Ultrasonic Machining (USM)
INTRODUCTION
Ultrasonic machining (USM), sometimes called ultrasonic
impact grinding, employs ultrasonically vibrating tool to
impel the abrasives in a slurry at high velocity against work
piece.
The tool is fed into the part as it vibrates along an axis
parallel to the tool feed at an amplitude on the order of
several thousandths of an inch
1
and a frequency of 20 kHz.1
As the tool is fed into the work piece, a negative of the tool
is machined into the work piece.
The cutting action is performed by the abrasives in the
slurry which is continuously flooded under the tool.
The slurry is loaded up to 60% by weight with abrasive
particles. Lighter abrasive loadings are used to facilitate the
flow of the slurry for deep drilling (to 5mm deep).
Boron carbide, aluminum oxide, and silicon carbide are the
most common used abrasives.
1 2
USM Process
The device for converting any type of energy into
ultrasonic waves is called ultrasonic transducer.
Ultrasonic machining is a process in which material is
removed due to the action of abrasive grains.
The abrasive particles are driven into the work surface by
a tool oscillating normal to the work surface at high
frequency.
1 3
USM set up
1 4
• The tool is made of soft material, oscillated at frequencies
of the order of 20 to 30 kc/s with an amplitude of about
0.02mm.
• It is pressed against the workpiece with a load of a few
kilograms and fed downwards continuously as the cavity is
cut in the work.
• The slurry, which is made of abrasive particles suspended in
a liquid, is fed into the cutting zone under pressure.
1 5
Elements of process
• The four main elements of this process are
1. Work material
2. Tool cone and tool tip (vibration amplifier)
3. Abrasive slurry
4. Ultrasonic machine.
1 6
Equipment
1. Power Supply
2. Transducer
3. Tool holder
4. Tool cone
5. Cutting tool
1 7
Power Supply
• The machine has the power rating of 0.02-2.5KW
• High power Sine wave generator used to produce
power
• Electronic oscillator and amplifier convert low
frequency power(60Hz) high frequency electric
power(20KHz)
• This power is supplied to transducer
1 8
Transducer
1 9
1 10
Tool holder
1 11
Concentrator or Wave guide or Tool cone
The tool is connected to transducer by tool holder
The tool holder connected to tool cone
The tool cone amplifies the mechanical energy produce by
transducer and transfer it in to the tool
It is simply a velocity transformer.
All parts including the tool acts as one elastic body ,
transmitting vibrations to the tip of the tool.
1 12
Cutting tool or Tool tip
The tool is made up of ductile material such as stainless
steel, brass, MS.
It has same shape that of cavity has to produce
The size of tool smaller then the desired shape
The tool tip has to withstand the vibrations and it should not
wear out quickly
Titanium is a good material for the tool cone. The tool tip is
attached to the base of the cone by silver brazing, soft
soldering or by means of screws.
1 13
Abrasive slurry
Different type of abrasive are
• Aluminum oxide
• Boron carbide
• Silicon carbide
• Diamond dust
1 14
Abrasives are usually suspended in liquid (water), and
supplied to the cutting zone during the operation.
The abrasive slurry is stored in a reservoir and pumped to
the tool-work interface(cutting zone) through a nozzle.
Cooling is required to remove the heat generated and
prevent it from boiling in the gap causing undesirable
cavitation effect caused by high temperature. A
refrigerated cooling system is used to cool the abrasive
slurry to a temp of 5-6 degree.
1 15
Boron is most expensive .
Best suited for cutting tungsten carbide, tool steel and
precious stones.
Silicon finds maximum application.
Alumina is best suited for cutting glass, germanium and
ceramics. It wears fast and soon loses its cutting power.
1 16
Effect of parameters
Effect of amplitude and frequency of vibration
1 17
Miler found that for a given material, cutting rate R
bears a linear relationship with amplitude.
According to him, cutting rate increases linearly
with increase in both amplitude, a and frequency f and
that after a certain critical abrasive /wear ratio, the term
(R/a f) is almost constant.
1 18
Effect of grain diameter
1 19
Goetze claimed that cutting rate increases linearly with grain
size, but the findings of Neppiras and Foskett indicated a non
linear effect of grain diameter on the removal rate.
There is a limit to the effect of grain size on the rate as a very
coarse powder may even cause a fall in rate.
The optimum size is, however, governed by the amplitude of
tool vibration.
As the grit size becomes comparable with amplitude, the
optimum condition is achieved.
1 20
Surface finish is greatly influenced by the grain size.
The data obtained by Neppiras and foskett on glass and
tungsten carbide work materials has indicated that the
bottom of the hole is smoother than the sides.
Grain size determines the accuracy of the cavity
configuration in ultrasonic machining.
1 21
Effect of applied static load
1 22
The machining rate reaches a maximum as the static load on
the tool is increased.
As shown in fig the point of maxima shifts, depending on the
amplitude of vibration and the cross sectional area of the tool.
