Ultra Sonic Machining

Definition Of USM
USM is used to erode holes and cavities in hard or

brittle work pieces 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.
Principle Of USM
Ultrasonic Machining
Principle Of USM
The process and cutting tool
 The process is performed by a cutting tool, which
oscillates at high 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 for material removal in the form of small
wear particles that are carried away by the abrasive slurry.
 The tool material, being tough and ductile, wears out at a
much slower rate.
Principle Of USM
Elements of ultrasonic machining

 The tool is oscillated by a
longitudinal magnetostriction
 A magnetic field variation at

ultrasonic frequencies
 The length of a ferromagnetic

object changes
Principle Of USM
Material removal
Principle of USM
Material removal
 Occurs when the abrasive particles, suspended in the
slurry between the tool and workpiece, are struck by the
down-stroke of the vibration tool.
 The impact propels the particles across the cutting gap,
hammering them into the surface of both tool and
workpiece.
 collapse of the cavitations bubbles in the abrasive
suspension results in very high local pressures.
 under the action of the associated shock waves on the
abrasive particles, micro-cracks are generated at the
interface of the workpiece.
 The effects of successive shock waves lead to chipping of
particles from the workpiece
Principle Of USM
The basic components to the cutting

action are believed to be
33
4
USM System
Example
- Basic machine layout

• The acoustic head is
the most complicated
part of the machine.
• It must provide a static

force, as well as the
high frequency
vibration
USM SYSTEM
Principle Of USM
5 Sub-Systems in USM
Transduc
er
Power Tool
supply USM Holder
System
Abrasive Tools
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 generated signal.
 It converts low-frequency(50/60Hz) power to high
frequency(10-15kHz)power.
 Supply to the transducer for conversion into
mechanical motion.
USM System
B Transducer
 The ultrasonic vibrations are produced by the transducer.
 The transducer is driven by suitable signal generator
followed by power amplifier.
 The transducer for USM works on the following principle:
 Piezoelectric effect
 Magnetostrictive effect
 Electrostrictive effect
 Among all the above types of transducers ,

Magnetostrictive transducers are most popular and robust
amongst all.
USM System
C Tool holder
 Its function is to increase the tool vibration amplitude

and to 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.
USM System
C Tool holder
 Monel and titanium have good acoustic properties and are

often used together with stainless steel, which is cheaper.
 However, stainless steel has acoustical and fatigue
properties that are inferior to those of Monel and titanium,
limiting it to low-amplitude applications.
 Amplifying tool holders have a cross section that
diminishes toward the tool, often following an exponential
function.
 An amplifying tool holder is also called a Concentrator.
USM System
D Tool
 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 on the tools are sometimes necessary
because their surface finish will be reproduced in the
workpiece.
USM System
D Tool
 The geometry of the tool
 The geometry of the tool generally corresponds to the

geometry of the cut to be made.
 Because of the overcut, tools are slightly smaller than
the desired hole or cavity.
 Tool and tool holder are often attached by silver
brazing.
USM System
E Abrasives
 The criteria for the selection of an abrasive for a

particular application include hardness, usable life,
cost and particles size.
 Diamond is the fastest abrasive, but is not practical
because of its cost.
 Boron carbide is economical and yields good
machining rates.
 Silicon carbide and aluminum oxide are also widely
used.
USM System
E Abrasives
 Grain size
 Coarse grits exhibit the highest removal rates, when the

grain size becomes comparable with the tool amplitude
,cut more slowly.
 The larger the grit size, the rougher the machined surface.
 Abrasive concentration
 The slurry consists of small abrasives particles mixed with

water or oil in concentration of 30% to 60% by weight.
 But thinner mixtures are used to promote efficient flow
when drilling deep holes or forming complex cavities.
USM System
Parameters of UMS
 Amplitude of tool oscillation (15-50µm)
 Frequency of tool oscillation (19kHz-25kHz)
 Tool material (soft steel, titanium alloy)
 Type of abrasive(silicon carbide, aluminium oxide,
boron carbide )
 Grain size or grit size of the abrasive d(100-800µm)
 Contact area of the tool (A)
 Volume concentration of abrasive in water slurry (C)
 Ratio of workpiece hardness to tool hardness
 The machine power (0.2-2.5kW)
Material Removal Rate Equation
 Where;
 S= static stress on tool, kg/mm2
 H0= surface fracture strength, Brinell hardness number

