H. T.

Lee1
Professor Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan e-mail: htlee@mail.ncku.edu.tw

T. Y. Tai
Assistant Professor Department of Mechanical Engineering, Southern Taiwan University of Technology, Tainan 701, Taiwan

Effect of Material Physical Properties on Residual Stress Measurement by EDM Hole-Drilling Method
When measuring the residual stress within a component using the electrical discharge machining (EDM) strain-gage method, a metallurgical transformation layer is formed on the wall of the measurement hole. This transformation layer induces an additional residual stress and therefore introduces a measurement error. In this study, it is shown that given an appropriate set of machining conditions, this measurement error can be compensated directly using a calibration stress factor cal computed in accordance with the properties of the workpiece material. It is shown that for EDM machining conditions of 120 V/12 A/6 s / 30 s (discharge voltage/pulse current/pulse-on duration/pulse-off duration), the hole-drilling induced stress reduces with an increasing thermal conductivity k in accordance with the relation cal 325.5k 0.65 MPa and increases linearly with an increasing carbon equivalent (CE) in accordance with cal 7.6 CE 22.4 MPa. Therefore, a given knowledge of the thermal conductivity coefcient or carbon equivalent of the workpiece material, an accurate value of the true residual stress within a component can be obtained simply by subtracting the computed value of the calibration stress from the stress value obtained in accordance with the EDM holedrilling strain-gage method prescribed in ASTM E837. DOI: 10.1115/1.4000219 Keywords: EDM, thermal conductivity, carbon equivalent, residual stress

C. Liu
Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan

F. C. Hsu
Research Engineer Metal Industries Research and Development Centre, 1001 Kaonan Highway, Kaohsiung 811, Taiwan

J. M. Hsu
Master of Science Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan

Introduction

Engineering components invariably contain a certain degree of residual stress induced either in their original manufacture or during their subsequent service lives. While in some cases residual stresses may be deliberately induced in order to obtain an improved performance, e.g., prestressed concrete columns and toughened glass, tensile residual stresses lead to a signicant reduction in the mechanical properties of the component leading to a loss in strength, an increased susceptibility to fatigue, creep or environmental damage, a shortened service life, and in extreme cases, catastrophic failure. As a result, a requirement exists for reliable methods with which to assess the level of residual stress within a component such that its performance can be accurately predicted and its mechanical integrity assured. Many techniques have been proposed to satisfy this requirement, ranging from nondestructive methods, such as X-ray diffraction or magnetic and ultrasonic methods, to semidestructive techniques, such as highspeed hole-drilling or ring core and deep hole methods, to sectioning methods, such as block removal, splitting, slicing, and so forth. Of these various techniques, hole-drilling methods in which the residual stress is computed by using a strain-gage to measure, the intensity of the strain released as a hole is drilled into the component of interest, have a number of signicant advantages. For example, the measurement holes have very small depth and diameter, and thus the damage caused to the component is highly localized, has little or no effect on the service life. Furthermore, the
1 Corresponding author. Contributed by the Materials Division of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY. Manuscript received November 5, 2008; nal manuscript received June 30, 2009; published online March 21, 2011. Assoc. Editor: Hussein Zbib.

analytical formulae used to establish the value of the residual stress are founded on well established, tried-and-tested engineering principles. Finally, hole-drilling techniques have a simple experimental setup, a straightforward operation, and a high degree of precision. As a result, the hole-drilling strain-gage method is widely used throughout the industrial and engineering circles for residual stress measurement and is formally embodied in the ASTM E837 standard 1 . However, traditional high-speed holedrilling strain-gage methods have a limited ability to measure the residual stress in components with high hardness and high toughness properties. When drilling such components, the tool rapidly becomes worn, which not only degrades the quality of the measurement hole but also generates a signicant additional residual stress within the component, and therefore produces a measurement error. Compared with traditional high-speed machining processes in which the material is mechanically cut from the workpiece by a rotating tool, in the electrical discharge machining EDM process, the workpiece material is removed via the ablation effect of a series of high-frequency electrical discharges generated through a thin dielectric layer separating the machining electrode and the workpiece surface. EDM is a noncontact machining process, and thus the problem of tool wear is resolved. Furthermore, EDM is capable of machining even the hardest and toughest of engineering materials and is widely applied throughout the modern metal-working industry as a result. Consequently, EDM represents an ideal solution for the hole-drilling strain-gage residual stress measurement technique 2,3 . However, the rapid heating and cooling effects inherent in the EDM machining process prompt a change in the local microstructure and result in the formation of a hard, brittle transformation layer on the machined surface. The mechanical properties of this transformation layer depend on the localized heating and cooling rates, and therefore vary with the distance from the machined surface. The differential changes in the hardness and microstrucAPRIL 2011, Vol. 133 / 021014-1