Surface finish is found to be little affected by the applied static
load.
Higher loads, contrary to expectations, do not give a rougher
finish.
Surface finish, in fact, improves because the grains are crushed
to small size with higher loads.
1 23
Effect of slurry
1 24
It has been found that a rise in cutting rate can be
achieved with an increase in slurry concentration.
Neppiras and Foskett have given details of the influence
of material and abrasive properties on the material
removal rate.
The pressure with which the slurry is fed into the cutting
zone has a remarkable effect on the material removal rate.
1 25
Effect of tool
The shape of the tool face also affects the cutting rate
maxima.
A narrow rectangular tool gives a greater maximum cutting
rate than a tool of the same area with a square cross section.
Metelkin’s results indicated a rise in the cutting rate by 50
% by replacing a cylindrical tool with a conical one.
1 26
The brittle behaviour of the work material is important in
determining the cutting rate.
Brittle non-mettalic materials can be cut at higher rates than
ductile materials.
1 27
Effect of work material
Since the cutting forces involved in ultrasonic machining
are not large, no mechanical stresses are setup which
could cause warping or other residual deformation.
The microstructure of work material is not affected as the
temperature generated at the cutting area is not
appreciable.
But if the flow of abrasive slurry is impaired, high heat
may develop, which may sometimes lead to cracking.
1 28
In drilling through holes, chipping may occur at the exit
side.
A simple way to overcome this is to fasten the work piece to
a base with wax.
Alternatively, feed force may be reduced as the exit is
approached.
1 29
Process characteristics
Material removal rate
Employed to machine nearly all materials. Not economical for materials of
hardness less than 50HRC
Stainless steel, cobalt-base heat resistant steels, germanium, glass, ceramic,
carbide, quartz and semiconductors are machined.
Material removal rate per unit time is inversely proportional to the cutting
area of the tool, provided the circulation of the slurry and other operating
conditions are held constant.
Tool vibrations also affect the removal rate. The type of abrasive, its size
and concentration of the slurry also directly affect the material removal rate.
Boron carbide is the hardest and has the highest material removing capability.
1 30
Accuracy
Size of the hole produced is influenced by the grit of the abrasive.
Size of a round produced by this process is equal to size of the tool
plus an overcut which is about twice the size of the abrasive
particles.
Use of two or more tools for roughing and finishing is essential
because of tool wear and because of need to use different grades of
abrasives for roughing and finishing. Holes of accuracies with
tolerance of ±0.03mm on diameter and ±0.06mm on depth can be
obtained. A minimum corner raadius of 0.10mm is possible in finish
machining.
1 31
Tool wear
The tool wear in USM is defined by the ratio of volume of material
removed from the workpiece to that removed from the tool.
Table below illustrates the effect of different tool materials on the
wear ratios in machining glass and steatite
Tool material Wear ratio
Glass Steatite
Stainless steel 100 :1 40:1
Carbon steel 100:1 35:1
Brass 40 :1 10:1
1 32
Surface finish:
Surface finish in USM depends on the size of the abrasive particles,
work materials, tool amplitude and slurry circulation. With finer sizes
of abrasives, a surface finish of 0.2- 0.8µm can be achieved. The finer
abrasives result in slower material removal rate.
1 33
ADVANTAGES OF USM
• USM gives low MRR but it is capable to machine
intricate cavities in single pass in fragile or /and
hard materials.
• In USM, there is no direct contact between the tool
and workpiece hence it is a good process for
machining very thin and fragile components.
• A brittle material can be machined more easily
than a ductile one.
• It is considered as a very safe process because it
does not involve high voltage, chemicals,
mechanical forces and heat.
1 34
ADVANTAGES OF USM;
• Ability to machine non-conductive materials like
glass, ceramics etc.
• Ultrasonic machining is a non-thermal, non-
chemical, creates no change in the microstructure,
chemical or physical properties of the workpiece.
• No burrs and no distortion of workpiece.
• Suitable for hard and brittle workpiece materials.
• By using USM, any Intricate shapes can be
machined.
1 35
DISADVANTAGES OF USM;
• Low metal removal rates.
• Depth of holes and cavities produced are
small. Usually the depth of hole is limited to
2.5 times the diameter of the tool.
• Tool wear is more.
• Not suitable for soft work piece materials.
1 36
APPLICATIONS OF USM:
• Drilling and machining cavities or holes in
conductive and non-conductive materials like
glass and ceramics etc.
• Threading of various glass and ceramic
materials.
• Hard materials and precious stones such as
synthetic ruby for the preparation of jewels
to watch and timer movements are
successfully machined by this method.
1 37
• Ultrasonic machining is useful in micro-
drilling hole up to 0.1mm.
• Enabling a dentist to drill a hole of any shape
without creating any pain.
• Casting and welding of metals.
• Measurement of hardness and grain size
determination of metals.
1 38
