Studies on electric-discharge machining of non-contact seal face grooves

In this paper, the electric-discharge machining (EDM) of non-contact seal grooves was studied. Two types of material, namely: tungsten carbide and silicon carbide were tested by EDM due to their hard machining behaviors. The geometry of seal grooves is another reason why grinding or other precision machining processes cannot be applied. Four parameters of EDM processes were studied, namely: electrode material, pulse duration, discharge current, and polarity. According to experimental results, the optimal process parameters were obtained based on the specimen’s qualities, such as surface roughness and depth of cut. An industrial example was also studied in the final stage of the proposed paper.