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tural characteristics of the transformation layer and underlying heat-affected zone induce a tensile residual stress. Residual stress induced during EDM process is due to nonhomogeneity of heat ow and metallurgical transformations or to localized inhomogeneous plastic deformation. Investigation of the residual stress of electrical discharge machined surface indicated their tensile nature; the extremely narrow supercial zone beneath the machined surface. The magnitude can be easily up to several hundred MPa 46 . However, the formation of surface cracks has attributed to stress release within the recast layer. In the EDM hole-drilling strain-gage method, the formation of a transformation layer on the surface of the measurement hole leads to a signicant measurement error since the value of the released strain detected by the strain-gage reects not only the original residual stress within the component, but also that induced during the hole-drilling operation itself 7 . As a result, some form of calibration procedure is required to compensate for this additional residual stress such that an accurate assessment of the original residual stress within the workpiece can be obtained. In previous studies by the current group, it was shown that the value of the hole-drilling induced stress is independent of the original stress intensity within the component, and as a result, the measured value of the residual stress can be calibrated by subtracting the value of the residual stress induced by a hole-drilling operation in a stress-free specimen of the equivalent type 8,9 . However, this technique, while undeniably effective, incurs considerable time, manpower, and material costs. Moreover, the calibration factor must be re-evaluated whenever a change is made in the EDM machining parameters. As a result, the practicality of the calibration method is somewhat limited. Accordingly, this study commences by investigating the correlation between the EDM machining parameters and the magnitude of the residual stress induced during the hole-drilling operation such that the machining conditions, which yield a low and reproducible value of the residual stress can be identied. Having done so, a further series of machining trials are performed to establish the correlation between the magnitude of the hole-drilling induced stress and the properties of the workpiece material such that the stress measurements obtained using the EDM hole-drilling straingage method can be calibrated directly without the need for any form of additional calibration experiment.

Fig. 1 The facility of EDM hole-drilling method

Experiments

The EDM hole-drilling experiments presented in this study were carried out using a 21-series computer numerical control CNC die-sinking EDM machine produced by Yawjet Inc. Taiwan and were conducted in accordance with the ASTM E837 standard using an FLA-2-11 strain-gage manufactured by Tokyo Sokki Kenkyujo Co., Ltd. Japan and a P-3500 strain indicator from Vishay Measurements Group Inc. USA . The facility is reveals in Fig. 1. The experiments were performed using ve common ferrous materials, namely, AISI 4140, L6, H13, M2, and D2, respectively, and were conducted using a solid CuW electrode with an external diameter of 1.5 mm and a kerosene dielectric. Prior to the machining trials, the workpiece specimens were heat treated to ensure a fully stress-free condition 10 . The experiments commenced by examining the correlation between the EDM machining parameters and the magnitude of the hole-drilling induced stress. Of the various EDM parameters, the pulse current and pulse-on duration are known to have the greatest effect on the induced residual stress. Accordingly, a series of EDM hole-drilling experiments was performed using AISI D2 specimens in which the pulse-off duration was maintained at a constant value of 30 s and the pulse current and pulse-on duration were varied as shown in Table 1. In every case, the surface morphology of the measurement hole was observed using backscattered image of scanning electron microscopy SEM and the value of the hole-drilling induced stress was computed in accordance with the formulae provided in ASTM E837. Having com021014-2 / Vol. 133, APRIL 2011