(BHN)
 R=mean radius of grit, mm
 a0=amplitude of vibration, mm
Material removal
rate
 USM can be applied to machine nearly all materials.
 It not economical to use USM for materials of hardness
less than 50 HRC.
 Most materials of workpiece are like stainless steel,
cobalt-base, heat resistance steel, glass, ceramic,
carbide, quartz and semiconductor.
 It is highly useful in the machining of materials that
can’t be machined by any conventional machining
process that are ceramic and glass.
Relative Machinability Ratings for Some Materials
by USM
Work Material Relative Removed rate , %

Glass 100
Brass 66
Tungsten 4.8
Titanium 4
Steel 3.9
Chrome steel 1.4
Effect of Different Parameters on
Material Removal rate
Summary of USM
 Mechanics of material removal - brittle fracture caused by impact
of abrasive grains due to vibrating at high frequency
 Medium - slurry
 Abrasives: B4C; SiC; Al2O3; diamond; 100-800 grit size
 Vibration freq. 15-30 KHz, amplitude 25-100 micro m
 Tool material soft steel
 Material/tool wear = 1.5 for WC workpiece, 100 for glass
 Gap 25-40 µm
 Critical parameters - frequency, amplitude, tool material, grit size,
abrasive material, feed force, slurry concentration, slurry viscosity
 Material application - metals and alloys (particularly hard and
brittle), semiconductors, nonmetals, e.g., glass and ceramics
 Shape application - round and irregular holes, impressions
 Limitations - very low mrr, tool wear, depth of holes, and cavities
small.
Variation of Cutting
Rate
Advantages of USM
1)USM used for machining very hard and brittle
materials
2) Most shapes with good accuracy can be cut by USM
3) Electrical and chemical properties of the material

not needed to be considered
4) Any size of holes can be generated
5) Working on this machine is not hazardous as there

are no high speed moving parts
Disadvantages
1) Metal removal rates are low, usually less than
50mm3/min.
2) Depth of hole is limited to the size of tool
3) Tool wear is high and sharp corners can also be

not generated
Applications
 As there is no limitation over the electrical
characteristics of the material any type of material
can be machined. In general this process is used for
machining hard carbides, precious stones, tungsten
are successfully machined
 Various shapes like slot cutting, cutting large disc,
machining along a complex profile, cutting with a
strip tool are some of the numerous number of
applications of the ultrasonic machining
 As per the experimental results the size of hole
ranges from 0.050mm to 100mm diameter.
Applications
Applications

Ultra Sonic Machining

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Definition Of USM

USM is used to erode holes and cavities in hard or

USM is able to effectively machine all hard materials

Elements of ultrasonic machining

 A magnetic field variation at

 The length of a ferromagnetic

The basic components to the cutting

- Basic machine layout

• It must provide a static

 The power supply is a sine-wave generator.

 Among all the above types of transducers ,

 Its function is to increase the tool vibration amplitude

 Monel and titanium have good acoustic properties and are

 Tools should be constructed from relatively ductile

 The geometry of the tool generally corresponds to the

 The criteria for the selection of an abrasive for a

 Coarse grits exhibit the highest removal rates, when the

 The slurry consists of small abrasives particles mixed with

 H0= surface fracture strength, Brinell hardness number

 R=mean radius of grit, mm

Work Material Relative Removed rate , %

2) Most shapes with good accuracy can be cut by USM

3) Electrical and chemical properties of the material

4) Any size of holes can be generated

5) Working on this machine is not hazardous as there

2) Depth of hole is limited to the size of tool

3) Tool wear is high and sharp corners can also be

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