ULTRASONIC MACHINING

(USM)

Presented to : Prof.Dr Nadeem A Mufti

Presenters : Adeel Shehzad

2009-MS-IME-07

Omer Asghar
2010-MS-IME-14
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 What is USM

Material Removing Process:

USM is used to erode holes and cavities in hard or
brittle workpiece by using shaped tools high-frequency
mechanical motion and an abrasive slurry.

USM is able to effectively machine all hard materials

whether they are electrically conductive or not.

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 Principle Of USM
The process and cutting tool
• The process is performed by a cutting tool, which oscillates at hig
h frequency, typically 20-40 kHz, in abrasive slurry.
• The shape of the tool corresponds to the shape to be produced in
the workpiece.
• The high-speed reciprocations of the tool drive the abrasive grains
across a small gap against the workpiece .
• The tool is gradually fed with a uniform force.
• The impact of the abrasive is the energy principally responsible fo
r material removal in the form of small wear particles that are car
ried away by the abrasive slurry.
• The tool material, being tough and ductile, wears out at a much sl
ower rate.

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Principle Of USM

Ultrasonic Machining

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 Principle Of USM
Material removal
• Occurs when the abrasive particles, suspended in the slurry bet
ween the tool and workpiece, are struck by the downstroke of th
e vibration tool.
• The impact propels the particles across the cutting gap, hammeri
ng them into the surface of both tool and workpiece. Collapse of
the cavitation bubbles in the abrasive suspension results in very
high local pressures.
• Under the action of the associated shock waves on the abrasive
particles, microcracks are generated at the interface of the work
piece.
• The effects of successive shock waves lead to chipping of particle
s from the workpiece.
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Principle Of USM
Material removal

6
Principle Of USM

The basic components to the cutting

action are believed to be

1 The direct hammering of the abrasive into the work

by the tool (major factor)

2 The impact of the abrasive on the work

33 Cavitation induced erosion

4 Chemical erosion caused by slurry

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 USM System
1-Vibration Exciter
2-Body Of Acoustic Head
3-Shoulder
4-Thin Walled Cup
5-Generator
6-Concentrator
7-Tool
8-Plate
9-Tray
10-Workpiece
11-Base Guide

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 USM System
Subsystems of USM System
Transducer
B

Power supply A C Toolholder

USM System

Abrasive E D
Tools
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 USM System

A Power Supply

• The power supply is a sine-wave generator

• The user can control over both the frequency and power of the gene
rated signal.
• It converts low-frequency (50/60 Hz) power to high-frequency (10-1
5 kHz) power
• Supply to the transducer for conversion into mechanical motion.

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 USM System
B Transducer
• The ultrasonic vibrations are produced by the transducer. The transd
ucer is driven by suitable signal generator followed by power amplifi
er. The transducer for USM works on the following principle
– Piezoelectric effect
– Magnetostrictive effect
– Electrostrictive effect
• Among all the above types of transducers Magnetostrictive transduc
ers are most popular and robust amongst all.

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 USM System

C Toolholder
• Its function is to increase the tool vibration amplitude and t
o match the vibrator to the acoustic load.
• It must be constructed of a material with
good acoustic properties and be highly resistant to
fatigue cracking.
• The tool holder transfers the vibrations and, therefore
it must have adequate fatigue strength

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 USM System

C Toolholder
• Monel and titanium have good acoustic properties and are often used to
gether with stainless steel, which is cheaper.
• However, stainless steel has acoustical and fatigue properties that are in
ferior to those of Monel and titanium, limiting it to low­amplitude applic
ations.
• Amplifying toolholders have a cross section that diminishes toward the t
ool, often following an exponential function.
• An amplifying toolholder is also called a concentrator.

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 USM System
D Tools
• Tools should be constructed from relatively ductile materials.
• The harder the tool material, the faster its wear rate will be.
• It is important to realize that finishing or polishing operations o
n the tools are sometimes necessary because their surface finis
h will be reproduced in the workpiece.

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 USM System

D Tools
- The geometry of the tool
• The geometry of the tool generally corresponds to the geom
etry of the cut to be made,
• Because of the overcut, tools are slightly smaller than the de
sired hole or cavity
• Tool and toolholder are often attached by silver brazing.

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 USM System

E Abrasives

• The criteria for selection of an abrasive for a particular application in

clude hardness, usable life, cost, and particle size.
• Diamond is the fastest abrasive, but is not practical because of its cos
t.
• Boron carbide is economical and yields good machining rates.
• Silicon carbide and aluminum oxide are also widely used.