pleted the experimental trials and observations, the optimal set of machining conditions was identied by considering the geometrical precision of the drilled hole, the machining efciency, the quality of the machined surface, and so on. To investigate the effect of the material properties on the magnitude of the hole-drilling induced stress, a second set of experiments was performed in which the optimal machining parameters were used to carry out the EDM hole-drilling of all ve stress-free ferrous specimens considered in the present study, namely, AISI 4140 and L6 low alloy steels , H13 hot working tool steel , M2 high-speed tool steel , and D2 cold working tool steel . In each case, the hole-drilling induced stress was evaluated in accordance with the ASTM E837 standard and the characteristics of the machined surfaces were examined using SEM. Finally, mathematical formulations were constructed to model the correlation between the hole-drilling induced stress and two material parameters, namely, the thermal conductivity coefcient and the carbon equivalent in order to enable the direct calibration of the residual stress measurements obtained using the EDM hole-drilling straingage method.

Results and Discussion

3.1 Selection of Optimal EDM Conditions. As discussed below, the choice of suitable EDM parameters for the hole-drilling process is governed by ve main considerations, namely, the quality of the drilled hole, the size and intensity of the discharge spark, the stability of the discharge sparks, the machining duration, and the integrity of the machined surface.

Table 1 Summary of EDM parameter settings used in holedrilling experiments Pulse-on duration s 3 6 9 12 Pulse current 4A No. 1 8A No. 2 12A No. No. No. No. 5 6 3 7 16A No. 4 -

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3.1.1 Quality of Drilled Hole. In the EDM hole-drilling straingage method, the magnitude of the released strain is critically dependent on the geometry of the drilled hole. In evaluating the residual stress within a component, the formulations prescribed within the ASTM E837 standard assume the base of the hole to be at and parallel to the workpiece surface. In practice, however, the geometry of the hole depends on the rate at which the electrode is consumed. If the electrode is consumed too rapidly, the base of the hole has a conical rather than at prole, and thus the computed value of the residual stress is subject to signicant error. As a result, a correct choice of machining conditions is essential to ensure that the electrode consumption is maintained at an acceptable level. In the current machining trials, it was found that all seven pulse current/pulse-on duration combinations indicated in Table 1 limited the rate at which the CuW electrode was consumed and thus the geometry of the drilled hole was found to be consistent with the constraints laid down in ASTM E837 in every case. 3.1.2 Size and Intensity of Discharge Spark. The magnitude of the residual stress induced during the hole-drilling operation is directly related to the localized heating and cooling effects induced by each electrical discharge. In practice, as the size and intensity of the discharge spark increase, the amount of thermal energy supplied to the workpiece also increases, and thus a thicker transformation layer with a higher residual stress is formed on the workpiece surface. Moreover, the strength of the pressure pulse generated by each electrical spark also increases as the intensity of the spark increases, and thus the strain-gage is easily damaged. Consequently, it is necessary to control the machining parameters in such a way as to achieve a compromise between an acceptable machining rate and the need to maintain the measurement capabilities of the strain-gage. In the current trials, it was found that machining conditions of 16 A / 9 s pulse current/pulse-on duration caused signicant burn damage to the strain-gage. Thus, it was concluded that the pulse current should be assigned a value no higher than 12 A to ensure the reliability of the strain measurements. 3.1.3 Stability of Discharge Sparks. During the EDM machining process, the accumulation of carbon deposits on the workpiece surface, or an excessive value of the duty cycle, prevents the kerosene dielectric from restoring an insulating property between the electrode and the workpiece in the interval between successive sparks. As a consequence, a secondary discharge phenomenon is induced in which the workpiece is bombarded by multiple electrical discharges within a conned region of the workpiece surface. These multiple discharges generate an intense localized heating effect, which not only increases the magnitude of the hole-drilling residual stress but also prompts a severe degradation in the surface roughness properties of the machined surface. In the current experiments, it was observed that excessive carbon deposits were invariably formed on the surface of the drilled measurement hole when the machining process was performed using machining parameters of 4 A / 9 s or 12 A / 12 s, and were occasionally formed under machining conditions of 8 A / 9 s. 3.1.4 Machining Duration. When using the EDM hole-drilling strain-gage method, it is desirable to increase the machining speed in order to reduce the machining time. Furthermore, it is generally accepted that the hole-drilling operation should last no longer than 4060 min since the strain-gage tends to become damaged if machining is continued beyond this point. In practice, the machining rate increases with the intensity of the electrical discharges. However, as discussed above, the strain-gage is easily damaged if the size and intensity of the electrical discharges are not carefully controlled. Therefore, in specifying the machining parameters a compromise is inevitably required. In the hole-drilling experiments performed in this study, it was found that the time required to drill the hole to the maximum depth specied in the ASTM Journal of Engineering Materials and Technology

