Contact angle analysis of surface topographies created by electric discharge machining

Abstract

The objective of this work is to investigate the relationship between wettability and surface microgeometry of 6060 aluminum alloy created by electric discharge machining (EDM). The analyzes are enriched with the calculation of the correlation strengths between contact angles and geometric characteristics of surface topographies changing with the scale of observations. Surface topographies are measured by focus variation microscope and characterized with ISO parameters, geometric motifs and multiscale curvature tensor analysis. The wettability of the finished structures is investigated indirectly by contact angle measurements. The analysis were carried out using aqueous solutions of the semi-synthetic polymer, with different concentration and viscosity. The study showed that wetting behavior of aluminum alloy can be easily controlled through appropriate EDM finishing.