical modeling of electric discharge machining of cast Al-
4Cu-6Si alloy-10 wt. % SiCp composites. J Mater Process Technol
194:2429
20. Karthikeyan R, Lakshmi Narayanan PR, Naagarazan RS (1999)
Mathematical modeling for electric discharge machining of alumin-
iumsilicon carbide particulate composites. J Mater Process Technol
87:5963
21. Warrier Ashish M, George PM, Raghunath BK, Manocha LM (2004)
EDM machining of carboncarbon compositeATaguchi approach. J
Mater Process Technol 145:6671
22. Habib SS (2009) Study of the parameters in electrical discharge
machining throughresponse surface methodology approach. Appl
Math Model 33:43974407
23. Garg RK, Singh KK, Anish S, Sharma VS, Kuldeep O, Sharanjit S
(2010) Review of research work in sinking EDM and WEDM on
metal matrix composite materials. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 50:611
624
24. Kalyanmoy D, Samir A, Amrit P, Meyarivan T (2002) A Fast Elitist
Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm for Multi-Objective
Optimization: NSGA-II. IEEE Trans Evol Comput 6:2
25. Box GEP, Wilson KB (1951) On the Experimental Attainment of
Optimum Conditions (with discussion). J R Stat Soc Ser B 13(1):145
26. Kilickap E, Huseyinoglu M, Yardimeden A (2011) Optimization of
drilling parameters on surface roughness in drilling of AISI 1045
using response surface methodology and genetic algorithm. Int J Adv
Manuf Technol 52:7988
27. Palanikumar K (2007) Modeling and analysis for surface roughness
in machining glass fibre reinforced plastics using response surface
methodology. Mater Des 28:26112618
28. Palanikumar K, Latha B, Senthilkumar VS, Karthikeyan R (2009)
Multiple performance optimization in machining of GFRP compos-
ites by a PCD tools using non dominated sorting genetic algorithm
(NSGA-II). Met Mater Int 15(2):249258

29. Kansal HK, Sehijpal S, Kumar P (2005) Parametric optimization of
powder mixed electrical discharge machining by response surface
methodology. Int J Mater Proc Technol 169:427436
30. Yusuf Sahin A, Motorcu R (2005) Surface roughness model for
machining mild steel. Mater Des 26(4):321326
31. Ghafari S, Aziz HA, Isa MH, Zinatizadeh AA (2009) Application of
response surface methodology (RSM) to optimize coagulationfloc-
culation treatment of leachate using poly-aluminum chloride (PAC)
and alum. J Hazard Mater 163:650656
32. Stat-Ease Inc (2001) Design-Expert Software, Educational Version
6.0.9 for Windows, John Wiley & Sons, Inc
33. Kanagarajan D, Karthikeyan R, Palanikumar K, Paulo Davim J
(2008) Optimization of electrical discharge machining characteristics
of WC/Co composites using non-dominated sorting genetic algo-
rithm (NSGA-II). Int J Adv Manuf Technol 36:11241132
34. Saravanan R, Ramabalan S, Godwin Raja Ebenezer N,
Natarajan R (2009) Evolutionary bi-criteria optimum design
Int J Adv Manuf Technol
of robots based on task specifications. Int J Adv Manuf
Technol 41:386406
35. Mandal D, Pal SK, Partha S (2007) Modelling of electrical discharge
machining process using back propagation neural network and multi-
objective optimization using non-dominated sorting genetic
algorithm-II. J Mate Proc Technol 186:154162
36. Deb K (2001) Multi-objective optimization using evolutionary algo-
rithms. Wiley, Chichester
37. Bhushan RK, Kumar S, Das S (2013) Fabrication and characteriza-
tion of 7075 Al alloy reinforced with SiC particulates. Int J Adv
Manuf Technol 65(58):611624
38. Palanikumar K, Karthikeyan R (2006) Optimal machining conditions
for turning of particulate metal matrix composites using Taguchi and
response surface methodologies. Mach Sci Technol: Intern J 10(4):
417433
39. Montgomery DC, Peck EA, Vining GG (2003) Introduction to linear
regression analysis, 3rd edn. Wiley, New York