In this thesis, a method to improve survivability is developed for fiber Bragg gratings under high velocity impact in dynamic body armor shape sensing applications by encasing the fiber in silicone. Utilizing the slipping of the fiber within the silicone channel, a proportionality relationship between the strain of the fiber to the acceleration of the impacting projectile is found and is used to obtain the rate of the back-face deformation. A hybrid model is developed to handle errors caused by the stick-slip of the fiber by fitting an inverse exponential to stuck sections found in a captured strain profile and double integrated to transform the stuck section to its equivalent slipping. Displacement errors below 10% was achieved using the hybrid model. A graphical user interface with a step-by-step walkthrough and a fiber Bragg grating interrogation system was designed for test engineers to utilize this technology. Test engineers from the Army Test Center in Aberdeen, MD were trained on this technology and successfully captured and processed shots using this technology. A method for cutting Silicon through wire-EDM machining is developed by utilizing the photoconductive properties of Silicon. Cut rates for unilluminated and illuminated Silicon was compared and a 3x faster cut was achieved on the illuminated cuts.

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This thesis looks at the capabilities of cutting thin webs on Wire EDM machines that are difficult or impossible to machine using conventional methods. Covered is an investigation of how different material and web thickness affect the capability of machining thin-walled parts. Five different metals are used for the test; Aluminum 6061 T6, Yellow Brass SS360, 420 Stainless Steel, D2 unheat-treated tool steel 25-30 RC, and D2 heat-treated tool steel 60-65 RC. The small parts were cut to a 6mm (0.2362 inch) height with six different wall thicknesses: 0.30mm (0.0118 inch), 0.25mm (0.0098 inch), 0.20mm (0.0078 inch), 0.15mm (0.0059 inch), 0.10mm (0.0039 inch), and 0.05mm (0.0020 inch). A Sodick AQ325L Wire EDM machine was utilized for testing. The methods employed during the study include the following: • Machine settings and offsets were limited to the default setting selected from the Sodick AQ325L database. • Two different pre-test cuts were taken on the material to check for web bending during the cutting process. • Hardness was tested for comparison of the web heights. This thesis shows that bending increased as webs became thinner and that bending occurred toward the wire as the second side of the web was cut. Bending does affect the height of the web. Physical properties of materials also impacted the height of the web with the hardest material staying intact during the cutting process. This study shows that two factors, physical properties of materials and web thickness, significantly affect cutting results for thin web parts.

Wire Electric Discharge Machining (wire-EDM) is a non-traditional machining process. Controlled electric sparks are successively used to vaporize part of a workpiece along a programmed path in order to machine a desired part. Because there is no tool that comes in direct contact with the workpiece, it is possible to machine thin, delicate parts. This thesis was designed to observe and analyze the differences in cutting capabilities for a conventional wire-EDM machine when cutting thin-walled sections from five commonly used metals utilizing a variation of roughing and finishing passes. The five metals that were used in this study are: Aluminum 6061 T6, Yellow Brass SS360, 420 Stainless Steel, D2 Tool Steel at 25 to 30 RC, and D2 Tool Steel at 60 to 65 RC. The thin-walled sections were constrained on each end by the parent material to which they remained attached, and they ranged in thickness from 0.05 millimeters (0.002 inches) increasing incrementally by 0.05 millimeters (0.002 inches) until they reached a thickness of 0.30 millimeters (0.012 inches). A Sodick AQ325L wire-EDM machine was employed to perform the machining. It was observed that differences exist in the capabilities of cutting thin-walled sections from the five different metals. This could be both observed visually through inspection and statistically through the analysis of each data set obtained by measuring the resultant thickness of each section. It was also observed that differences exist for the same material while utilizing the variations of cutting parameters: a roughing with no finishing passes, a roughing with one finishing pass, and a roughing with three finishing passes. Thus both the material properties and the cutting parameters play a significant role in determining the capability of cutting thin-walled sections with a wire-EDM machine.

L’usinage par électroérosion est un procédé d’enlèvement de matière par fusion, vaporisation et érosion, réservé aux matériaux conducteurs et semi-conducteurs.Il peut être utilisé pour usiner les métaux et alliages, les aciers trempés, les alliages céramiques, les carbures métalliques, certaines céramiques et même des matériaux plus durs tels que le diamant polycristallin. La pièce ainsi chauffée voit ses caractéristiques mécaniques chuter et modifier, ce qui augmente son usinabilité. Les travaux réalisés ont porté sur l'influence de l'usinage par électroérosion à fil sur; l'intégrité de surface, l'usinabilité, la productivité et la précision de procédé, de plusieurs matériaux, tels que, le titane pur, l'alliage de titane Ti-6Al-4V, le composite intermétallique à base Ti-Al, le composite Ti17 et le composite Ti6242.En usinage par électro-érosion à fil, et plus précisément en finition, le procédé est caractérisé par un débit de matière, une largeur de kerf, un durcissement superficiel, une zone affectée thermiquement et un état de surface variant en fonction de plusieurs paramètres tels que, le courant de décharge, le temps d’impulsion, la tension d’amorçage, la vitesse de coupe, la pression d'injection de lubrifiant et la tension de fil.Toutefois, il s’agit d’une étude d’optimisation et de modélisation empirique des conditions de coupe des matériaux composites à base métallique et des alliages de titane, afin de maitriser et d'améliorer l'intégrité de surface usinée, d'augmenter la productivité et de perfectionner la précision du procédé. Par la suite, atteindre les exigences de la qualité et de la sûreté de fonctionnement des pièces aéronautiques.Dans cette étude, on a utilisé des méthodes de type Plan d'expériences, méthode de Taguchi et la Méthodologie des surfaces de réponses pour le calage et le contrôle des paramètres de l’usinage par électroérosion à fil, et ses conditions opératoires. / EDM machining is a process for the removal of material by melting, spraying and erosion, which is reserved for conductive and semiconductor materials.It can be used for machining metals and alloys, hardened steels, ceramic alloys, metal carbides, some ceramics and even harder materials such as polycrystalline diamond. The heated part has its mechanical characteristics drop, which increases its machinability. The work carried out focused on the influence of WEDM machining on surface integrity, machinability, productivity and process precision, of several materials: pure titanium, Ti6Al4V alloy, composite intermetallicTi-Al based, Ti17 composite and Ti6242 composite.In ripping, and more precisely in finishing, the process is characterized by a flow of material,kerf width, surface hardening, heat affected zone and surface condition varying with discharge current, pulse time and voltage, cutting speed, lubricant injection pressure and wire tension.In fact, the machining conditions of metal-based composite materials and titanium alloys have been modeled and optimized to improve machined surface integrity, increase productivity, and improve process accuracy. Subsequently, meet the quality and safety requirements of aeronautical parts.Methods such as Experimental Design, Taguchi and Surface of Response were used for calibration and process control parameters and operating conditions.

In this work, description of a basic principle of electro discharge machining and its technological possibilities was made. Possibilities of individual EDM machine producers and their comparison were described. Furthermore, the use of electro discharge machining in Zdas a.s. was shown. Trends in a development of the electro discharge technology are included, too.