Fig. 2 Inuence of pulse current and pulse-on duration parameters on hole-drilling induced stress and time required to achieved specied machining depth

E837 standard exceeded 1 h when the machining parameters were specied as 4 A / 9 s or 8 A / 9 s see Fig. 2 . Accordingly, these particular machining conditions were deemed to be infeasible for the current ferrous specimens. 3.1.5 Integrity of Machined Surface. In the EDM machining process, the molten metal, which is not swept away from the machining area by the dielectric solidies to form a brittle recast layer. Since this recast layer cools more rapidly than the underlying base material, an intense thermally induced stress is generated within the workpiece. If the magnitude of this stress exceeds the maximum tensile strength of the workpiece material, surface cracks are formed as the recast layer cools. In a previous study 11 , the current group reported that the surface cracking phenomenon resulted in smaller values of the detected strain since the residual stress induced in the hole-drilling process was partially released each time a new crack was initiated in the workpiece surface. Figure 3 presents backscattered scanning images showing the surface morphologies of AISI D2 specimens machined using all of the parameter combinations summarized in Table 1. It is seen that each specimen is affected to a greater or lesser extent by surface cracking. From a close inspection of the size and density of the cracks shown in the various images in Fig. 3, it can be inferred that the seven machining conditions indicated in Table 1 can be ranked in terms of their surface cracking effects as follows: 12 A/12 s 16 A/9 8 A/9 s s 12 A/9 12 A/3 s s 4 A/9 12 A/6 s s

Reviewing the results and discussions presented above, it is inferred that the optimal EDM hole-drilling parameters for AISI D2 steel are as follows: 1 2 3 4 a a a a discharge voltage of 120 V pulse current of 12 A pulse-on duration of 6 s pulse-off duration of 30 s

Accordingly, these parameter settings were utilized in a second series of EDM machining tests designed to evaluate the effects of the workpiece material properties on the magnitude of the residual stress induced during the hole-drilling process. 3.2 Correlation Between Thermal Conductivity Coefcient and Hole-Drilling Induced Stress. Table 2 summarizes the thermal conductivity coefcients of the ve ferrous materials considered in the present study and indicates the corresponding value of the hole-drilling induced stress as evaluated using the optimal machining conditions described above. Note that the thermal conductivity coefcient of AISI 1045 and the corresponding holedrilling induced stress reproduced from Ref. 12 are also presented for comparison purposes. The data presented in Table 2 are APRIL 2011, Vol. 133 / 021014-3

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Fig. 3 Backscattered electron images showing AISI D2 surface morphology following machining under various EDM conditions note that the arrows indicate surface cracks

Table 2 Thermal conductivity and calibration stress values for ferrous materials considered in present study and AISI 1045 considered in Ref. 7 Thermal conductivity W m1 K1 42.7 36.4 28.6 21.3 20.9 50.2 Calibration stress value MPa 27.5 31.1 34.4 42.9 34.1 25.8 7 28.7 31.5 36.7 44.9 33.9 37.9 45.5 31.4 46.6 30.0 Average MPa 28.1 31.3 36.3 45.0 32.4 25.8

Materials 4140 L6 H13 M2 D2 1045

Fig. 4 Variation in calibration stress with thermal conductivity of workpiece material note that the EDM conditions are 120 V/12 A/6 s / 30 s in every case

