Journal of Materials Processing Tech.

306 (2022) 117627

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Journal of Materials Processing Tech.

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jmatprotec

Investigation of intermittent cutting mechanism of abrasive particles in

ultrasonic-assisted external cylindrical honing
Kai Ma a, *, Xijing Zhu b, c, Jie Shen d
a
Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi 046000, Shanxi, China
b
Modern Processing Theory and Technology Research Institute, School of Mechanical Engineering, North University of China, Taiyuan 030051, Shanxi, China
c
Shanxi Key Laboratory of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, North University of China, Taiyuan, Shanxi, 030051, China
d
Changzhi University, Changzhi 046000, Shanxi, China

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Associate Editor: Dr Jian Cao Ultrasonic-assisted honing, which is a finishing grinding method, has been considered effective for improving the
cutting performance of abrasive particles. However, the effect mechanism of the ultrasonic vibration on the
Keywords: cutting process of abrasive particles has not yet been clarified, which hinders the application and development of
Ultrasonic-assisted external cylindrical honing this technology. In this study, new kinematics and cutting process models of a single abrasive particle in
Abrasive particle
ultrasonic-assisted external cylindrical honing (UAECH) were established. The parameters and interruption
Finite element method (FEM)
conditions affecting the intermittent cutting process of the abrasive particle were clarified based on the coupling
Honing simulation
effect of ultrasonic vibration and rotation of workpiece. Finite element simulation analysis has revealed that the
increases in ultrasonic frequency and amplitude can reduce the interruption threshold and cutting time pro­
portion in the intermittent cutting process of abrasive particles mainly by increasing the relative velocity of
abrasive particles. Furthermore, for the cutting depth and rotation speed, their influence on the intermittent
cutting process is mainly based on the change of the deformation rate of workpiece material. Moreover, it was
found that there was counteraction effect between the tangential forces on the symmetrical surfaces of the
abrasive particle in UAECH, which can help reduce the tangential honing force and improve the honing per­
formance. The experimental results demonstrated a significant improvement in the average tangential honing
force in UAECH and novel dents surface topography, which can provide guidance for the application of ultrasonic
vibration in the grinding field and development of forming processes for functional surface topography in
honing.

the abrasive particle is continuous cutting. These characteristics limit

1. Introduction
Honing is a special grinding method that is primarily used for the
surface finishing of cylindrical workpieces. Generally, the honing pro­
cess involves using the abrasive particles of the oilstone to cut the sur­
face of a workpiece, in which the oilstone is tightly pressed against the
surface of a cylindrical workpiece and moves spirally along the axis of
the workpiece. In honing, the reciprocating grinding process of the
oilstone can further improve the surface quality and lubrication of
workpieces. Compared with ordinary grinding, honing exhibits the
following characteristics (Feng et al., 2015): (1) the contact area be­
tween the tool and workpiece is large, (2) relative speed between the
tool and workpiece is low, (3) working surface of the tool is always in
contact with the surface of the workpiece, and (4) machining process of
the honing speed to avoid negative influence of excessive grinding heat
on the surface quality (Zahouani and Mansori, 2017).
With the development of precision machining technology and sur­
face performance requirements of operating parts, conventional
machining methods are becoming less effective. The innovative pro­
cessing method of ultrasonic-assisted machining (UAM) provides new
opportunities for further development of the machining accuracy, pro­
cessing efficiency, and quality in various machining fields as has been
illustrated by Xu et al. (2021) and Lotfi et al. (2017) in
ultrasonic-assisted milling and turning, respectively. Additionally, the
application of ultrasonic vibration can reduce wear of diamond tools in
metal cutting process (Zhang et al., 2022). Ultrasonic technology offers
universality and has not only been applied to conventional machining
operations such as turning, grinding, drilling, and milling but also has

* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: mk199029@czmc.edu.cn (K. Ma).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2022.117627
Received 5 February 2022; Received in revised form 6 May 2022; Accepted 14 May 2022
Available online 21 May 2022
0924-0136/© 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
K. Ma et al. Journal of Materials Processing Tech. 306 (2022) 117627