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 USM System

E Abrasives
- Grain size

• Coarse grits exhibit the highest removal rates,when the grain size bec
omes comparable with the tool amplitude, cut more slowly.
• The larger the grit size, the rougher the machined surface.

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 USM System

E Abrasives
- Abrasive concentration

• The slury consists of small abrasives particles mixed with wat

er or oil in concentration of 30% to 60% by weight.
• But thinner mixtures are used to promote efficient flow whe
n drilling deep holes or when forming complex cavities.

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 Parameters of Ultrasonic
Machining
The ultrasonic vibration machining method is an efficient cutting
technique for difficult-to-machine materials. It is found that the
USM mechanism is influenced by these important parameters.
Amplitude of tool oscillation(a0) ( 15 -50 µm)
Frequency of tool oscillation(f) (19 KHz – 25 KHz)
Tool material ( soft steel titanium alloy)
Type of abrasive (Silicon carbide, aluminum oxide, Boron carbide )

Grain size or grit size of the abrasives – d (100- 800)

Contact area of the tool – A
Volume concentration of abrasive in water slurry – C
Ratio of workpiece hardness to tool hardness; λ=σw/σt
The machines have a power rating of 0.2-2.5 kW
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 Material removal Rate

USM can be applied to machine nearly all materials; however it is n

ot economical to use USM for materials of hardness less than 50 HR
C. Generally the workpiece materials are of stainless steel, cobalt-ba
se heat-resistant steels, germanium, glass, ceramic, carbide, quartz
and semiconductors. It is highly useful in the machining of materials
that cannot be machined by any conventional machining process th
at are ceramic and glass.
Tool vibrations also affect the removal rate. The type of abrasive, its
size and concentration also directly affect the MRR.

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Effect Of Different Parameters
On Material Removal Rate

MRR vs Grain Size of abrasive MRR vs Frequency

MRR vs Ratio of Work piece MRR vs Concentration of Abrasive

hardness to tool hardness

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Advantages
UM effectively machines precise features in hard, brittle materials such
as glass ,engineered ceramics , SiC- Chemical Vapor Deposition Silicon
Carbide ,quartz , PCD - Polycrystalline diamond, ferrite, graphite, glassy
carbon , composites ,piezoceramics .
A nearly limitless number of feature shapes—including round, square
and odd-shaped thru-holes and cavities of varying depths can be
machined with high quality and consistency.
Aspect ratios as high as 25-to-1 are possible, depending on the
material type and feature size.
USM machined surfaces exhibit a good surface integrity and the
compressive stress induced in the top layer enhances the fatigue
strength of the workpiece.
The quality of an ultrasonic cut provides reduced stress and a lower
likelihood of fractures.

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Advantages

Unlike other non-traditional processes such as laser beam, and elec

trical discharge machining, etc., ultrasonic machining does not ther
mally damage the workpiece or appear to introduce significant level
s of residual stress, which is important for the survival of brittle mat
erials in service.
Unlike conventional machining methods, ultrasonic machining prod
uces little or no sub-surface damage and no heat-affected zone.
This machining process is nonthermal, nonchemical, and nonelectri
cal. It does not change the metallurgical, chemical or physical prope
rties of the workpiece.

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Disadvantages

Material removal rates is quite low, usually less than 50 mm3/min.

The abrasive slurry also "machines" the tool itself, thus causing high
rate of tool wear , which in turn makes it very difficult to hold close
tolerances .
The machining area and the depth of cut are quite restricted .

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Applications

Ultrasonic machining is ideal for certain kinds of materials and applications. Brittle
materials, particularly ceramics and glass, are typical candidates for ultrasonic mac
hining. Ultrasonic machining is capable of machining complex, highly detailed shap
es and can be machined to very close tolerances (±0.01 mm ).
Complex geometric shapes and 3-D contours can be machined with relative ease in
brittle materials. Multiple holes, sometimes hundreds, can be drilled simultaneousl
y into very hard materials with great accuracy.

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 Various Work Samples
Machined By USM

                                                                                        

1- The first picture on the left is a plastic sample that has inner grooves that are
machined using USM.
2- The Second picture (in the middle is a plastic sample that has complex details on the
surface
3- The third picture is a coin with the grooving done by USM 26