The widespread nature of heat-resistant alloys is associated with the difficulties in their mechanical machining. It forces the use of the wire electrical discharge machining to be wider. The productivity, roughness, and dimensions of the modified layer of the machined surfaces are indicators of the machining quality. The search for new diagnostic parameters that can expand the information content of the operational monitoring/diagnostics of wire electrical discharge machining and accompany the currently used electrical parameters' data is an urgent research task. The article presents the studies of the relationship between the parameters of acoustic emission signals accompanying wire electrical discharge machining of heat-resistant alloys, process quality indicators, and characteristics of discharge pulses. The results are presented as mathematical expressions and graphs demonstrating the experimentally obtained dependencies. The research focuses on the formed white layer during wire electrical discharge machining. Pictures of thin cross-sections of the machined surfaces with traces of the modified layer are provided. The issues of crack formation in the modified layer and base materials are considered.
Keywords: accelerometers; acoustic emission; diagnostic parameters; discharge pulses; monitoring; spectral analysis; white layer; wire EDM.