plotted in a graphical form in Fig. 4. In general, it is observed that the magnitude of the hole-drilling induced stress referred to hereafter as the calibration stress decreases as the thermal conductivity coefcient increases. However, it can be seen that the AISI D2 specimen is a notable exception to this trend, i.e., it has a low calibration stress despite having the lowest thermal conductivity of all the specimens shown in the gure. As discussed below, the distinctive behavior of this particular specimen suggests that the material properties of AISI D2 steel are different in some way from those of the other ferrous specimens and therefore result in a different mechanical response when processed using the same machining conditions. Figure 5 presents backscattered electron images showing the surface morphologies of the measurement holes drilled in AISI 4140, L6, H13, M2, and D2 specimens under the optimal EDM conditions of 120 V/12 A/6 s / 30 s. It can be seen that under a 300X magnication; surface cracks are evident only in the AISI D2 specimen. As commented above, AISI D2 has the lowest thermal conductivity of the present specimens 20.9 W m1 K1 , and the images presented in Fig. 5 suggest that this causes the AISI D2 specimen to be more prone to surface cracking. As discussed in Ref. 11 , the initiation and propagation of cracks within the transformation layer results in a partial release of the hole-drilling induced residual stress. As a result, the AISI D2 specimen has a relatively low calibration stress even though it has a low thermal conductivity see Fig. 4 . Applying a curve tting technique to the experimental data presented in Fig. 4, it is found that the calibration stress varies with the thermal conductivity coefcient k in accordance with the relation cal = 150.7k0.44 MPa. However, the correlation coefcient is found to be just R2 = 0.6712 due to the outlier effect of the AISI D2 specimen, and thus this mathematical correlation is inappropriate for calibrating the value of the residual stress measured in stressed components using the EDM hole-

Fig. 5 Backscattered electron images showing surface morphologies of current ferrous specimens machined under EDM conditions of 120V/12A/6 s / 30 s note that the arrows indicate surface cracks

021014-4 / Vol. 133, APRIL 2011

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Fig. 6 Variation in calibration stress with thermal conductivity note that the EDM conditions are 120V/12A/6 s / 30 s in every case; also, the results are presented only for those specimens in which a crack-free recast layer is obtained, i.e., the calibration stress for the AISI D2 specimen is deliberately omitted

Fig. 7 Variation in calibration stress with carbon equivalent note that the EDM conditions are 120V/12A/6 s / 30 s in every case; also the results are presented only for those specimens in which a crack-free recast layer is obtained, i.e., the calibration stress for the AISI D2 specimen is deliberately omitted

drilling strain-gage method. When the AISI D2 specimen is omitted and the data presented in Table 2 are replotted, Fig. 6 shows that the calibration stress varies with the thermal conductivity coefcient in accordance with the power law relation cal = 325.52k0.65 MPa. In this case, the correlation coefcient is found to have a value very close to 1 i.e., R2 = 0.9976 , and therefore the power law relation provides the means to obtain an accurate prediction of the hole-drilling induced stress directly from the thermal conductivity coefcient of the workpiece. Consequently, in the EDM hole-drilling straingage method, the true value of the residual stress within a component can be obtained simply via the formulation
act = mes + cal = mes +

325.52k0.65

where mes is the value of residual stress computed in accordance with the guidelines laid down in the ASTM E837 standard. By applying the calibration scheme presented in Eq. 1 , the need to conduct additional experiments to determine a suitable compensation factor is avoided and all the attendant time, material, and labor costs are therefore saved. 3.3 Correlation Between Carbon Equivalent and HoleDrilling Induced Stress. According to the International Institute of Welding IIW 13 , the carbon equivalent CE of a material is given by 1 1 1 1 1 1 CE = C + Cr + Mo + V + Mn + Ni + Cu 5 5 5 6 15 15 2

Figure 7 illustrates the variation in the calibration stress with the carbon equivalent properties of the current AISI 4140, L6, H13, and M2 specimens. Note that the AISI D2 specimen is again omitted while the AISI 1045 specimen is once again included. It is observed that the magnitude of the calibration stress increases with an increasing value of the carbon equivalent. From inspection, it is found that the two parameters are related via the power law cal = 7.6 CE + 22.4 MPa. Furthermore, the correlation coefcient is found to have a high value of 0.9909. Therefore, the values of the hole-drilling induced stress obtained from this power law are in excellent agreement with the experimental results and therefore provide a suitable value with which to calibrate the measurement results obtained from the EDM hole-drilling strain-gage method. The carbon equivalent property was originally developed as a means of determining the weldability of carbon steels. Due to the rapid heating and cooling effects inherent in welding processes, the microstructure of the weldment commonly undergoes an austenite to martensite transformation as its cools. This microstructural transformation induces a signicant stress within the heatJournal of Engineering Materials and Technology

