Ultrasonic vibration-assisted machining: principle, design and application

Ultrasonic vibration-assisted (UVA) machining is a process which makes use of a micro-scale high frequency vibration applied to a cutting tool to improve the material removal effectiveness. Its principle is to make the tool-workpiece interaction a microscopically non-monotonic process to facilitate chip separation and to reduce machining forces. It can also reduce the deformation zone in a workpiece under machining, thereby improving the surface integrity of a component machined. There are several types of UVA machining processes, differentiated by the directions of the vibrations introduced relative to the cutting direction. Applications of UVA machining to a wide range of workpiece materials have shown that the process can considerably improve machining performance. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive discussion and review about some key aspects of UVA machining such as cutting kinematics and dynamics, effect of workpiece materials and wear of cutting tools, involving a wide range of workpiece materials including metal alloys, ceramics, amorphous and composite materials. Some aspects for further investigation are also outlined at the end.