Nomenclature Vn, Vt Normal and tangential velocity components of abrasive

particle, respectively
ω Rotation speed of workpiece φ Apex angle of abrasive particle
Vf Feed rate of honing stone Vr_f, Vr_r Velocities perpendicular to the front and rear sides of
ap Honing depth abrasive particle section respectively in the cut-in process
f Ultrasonic frequency α, α′ Inclination angles of the tangent line at a point on the
R Radius of workpiece trajectory of abrasive particle in the cut-in and cut-out
x, y, z Three-dimensional coordinates processes, respectively
t Time V′ r Relative velocity of abrasive particle in the cut-out process
au Honing depth in UAECH V’r_f, V’r_r Velocities perpendicular to the front and rear sides of
A Ultrasonic amplitude abrasive particle section respectively in the cut-out process
ψ Initial phase angle apm Maximum honing depth
k Arbitrary integer Fn, Ft Normal and tangential cutting forces of abrasive particle,
Vu Ultrasonic vibration velocity respectively
Vr Relative velocity of abrasive particle in the cut-in process FN, FT Average normal and tangential honing forces, respectively

the potential to modify material surfaces with an ultrasonic cavitation

effect (Ye et al., 2019).
Chaudhari et al. (2021) showed that the roughness, phase trans­
formation, and microhardness of AISI D2 tool steel in ultrasonic vibra­
tion assisted dry grinding were better than those in conventional dry
grinding. Moghaddas et al. (2018) developed an ultrasonic drilling
module, which can reduce the drilling forces and improve the feed rates.
He et al. (2021) showed that the milling force and machined surface
quality were significantly improved with involvement of ultrasonic vi­
bration. It has become increasingly clear that compared with conven­
tional processing methods, UAM has been developed significantly and
offers improved machinability (Geng et al., 2019), tool life (Peng et al.,
2021), and surface quality (Chen et al., 2018a, 2018b). Therefore, in­
vestigations on this topic have garnered significant attention.
Chen et al. (2022) experimentally studied the machining mechanism
of ultrasonic vibration-assisted grinding sapphire. The results showed
that the application of ultrasonic vibration could effectively reduce the
grinding force, force ratio, and specific energy compared with conven­
tional grinding. Guo and Zhao (2017) studied the precision grinding
method for the surface microstructures of hard and brittle materials.
Using the high-frequency repetitive finishing effect of ultrasonic vibra­
tions on a workpiece surface, the trace length and overlap ratio of
abrasive particles were increased, and the surface processing quality was
improved. Wu et al. (2021) experimentally discovered that ultrasonic
vibrations significantly improved the adhesion and macro-fractures of
grinding wheel in ultrasonic-assisted grinding (UAG) compared with
conventional grinding. Fig. 1. Schematic of UAECH.
The study of the material removal mechanism in UAM is important to
reveal the effects of ultrasonic vibrations on processing performance and scrolling/smearing marks appeared on the surface.
quality. Qiao et al. (2022) studied the material removal mechanism of UAG tools are typically discs or cylindrical grinding wheels. There­
ultrasonic vibration-assisted grinding of ceramic materials and fore, ultrasonic vibrations are loaded on the workpiece or axial direction
concluded that the application of ultrasonic vibration effectively of a tool. In either case, ultrasonic vibrations are introduced into the
improved the crack-inhibiting effect. Zhou et al. (2019) studied surface relative motion between the abrasive particles and workpiece. Contrary
formation and material removal in UAG, based on which a simulation to general grinding, the honing tool is a honing stone, machined surface
model was established to analyse the effects of single and multiple is typically cylindrical, and abrasive particles rotate relatively around
abrasives on surface forming. They obtained key parameters of the the workpiece axis. These characteristics render the surface forming
surface forming process, such as undeformed chip thickness and dy­ mechanism of ultrasonic-assisted honing different from that of UAG.
namic active grain number. The effect of ultrasonic vibration on surface In this study, kinematic models of an abrasive particle on the honing
topography is related to the vibration direction, which may change the stone of ultrasonic-assisted external cylindrical honing (UAECH) were
formation mechanism of the surface topography. Chen et al. (2018a, established according to the motion of the particle relative to a work­
2018b) studied the effect of ultrasonic vibration on the surface rough­ piece. In UAECH, the effects of different surfaces of abrasive particles on
ness of a large-diameter grinding wheel during dry grinding. Owing to the workpiece material were analysed and simulated based on the FEM,
the effect of Poisson’s ratio, the large-diameter grinding wheel exhibited which clarified the intermittent cutting mechanism. The surface
vibrations in both radial and axial directions. Radial vibrations topography and honing force characteristics of the experimental results
increased the surface roughness by deepening the grinding trace. were in agreement with the theoretical model and simulation results.
Although axial vibrations could yield a flatter surface topography by
enhancing the superposition of adjacent cutting paths, more