affected zone and causes the weldment to crack if its magnitude exceeds the maximum tensile strength of the workpiece material. As shown in Eq. 2 , the carbon equivalent scales the concentration of each element of the steel in accordance with its ability to withstand this austenite to martensite transformation. In general, carbon steels with low carbon equivalents have excellent weldability characteristics and can be welded without the need for any particular precautions. In the EDM process, the intense thermal energy supplied by the electrical sparks prompts similar heating and cooling effects to those observed in the welding process, and thus the recast layer formed on the upper surface of the machined specimen is also prone to cracking as the result of a metallurgical transformation. As discussed earlier, surface cracking of the recast layer i.e., the upper strata in the transformation layer results in a partial release of the hole-drilling induced stress, and thus the calibration stress cannot be reliably determined using the general mathematical correlation given above. As a consequence, when performing the EDM hole-drilling strain-gage method, it is essential to specify the machining parameters in such a way that the thermal input to the workpiece is maintained at a sufciently low level to suppress surface cracking. The power law given above relating the calibration stress and the carbon equivalent i.e., CE + 22.4 MPa is based on the hole-drilling stress cal = 7.6 measurements obtained in crack-free specimens i.e., AISI 4140, L6, H13, and M2 machined using the optimal parameter settings of 120 V/12 A/6 s / 30 s. The excellent linearity of this power law relationship conrms the feasibility of using the carbon equivalent property of the workpiece material as a means of computing a suitable calibration stress value provided that the machining conditions are specied in such a way that surface cracking is prevented. 3.4 Calibration Procedure for EDM Hole-Drilling StrainGage Measurement Process. The experimental results presented in Secs. 3.2 and 3.3 have shown that the hole-drilling induced stress in AISI 4140, L6, H13, and M2 specimens can be predicted with a high degree of accuracy given suitable machining conditions i.e., 120 V/12 A/6 s / 30 s and a knowledge of either the thermal conductivity or carbon equivalent of the workpiece material. The properties of most engineering materials are readily available in literature, and thus the mathematical relationships presented in the preceding sections provide a quick and reliable means of calibrating the residual stress value obtained using the EDM hole-drilling strain-gage method. However, the results have also shown that when surface cracks are formed in the recast layer, the magnitude of the hole-drilling induced stress cannot be reliably predicted using these mathematical correlations. In such an event, a suitable value of the calibration stress can only be obtained by performing calibration trials using unstressed samples APRIL 2011, Vol. 133 / 021014-5

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Fig. 8 Calibration procedure for ferrous materials in which crack-free recast layer can be obtained

of an equivalent material. Figure 8 presents a owchart illustrating the calibration procedure for the EDM hole-drilling strain-gage measurement of the residual stress in components fabricated from ferrous materials such as AISI 4140, L6, H13, and M2 for which a set of machining conditions can be found, which yield a crackfree recast layer. Figure 9 presents the equivalent procedure for ferrous materials in which no such conditions can be found e.g., AISI D2 . As shown in Fig. 8, the calibration procedure commences by identifying the machining parameters, which satisfy four basic criteria, namely, 1 a measurement hole whose geometry is consistent with that prescribed in ASTM E837, 2 a small discharge spark, 3 a stable discharge process, and 4 a machining time of less than 1 h. Having done so, the recast layer is inspected to check for the presence of surface cracks. If surface cracking is observed, the machining parameters are adjusted and the holedrilling operation is repeated. However, if the recast layer is crack-free, the calibration procedure moves to the next step in which a search is made in literature for the thermal conductivity coefcient of the workpiece material. Assuming that this property can be found, the value of the calibration stress is computed directly in accordance with the power law relation cal = 325.5k0.65 MPa, where the thermal conductivity coefcient has units of W m1 K1 and the calibration stress has units of MPa. If the value of the thermal conductivity coefcient cannot be found, a search is made for the carbon equivalent of the workpiece material. The carbon equivalent values of most ferrous materials are 021014-6 / Vol. 133, APRIL 2011

readily available in literature. However, in the event that the value cannot be found, it can be computed directly by analyzing the chemical composition of the workpiece and then applying the formula given in Eq. 2 . Having determined the carbon equivalent value, the calibration stress is computed using the correlation CE + 22.4 MPa, where the carbon equivalent is excal = 7.6 pressed in percentage terms and the calibration stress has units of MPa. Having computed a suitable value of the calibration stress in accordance with either the thermal conductivity or the carbon equivalent of the workpiece, the residual stress within the component of interest is measured using the EDM hole-drilling straingage method in accordance with the guidelines laid down in the ASTM E837 standard. Finally, the actual value of the residual stress within the component act is calculated by applying the calibration stress cal to the measured stress mes in accordance with
act = mes + cal = mes +

