Surface modification by electrical discharge machining: A systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis

Abstract

In past few decades, the non-traditional machining techniques of electrical discharge machining (EDM) has been developed to machine materials that are difficult to cut. Additionally, the EDM method has also been employed to change the material's surface properties by applying a layer on the workpiece that is up to a few microns thick in order to improve the surface attributes. In past three decades, several numerous investigations on surface modification using EDM have been conducted globally. Present study provides a comprehensive review along with bibliometric investigation of the many approaches used to enhance the surface topology of the materials during the EDM process from 1993 to 2023. Firstly, a brief introduction to EDM-based different surface modification techniques such as electric discharge coating, surface texturing, surface alloying, and powder-mixed EDM has been given. All related documents were acquired from Scopus Core Collection and evaluated using a bibliometric analysis technique. The bibliometric analysis was examined based on the time distribution of articles, geography, top-cited documents, analysis of authors’ keywords, country-wise publications, etc. The result showed that India dominates this research area, followed by China, and there is a growing trend in the number of publications. Further, the influence of EDM parameters, dielectric fluid, tool, and work material etc. has also been discussed. The research work published related to topic has been summarized and resented in tabular format. This review offers interested scholars with a thorough overview of the significant achievements in the subject over the last few decades, including a description of the most relevant studies and their results. Moreover, potential areas for further investigation are emphasized with the goal of revitalize the interest of the worldwide scientific community in advancing this method. © IMechE 2023.