Analysis of surface texturing in radial ultrasonic vibration-assisted turning

Surface texturing has become a potential way to achieve good friction performance or suitable wettability for different mechanical product surfaces. For fabricating micro-textured surface efficiently and cost-effectively, a texturing method of radial ultrasonic vibration-assisted turning (RUVT) was proposed. The theoretical model of texturing generation was established, which can describe the arrangement and geometry of micro-textures. Based on the theoretical model, a surface topography simulation was further used to characterize the influence of processing parameters on micro-dimpled patterns. This experimental process was performed on a CNC lathe and copper 1100 was chosen as the workpiece material. The simulated and experimental results show that surfaces covered with evenly distributed micro-dimples can be fabricated, which basically confirms the validity of theoretical model. The processing parameters, including clearance angle, spindle speed, feed rate and vibration amplitude, play important influence on the arrangement and geometry of micro-dimples. It is demonstrated that the method of RUVT is an efficient and cost-effective way for fast generation of cylindrical micro-textured surface.