325.5k0.65

or
act = mes +

7.6

CE + 22.4

As discussed previously, surface cracks are formed in the recast layer of the AISI D2 specimens irrespective of the machining conditions applied. Consequently, the calibration equations presented in Eq. 3 cannot be applied since they are both based on experimental data obtained from specimens in which a crack-free Transactions of the ASME

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Fig. 9 Calibration procedure for ferrous materials in which crack-free recast layer cannot be obtained

recast layer was obtained. However, in the hole-drilling experiments involving the AISI D2 specimens, it was observed that for a given set of machining parameters, the magnitude of the holedrilling induced stress remained approximately constant. For example, under the optimal machining conditions of 120 V/12 A/6 s / 30 s, the hole-drilling induced stress was found to have a value of cal = 32 2.4 MPa. The variance of 2.4 MPa is sufciently small that a calibration stress of cal = 32 MPa represents a reasonable value with which to calibrate the measured stress mes in AISI D2 specimens provided that the stressed component is hole-drilled using the same set of EDM machining parameters simultaneously minimizing the cracking density of the recast layer. Having identied these machining parameters, a stress-free specimen is prepared by performing an annealing operation. Following the annealing process, the oxidation layer is removed from the specimen surface by performing a polishing operation and the strain-gage is adhered to the specimen surface. The hole-drilling induced stress cal is then measured in accordance with ASTM E837 using the optimal machining parameters. The value of the residual stress within the component of interest is obtained by repeating the EDM hole-drilling process using the same set of machining parameters. Finally, the actual value of the residual stress within the component is computed by subtracting the calibration stress cal from the measured stress mes . Journal of Engineering Materials and Technology

Conclusions

This study has performed a series of EDM hole-drilling straingage experiments using AISI 4140, L6, H13, M2, and D2 workpieces in order to investigate the effects of the physical properties of the workpiece material on the magnitude of the hole-drilling induced stress. The experimental results have then been used to establish suitable calibration formulae to compensate the residual stress measurements obtained in accordance with the ASTM E837 standard. The major ndings and contributions of this study can be summarized as follows. In the EDM hole-drilling strain-gage method for measuring the residual stress within a component, the hole-drilling operation generates an additional residual stress as the result of thermally induced microstructural changes in the local machining area. This study has demonstrated the feasibility of predicting the magnitude of this hole-drilling induced stress from the thermal conductivity or carbon equivalent properties of the workpiece material. In this way, the residual stress measurement obtained using the method laid down in ASTM E837 can be compensated directly without the need to perform additional calibration trials. As a consequence, both the practicality and the cost of the EDM hole-drilling strain-gage method are considerably improved. 1. Given EDM machining parameters of 120 V/12 A/6 s / 30 s discharge voltage/pulse current/pulse-on duration/ APRIL 2011, Vol. 133 / 021014-7

