Optimized Parameters of Wire Sparking Process for Machining of AlBe₃ Alloy: A Step Toward Enhanced Machining Performance

The aluminum–beryllium alloy (AlBe₃) is widely adopted material in aerospace and electrical components. The proposed work is to investigate the optimal parameters for machining AlBe₃ using wire electric discharge machining. Taguchi method was employed to establish the relationship between machining parameters, such as pulse-on time (T_on), pulse-off time (T_off) and wire feed rate, and process characteristics, including material removal rate (MRR) and surface roughness (Ra). Experimental results were subjected to multiple optimization techniques, and the identified optimal values for MRR and Ra were found to be 68.7 mm³/min and 3.83 µm, respectively, corresponding to specific input parameters: T_off of 8 µs, T_on of 85 µs, and a wire feed rate of 4 mm/min. The validation of the optimal parameters using the teaching–learning-based optimization (TLBO) technique was confirmed through additional experiments. The results demonstrated a notable 14.9% reduction in surface roughness, albeit with a trade-off in MRR.