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K. Ma et al. Journal of Materials Processing Tech. 306 (2022) 117627

characteristics of an abrasive particle relative to a workpiece can be

characterised using the relative motion of its vertex (G).
Owing to ultrasonic vibration, the cutting depth of an abrasive par­
ticle changes constantly in UAECH, which can be expressed as
au = ap − Asin(2π ft + ψ ) (1)

where A is the amplitude, and ψ is the initial phase angle. Considering

that when t = 0, the honing stone does not vibrate, the honing depth (au)
should be equal to ap, which results in ψ = kπ, where k is any integer. Eq.
(2) represents a simplified version of Eq. (1), in which k is set as 0,
resulting in ψ = 0.
au = ap − Asin(2π ft) (2)

The trajectory equation of an abrasive particle in UAECH can be

expressed as
⎧ ⎫
Fig. 2. Relative motion trajectories of abrasive particle in CECH and UAECH. ⎨ x = Vf t ⎬
y = [R − ap + Asin(2πft)]sin (ωt) (3)
⎩ ⎭
2. Kinematic analyses of abrasive particle in UAECH z = [R − ap + Asin(2πft)]cos (ωt)

The trajectory of an abrasive particle in UAECH is slightly different

In principle, UAM makes use of the high-frequency micro-vibration from a sine curve. In addition, the trajectory equations show that the
caused by the intermittent interaction between the tool and workpiece effect of ultrasonic vibration on the kinematic characteristics of an
to improve the processing performance and form special surface abrasive particle is mainly reflected in the section perpendicular to the
topography. The processing mechanism of UAECH has unique charac­ axis of the workpiece; that is, the yz-plane. Therefore, in this study, the
teristics because of the special processing technology and ultrasonic kinematic characteristics of an abrasive particle in yz-plane were
vibration form. Therefore, this study combined the characteristics of the investigated.
machining process and relative kinematics between the abrasive particle In UAECH, the ultrasonic vibration velocity (Vu) can be expressed as
and workpiece in UAECH.
As shown in Fig. 1, ultrasonic vibration in UAECH is applied to the Vu = 2πfAcos(2πft) (4)
honing stone, perpendicular to the machining plane, where ω is the The ultrasonic vibration velocity, which is equal to the normal ve­
rotation speed, Vf is the honing feed rate along the direction parallel to locity (Vn) of the abrasive particle relative to the workpiece, is related to
the workpiece axis, and ap denotes the honing depth, which is the radial the ultrasonic frequency and amplitude and varies with time. The
distance between the machined and unmachined surfaces. Compared tangential velocity (Vt) of the abrasive particle, which varies with time,
with conventional external cylindrical honing (CECH), UAECH has an is related to the workpiece rotation speed and radial distance between
additional ultrasonic vibration with frequency f. Fig. 2 shows the motion the abrasive particle and rotation centre. In UAECH, Vt and Vn, and their
trajectories of a single abrasive particle on the honing stone relative to combined velocity Vr, can be expressed as
the workpiece in CECH and UAECH. In UAECH, the movement of ⎧ ⎫
abrasive grains relative to the workpiece can be regarded as a combi­ ⎪
⎪ Vt = ω[R − ap + Asin(2πft)] ⎪ ⎪
⎪ ⎪
nation of the following three movements: the rotation movement around ⎨ ⎬
Vn = 2πfAcos(2π ft) (5)
the workpiece axis, feed movement along the workpiece axis, and ul­ ⎪
⎪
√̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅ ⎪
⎪
⎪ ⎪
trasonic vibration perpendicular to the machining plane. ⎩ V = V2 + V2
r t n
⎭

2.1. Kinematic models of abrasive particle in UAECH 2.2. Cutting process model of abrasive particles in UAECH

Fig. 3 shows the relative kinematic relationship between an abrasive In CECH, the dynamic characteristics of abrasive particles signifi­
particle and a workpiece in the yz-plane in UAECH. The trajectory of the cantly affects the honing processes and results (Dai et al., 2017). In
abrasive particle relative to the workpiece approximates to a sine curve UAECH, the interactions between the abrasive particle and workpiece
distributed along the circle. As shown in Fig. 3, the kinematic are more complex and variable (Yang et al., 2019). Therefore, it is

Fig. 3. Kinematic schematic of abrasive particle in UAECH.