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pulse-off duration , the magnitude of the hole-drilling stress induced in ferrous materials with a crack-free recast layer is related to the thermal conductivity k of the workpiece material via the relation cal = 325.5k0.65 MPa. The corresponding correlation coefcient is R2 = 0.9976, and thus it can be inferred that an excellent agreement exists between the predicted value of the hole-drilling induced stress and the experimental value. As a result, the power law relation provides an accurate and reliable means of compensating the residual stress obtained using the method prescribed in the ASTM E837 standard. 2. Given EDM machining parameters of 120 V/12 A/6 s / 30 s, it has been shown that the magnitude of the holedrilling stress induced in ferrous materials with a crack-free recast layer is related to the CE of the workpiece material via the relation cal = 7.6 CE + 22.4 MPa. The corresponding correlation coefcient is R2 = 0.9909, and thus the power law relation provides a suitable means of compensating the residual stress value obtained in accordance with the ASTM E837 standard. 3. Of the ve ferrous materials considered in the present experiments, a crack-free recast layer was obtained in the AISI 4140, L6, H13, and M2 workpieces under 21 machining conditions of 120 V/12 A/6 s / 30 s. However, surface cracks were observed in the AISI D2 workpiece under all values of the machining parameters. The propensity of the AISI D2 workpiece to surface cracking is thought to be the result of its low thermal conductivity. The experimental results have indicated that the surface cracking phenomenon leads to a partial release of the hole-drilling induced stress, and thus the power law correlations given in points 2 and 3 above can no longer be applied to compensate the residual stress measurements obtained using the EDM hole-drilling strain-gage method. 4. Although the hole-drilling induced stress in AISI D2 specimens cannot be predicted directly from the thermal conductivity or carbon equivalent of the workpiece, the present experimental results have shown that under machining conditions of 120 V/12 A/6 s / 30 s, the hole-drilling in-

duced stress has a value of cal = 32 2.4 MPa. The variance of 2.4 MPa is sufciently small that a calibration stress of cal = 32 MPa can be regarded as a suitable value with which to calibrate the measured stress mes provided that the EDM hole-drilling operation is performed under the same set of EDM conditions.

References
1 ASTM Standards, 2008, ASTM E837-08e1, Standard Test Method for Determining Residual Stresses by the Hole Drilling Strain-Gage Method, http:// www.astm.org/Standards/E837.htm. 2 Lee, H. T., Hsu, F. C., and Tai, T. Y., 2004, Study of Surface Integrity Using the Small Area EDM Process With a CopperTungsten Electrode, Mater. Sci. Eng., A, 364, pp. 346356. 3 Lee, H. T., Rehbach, W. P., Tai, T. Y., and Hsu, F. C., 2004, Relationship Between Electrode Size and Surface Cracking in the EDM Machining Process, J. Mater. Sci., 39, pp. 69816986. 4 Navas, V. G., Ferreres, I., Maran, J. A., Garcia-Rosales, C., and Sevillano, J. G., 2008, Electro-Discharge Machining EDM Versus Hard Turning and GrindingComparison of Residual Stresses and Surface Integrity Generated in AISI O1 Tool Steel, J. Mater. Process. Technol., 195 13 , pp. 186194. 5 Ekmekci, B., 2007, Residual Stresses and White Layer in Electric Discharge Machining EDM , Appl. Surf. Sci., 253, pp. 92349240. 6 Ekmekci, B., Tekkaya, A. E., and Erden, A., 2006, A Semi-Empirical Approach for Residual Stresses in Electric Discharge Machining EDM , Int. J. Mach. Tools Manuf., 46, pp. 858868. 7 Lee, H. T., Mayer, J., Hsu, F. C., Rehbach, W. P., Weirich, T., Dimyati, A., and Tai, T. Y., 2006, Application of EDM Hole-Drilling Method to the Measurement of Residual Stress in Tool and Carbon Steels, ASME J. Eng. Mater. Technol., 128, pp. 468475. 8 Lee, H. T., Liu, C., Hsu, F. C., and Hsu, J. M., 2008, An Enhanced Calibration Scheme for the EDM Hole-Drilling Strain Gage Method for the Measurement of Residual Stress in Ferrous Materials, Mater. Trans., 49 8 , pp. 1905 1910. 9 Lee, H. T., and Liu, C., 2008, Calibration of Residual Stress Measurements Obtained From EDM Hole Drilling Method Using Physical Material Properties, Mater. Sci. Technol., 24 12 , pp. 14621469. 10 ASM, 2000, Heat Treatments GuideStandard Practices and Procedures for Steel. 11 Tai, T. Y., 1999, Measurement of Surface Residual Stress in Steel with Hard Layer by Using EDM Hole-Drilling Method, MA thesis, National ChengKung University. 12 Hsu, F. C., 2005, The Calibration Study of EDM Hole Drilling Method for Residual Stress Measurement, Ph.D. dissertation, National Cheng-Kung University. 13 Failure Analysis and Prevention, ASM Metals Handbook, 9th ed., 1986, American Society for Metals, Metals Park, OH, Vol. 11, p. 8.

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