Insight into surface formation mechanism during ultrasonic elliptical vibration cutting of tungsten alloy by scratching experiment and molecular dynamics

Understanding the surface forming mechanism is an extreme challenge during ultrasonic elliptical vibratory cutting (UEVC) of tungsten alloy. Hence, this study aims to an in-depth comprehension of the surface formation mechanism by means of scratching experiments and molecular dynamics simulations. The results revealed that UEVC produced less surface roughness and obvious surface plastic flow compared with ordinary cutting (OC) due to the plastic removal caused by high plastic cutting depth and small material removal during UEVC. Furthermore, compared with OC, the cutting stress in UEVC exceeded the stress threshold required for the opening of most slip systems so as to obtain a higher surface dislocation density, which was favorable to achieving high plastic deformation.

Automated summary

This study investigated the surface forming mechanism during ultrasonic elliptical vibratory cutting of tungsten alloy using scratching experiments and molecular dynamics simulations. The results showed that this cutting method produced smoother surfaces with less roughness and visible plastic flow compared to ordinary cutting. The cutting stress in ultrasonic elliptical vibratory cutting exceeded the stress threshold required for slip system activation, resulting in a higher surface dislocation density and favorable plastic deformation.