Development of a Three-Dimensional Ultrasonic Elliptical Vibration Transducer (3D-UEVT) Based on Sandwiched Piezoelectric Actuator for Micro-grooving

A three-dimensional ultrasonic elliptical vibration transducer (3D-UEVT) based on a sandwiched piezoelectric actuator for micro-grooving was manufactured and assessed in this study. The 3D-UEVT generates an elliptical locus of a tool tip in three-dimensional space. The 3D-UEVT operates in resonance mode by coupling the first longitudinal-vibration mode and the two directions of the third bending-vibration mode. Modal simulation analysis was performed to determine the proper dimensions to ensure that the resonance frequencies between the longitudinal and two of the bending-vibration modes were similar. The swept-sine assessment indicated that the 3D-UEVT working resonance frequency was approximately 20.4kHz. The 3D-UEVT generated an amplitude peak-to-peak of approximately 0.8 mu m in two-bending directions and 0.3 to 0.5 mu m in the longitudinal direction when the piezoelectric sandwiched actuator was driven at a peak-to-peak voltage of 150V. The output amplitude of the 3D-UEVT increased as the driven input voltage increased. The performance of the proposed 3D-UEVT was assessed by a micro-grooving test. An adequate micro-grooving result confirmed that the proposed 3D-UEVT produced an acceptable micro-groove pattern.