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K. Ma et al. Journal of Materials Processing Tech. 306 (2022) 117627

cut-in and cut-out processes, which correspond to the two segment

curves PCD and DC’Q on the trajectory pu, respectively. Subsequently,
the cutting characteristics of the abrasive particle in each of the two
processes can be analysed.
As shown in Fig. 5, the relative velocity of the abrasive particle (Vr) is
tangent to the trajectory curve (pu). Vr_f and Vr_r are the velocity com­
ponents of Vr, and they are perpendicular to the front and rear sides of
the abrasive particle sections, respectively. The two velocity compo­
nents can be used to analyse the motion characteristics of the front and
rear surfaces of the abrasive particle relative to the workpiece material
in cutting processes.
In the cut-in process, Vr_f and Vr_r can be expressed as
/ /
Vr_f = Vr ⋅sin (α + φ 2 − π 2) (8)

Fig. 4. Schematic of front and rear surfaces of abrasive particle model. Vr_r = Vr ⋅sin (α − φ/2 − π/2) (9)

necessary to study the cutting process of an abrasive particle in UAECH. where α is the inclination angle of the tangent line at any point of pu in
To simplify the analysis, the surface of the equivalent cylindrical the cut-in process, and its value is calculated as
model of an abrasive particle participating in a cutting process is divided [
2πfAsin(2πft)
]
into front and rear surfaces as shown in Fig. 4. The front surface of the α = tan− 1 − (10)
Rω
abrasive particle refers to the half of the conical surface directed by the
tangential velocity (Vt). Similarly, the rear surface refers to the other where π/2 < α ≤ π. Moreover, α = π only when Vn = 0.
half surface of the conical model. As observed from these equations, when Vr_f > 0, in the cut-in pro­
The surface of a workpiece within the cutting range of an abrasive cess, the direction always points towards the front of the abrasive par­
particle in a vibration cycle can be regarded as flat, as shown in Fig. 5. ticle, which indicates that there is an interaction between the front
The shape of an abrasive particle in the yz-plane is an axial section of the surface of the abrasive particle and workpiece material; failing that, the
conical model with an apex angle φ. It is assumed that the axis of the opposite would occur. Similarly, when Vr_r > 0, the direction points
abrasive particle is always along the normal direction of the workpiece. towards the front of the abrasive particle, indicating that there is no
Fig. 5 shows the cutting process of an abrasive particle in UAECH. In this interaction between the rear surface of the abrasive particle and the
case, considering that the variation in Vt caused by the ultrasonic vi­ workpiece material; failing that, the opposite would occur.
bration is very small relative to the workpiece radius, it can be regarded In the cut-out process of an abrasive particle in UAECH, the velocity
as a constant value. Therefore, in UAECH, the trajectory of the abrasive components perpendicular to the front and rear sides of the cross section
particle in the yz-plane can be approximated as a sine curve, and its of the abrasive particle can be expressed as
equation can be simplified as /
(11)
′ ′ ′
{ } V r_f = V r ⋅sin (π/2 − α − φ 2)
y = Rωt
(6)
z = Acos(2π ft) /
(12)
′ ′ ′
V r_r = V r ⋅sin (π/2 − α + φ 2)
Eq. (5) can be simplified as
⎧ ⎫ where V′ r is the relative velocity of the abrasive particle, α′ is the
⎪ Vt = ω R ⎪
⎪
⎪
⎨
⎪
⎪
⎬ inclination angle of the tangent line at any point of pu, and 0 ≤ α′ < π/2.
Vn = 2πfAcos(2πft)
√̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅ ⎪ (7) When V’r_f > 0, the direction points towards the front of the abrasive
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎩ Vr = V 2t + V 2n ⎪
⎪
⎭ particle, indicating an interaction between the front surface of the
abrasive particle and workpiece material; failing that, the front surface
As shown in Fig. 5, in UAECH, the cutting process of an abrasive of the abrasive particle is gradually removed from the workpiece ma­
particle in a vibration cycle can be divided into two processes, namely terial, interrupting its cutting process. Because α′ − φ/2 < π/2 is always
valid in the cut-out process, V′ r_r > 0. Therefore, the direction of V′ r_r

Fig. 5. Cutting process of abrasive particle in UAECH.

