Ultrasonic Machining (USM)

Ultrasonic machining sometimes called ultrasonic abrasive machining or impact

machining. It is a mechanical nontraditional machining process by which workpiece material is
removed and an exact shape is imparted to the workpiece surface via the cutting action of an
abrasive slurry that is driven by tool vibrating at high frequency in line with its longitudinal axis.
The cutting tool is attached to a vibrating horn. The tool is shaped in the exact configuration to
be ground in workpiece. In this way, the vibration of the tool forces the cutting action of the
abrasive grits in the slurry. The slurry is recirculated in the space between the tool and
workpiece. In most applications, the slurry is automatically cooled in the recirculation cycle.
Workpiece Materials
USM employs a chipping mechanism to remove material. For this reason, material that
tends to brittle fracture is the best material to USM. However the process is effective on both
hard and soft materials. Hard materials are cut by brittle fracture due to the action of the abrasive
and the vibrating tool. Softer materials are cut effectively because of a tendency of the abrasive
grit to become imbedded in the material by plastic deformation, then work hardening occurs and,
upon successive vibrations, material is chipped away due to the contracted brittleness.
Tools
Tough, ductile materials are preferred in USM; mild steel is usually used as the tool
material. The mass of the tool used in USM is important because too large a mass will absorb
ultrasonic energy and reduce machining efficiency. Tools should be designed to resist fatigue
failure. Also, proper stroke of the tools is critical to avoid chipping and scratching which may
accelerate failure in service.
Horn used in USM equipment usually feature a drilled and tapped hole in their end faces
to facilitate mounting of the tool holder. Horns are usually made of brass, steel, titanium, or
aluminum. Tools are normally soldered or brazed to the tool holder.
Abrasives: Several different types of abrasives are used in the USM process
including diamond, cubic boron nitride CBN, boron carbide, silicon carbide, and aluminum
oxide. Boron carbide is the most widely used abrasive in USM operations.
The size of abrasive particles also affect surface finish. Smaller grit size produces finer
finishes, but reduces the machining rate. Usually, USM produces a surface finish between 0.05
0.75 mm Ra. As a rule of used in selecting the grit size is that the grit size should be equal to the
amplitude of vibration.
Slurry Concentration
The slurry used in USM consists of abrasive grits mixed with water or oil. Temperature
of the slurry is maintained by cooling in the recirculation cycle. Recommended temperature of
the slurry is between 2-5 C, although many operations can be performed successfully with the
slurry at room temperature.
As the abrasive concentration increases, the tool penetration increases until it reaches a
maximum. This is due to a jamming effect of the tool/workpiece interface if there is excessive
abrasive in the slurry. For this reason, it is best to use the lowest concentration possible to
achieve the desired penetration in the USM Operations.
Operating Parameters
Frequency: In most USM operations, frequency of vibration is set at between 10 and 40
KHz; the most common frequency is 20 KHz. Although, the frequency of vibration is
not considered a major influencing parameter in USM operations because the user rarely
varies the frequency over a wide range, however, higher frequency increases material
removal rate. This effect appears to be more pronounced in the machining of brittle
materials than in the ductile ones.
Vibration Amplitude: For most USM application, amplitude of vibration is between 0.013
and 0.10 mm. In this respect, the mean diameter of the abrasive grit should be equal
to vibration amplitude. Research has also shown that the relationship between amplitude
and metal removal is affected significantly by the grit size, i.e., larger grit sizes cause
large increase in material removal rates for a given increase in amplitude of vibration.
Forces: tool tip forces are usually less than 44.5 N, but forces high as 445 N are possible.
The force compels the tool to penetrate the workpiece under the influence of grit
abrasion. This force must be chosen carefully since a low force does not yield maximum
cutting rates and high force causes jamming between the tool and abrasive.
Accuracy: In general, the process can achieve accuracy of 30 mm, but under some
conditions accuracy to 5 m m can be achieved.
Applications USM is used to produce blind and through holes, slots, and irregular shapes,
limited in complexity only by the configuration of the tooling.