Ultrasonically assisted turning of aviation materials

The results of the research in ultrasonically assisted machining are presented. Turning of some modern aviation materials was conducted with ultrasonic vibration applied in the feed direction using an autoresonant control system. Cutting conditions were typical of those used for manufacture. The roughness and roundness of the ultrasonically and conventionally machined workpieces were measured and compared. The results obtained show that the application of ultrasonic vibration can improve the surface quality considerably. Improvements of up to 25-50% have been achieved. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.