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K. Ma et al. Journal of Materials Processing Tech. 306 (2022) 117627

those in CECH, and they are closely related to the kinematics and geo­
metric characteristics.

3. Cutting simulation of abrasive particle in UAECH

In UAECH, the cutting effects of an abrasive particle on the work­

piece are complex and variable. Using FEM, the stress–strain charac­
teristics of material and cutting force variation with different parameters
can be obtained, which is helpful for studying the cutting mechanism of
an abrasive particle in UAECH.
The cutting simulation model is shown in Fig. 6. The material of
workpiece is SUS304 stainless steel. The material of the abrasive particle
is diamond, and its deformation in the cutting process is very small
compared with the workpiece material; thus, its abrasion and defor­
mation can be neglected in the simulation. The variables and values in
the simulation of UAECH are listed in Table 1.
Fig. 6. Finite element model for cutting simulation of single abrasive particle. Fig. 7 shows the cutting simulation results of an abrasive particle in
an ultrasonic vibration cycle. The simulation conditions are as follows: A
= 15 µm, ap = 10 µm, f = 20 kHz, and ω = 200 r/min. The total time
Table 1 step of the simulation is 5 × 10− 5 s, equal to the vibration period. The
Variables and values in the simulation of UAECH. equivalent stress nephograms depicted in Fig. 7(a) and (b) show that in
No. A (µm) ap (µm) f (kHz) ω (r/min) the cut-in process, the workpiece material that is in contact with the
front and rear surfaces of the abrasive particle are both gradually
1 10–20 10 20 200
2 15 10–30 20 200 deformed, and the maximum equivalent stress in the material is
3 15 10 10–30 200 concentrated near the contact position and distributed radially around
4 15 10 20 200–600 it. Fig. 7(c) shows that in the cut-out process, with an interruption of the
cutting process of the rear surface of the abrasive particle, the maximum
equivalent stress in the material tends to be mainly concentrated near
always points towards the front of the abrasive particle, and there is no
the position in contact with the front surface of the abrasive particle.
interaction between the rear surface of the abrasive particle and work­
Until the cutting process of the abrasive particle is completely inter­
piece material in the cut-out process.
rupted, the distribution of residual stress in the workpiece is as shown in
The aforementioned analyses show that in UAECH, the rear surface
Fig. 7(d). The simulation results show that the intermittent cutting
of an abrasive particle may have cutting effect on the workpiece in the
characteristics of an abrasive particle in UAECH are consistent with the
cut-in process, and the cutting process of the front surface of an abrasive
intermittent cutting model.
particle may be interrupted in the cut-out process. These cutting char­
Fig. 8(a) and (b) show the time history curves of the normal cutting
acteristics of abrasive particles in UAECH are significantly different from
force (Fn) and tangential cutting force (Ft), respectively, acting on the

Fig. 7. Equivalent stress nephogram of cutting simulation for abrasive particle at different time points in a vibration cycle of UAECH with A = 15 µm, ap = 10 µm, f
= 20 kHz, and ω = 200 r/min.

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K. Ma et al. Journal of Materials Processing Tech. 306 (2022) 117627

Fig. 8. Time history curves of Fn and Ft with different A and ap = 10 µm, f = 20 kHz, ω = 200 r/min in a cutting cycle of UAECH.

Fig. 9. Time history curves of Fn and Ft with different ap and A = 15 µm, f = 20 kHz, ω = 200 r/min in a cutting cycle of UAECH.

abrasive particle with different A in the cutting simulation of an abrasive
particle in UAECH. Generally, when the cutting force is equal to 0, the
cutting process of the abrasive particle is interrupted; failing that, the
opposite occurs. Therefore, the cutting time of an abrasive particle in a
vibration cycle can be determined based on the time history curves.
As shown in Fig. 8, the larger the value of A is in UAECH, the larger
the maximum values of Fn and Ft. With an increase in A, Fn and Ft reach
their maximum values faster and cutting time is shorter in a vibration
cycle. This is because of an increase in the relative velocity of the
abrasive particle with the increase in A; the variations of the cutting
forces follow a similar trend. In addition, with an increase in A, the slope
of the relative motion trajectory of abrasive particles increases, which
makes the cutting process of the abrasive particle easier to interrupt, and
the cutting time in a vibration cycle shorter.
It should be noted that the value of Ft is obtained as the result of the
difference between the tangential cutting forces acting on the front and
rear surfaces of abrasive particle. Therefore, in UAECH, there may be
tangential cutting forces in opposite directions acting on the front and
rear surfaces of abrasive particle, and the resultant force Ft initially in­
creases slowly. When the cutting effect of the rear surface of the abrasive
particle is interrupted, Ft rapidly increases to a maximum value. Sub­
sequently, because the cutting effect of the front surface of the abrasive

Fig. 10. Time history curves of Fn and Ft with different f and A = 15 µm, ap = 10 µm, ω = 200 r/min in a cutting cycle of UAECH.

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K. Ma et al. Journal of Materials Processing Tech. 306 (2022) 117627

Fig. 11. Time history curves of Fn and Ft with different ω and A = 15 µm, ap = 10 µm, f = 20 kHz in a cutting cycle of UAECH.

particle decreases rapidly until it is interrupted in the cut-out process,

the value of Ft also rapidly decreases to 0.
As shown in Fig. 9(a) and (b), the cutting simulation results of the
abrasive particle in UAECH show that with an increase in ap, the
maximum values of Fn and Ft increase significantly, and the cutting time
of abrasive particle in a vibration cycle becomes longer. According to the
kinematic characteristics of an abrasive particle in UAECH, the change
in cutting depth has little effect on the motion trajectory or velocity of
the abrasive particle. However, an increase in cutting depth increases
the cutting amount of the abrasive particle on the workpiece material,
followed by an increase in material deformation, thereby increasing
cutting forces and time in a vibration cycle.
Fig. 10 (a) and (b) respectively show the time history curves of Fn and
Ft with different f in the cutting simulation of abrasive particle in
UAECH. The increase in f resulting in an increase in the change rate of
cutting forces and a decrease in the cutting time of a vibration cycle. Fig. 12. Schematic of experimental setup for UAECH.
These are mainly because the increase in frequency will cause an in­
crease in vibration acceleration and speed of abrasive particles. In
addition, the simulation results indicate that the effect of the change in f Table 2
Experimental conditions.
on the maximum values of cutting forces is negligible.
The time history curves of Fn and Ft at different ω in the cutting Experiment parameters Value
simulation of the abrasive particle in UAECH are shown in Fig. 11 (a) Workpiece material SUS304
and (b), respectively. By combining the simulation results with the Size of workpiece (mm) Ф 20 × 300
cutting process model of the abrasive particle, it can be seen that with an Honing stone Resin bond diamond honing stone
Size of honing stone (mm) 40 × 10 × 6
increase in ω, the cutting effect of the rear surface of the abrasive par­
Grit number of diamond abrasive particle # 400
ticle on the workpiece material decreases, while the cutting effect of the Honing time (s) 90
front surface of abrasive particle increases. Subsequently, as shown in Feed speed (m/min) 2
Fig. 11, the increase in ω leads to an earlier decrease in Fn and Ft but an Ultrasonic vibration frequency (kHz) 19.92
increase in their duration. Additionally, the simulation results show that
a change in ω has relatively little effect on the cutting forces of the
The primary purpose of the experiment is to verify the surface
abrasive particle in UAECH.
topography in UAECH and compare the honing forces with those in
CECH. The experimental conditions are listed in Table 2. The material of
4. Experimental setup and procedure
the workpiece sample is stainless steel SUS304, and its main physical
and chemical properties are listed in Table 3.
Fig. 12 shows the schematic of the UAECH experiment. The ultra­
By comparing the surface topography and honing forces in UAECH
sonic vibration device is primarily composed of a transducer, stepped
and CECH, the honing characteristics and performance in UAECH can be
horn, block horn, honing stone, and an ultrasonic power supply. The
better understood. The surface topography of the experimental result
stepped horn is primarily used to transmit and amplify the amplitude,
can be observed using an electronic microscope (KEYENCE VHX-500). A
while the block horn adjusts the amplitude uniformity in addition to
JB-5 C roughness profile tester produced by Shanghai Precision Instru­
transmitting the vibration and supporting the honing stone. The ultra­
ment Co., Ltd. was used to measure the surface roughness of the honed
sonic vibration device is connected with a Kistler-9272 dynamometer
workpieces. The acquisition and analysis of honing forces can be con­
through a fixture, and the bottom of the dynamometer is fixed on the
ducted using the system shown in Fig. 13, which is mainly comprises a
workbench of a vertical NC milling machine. The cylindrical workpiece
computer installed with data acquisition software, Kistler-5073 charge
is clamped on the spindle of the milling machine and can rotate and feed
amplifier, Kistler-5405A multi-component force measurement system,
up and down with it. The workbench can drive the ultrasonic vibration
and data acquisition equipment.
device including the honing stone to move in the horizontal plane. Based
To better express the maximum cutting depth in CECH and UAECH,
on the above experimental setup, the comparative experiments of
and make them consistent, the parameter apm is introduced. The
UAECH and CECH were performed.

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K. Ma et al. Journal of Materials Processing Tech. 306 (2022) 117627

Table 3 were compared. Fig. 14 (a) and (b) show the photographs of the honed
Physical and chemical properties of workpiece material. surface of 200 × magnification in CECH and UAECH, respectively. As
Properties Value shown in Fig. 14, the CECH surface is covered with crossed scratches.
3 The UAECH surface is distributed with densely punctiform cutting
Density (kg/m ) 7.93 × 103
Elastic modulus (GPa) 193 marks. Generally, the UAECH surface exhibited relatively lower glossi­
Ultimate tensile strength (MPa) 520 ness and was flatter. This is related to the special surface characteristic in
Ultimate yield strength (MPa) 205 UAM (Zhang et al., 2020).
Vickers hardness ≤ 210 Fig. 15 (a) and (b) show the photographs of the honed surface of
Cr content (%) 18.0–20.0
Ni content (%) 8.0–10.5
500 × magnification in CECH and UAECH, respectively. The cutting
process of an abrasive particle on the surface of the workpiece in CECH is
continuous scratching, whereas it is intermittent carving in UAECH.
From the 3D surface topography of UAECH shown in Fig. 16, it can be
further observed that the topography profile formed by the cutting
process of abrasive particles is highly consistent with the simulation
results. Dents with different shapes and sizes can be observed on the
UAECH surface. This is because of the intermittent cutting of abrasive
particles with different heights and sizes on the surface of honing stone.

5.2. Comparison of surface topography parameters

The roughness parameters of arithmetical mean deviation Ra,

maximum peak height Rp, and maximum valley depth Rv are widely
used topography parameters to quantitatively assess the processes and
surface topography, which are applicable to revealing the surface
properties such as friction, lubrication, and wear resistance (Pawlus
et al., 2021). The values of surface roughness measured in the direction
Fig. 13. Schematic illustration of honing force acquisition and analysis system. across the cutting paths of the abrasive particles are usually larger and
have dominant influence on the surface properties (Ali et al., 2015).
Therefore, the roughness parameters were measured along the axial
Table 4
Experimental variable matrix.
direction of the honed workpieces. The variations of average values of
Ra, Rp, and Rv with different apm and ω are presented in Fig. 17.
No. A (µm) apm (µm) ω (r/min)
As shown in Fig. 17, the average values of Ra, Rp, and Rv increase
1 0 27 200–600 significantly with the increase in apm both in CECH and UAECH. In this
2 0 27–47 200
study, the ultrasonic vibration along the radial direction of the work­
3 16.9 27 200–600
4 16.9 27–47 200
piece leads to larger values of Ra, Rp, and Rv, which increase by 16.4%,
30%, and 6%, respectively. This is mainly because the ultrasonic vi­
bration in the direction of honing depth causes the fluctuations in the
maximum honing depth is apm = ap + A in UAECH and apm = ap in number and cutting depths of active abrasive particles. Although an
CECH. The experimental variable matrix of the honing force measure­ appropriately large value of Rv is beneficial to improvement in the
ment test is listed in Table 4. The variation of honing forces with ω and surface lubrication, a large value of Rp will reduce the wear resistance of
apm in UAECH and CECH can be compared using the experimental surface. Besides, the experimental results show that as apm increases
method. from 27 µm to 47 µm, the average values of Ra, Rp, and Rv in CECH
increase by 29.2%, 36.9%, and 51.4% respectively, while those in
5. Results and discussion UAECH increase by 22.2%, 28.7%, and 38.9% respectively. Compared
with UAECH, the values of roughness parameters in CECH are more
5.1. Surface topography in UAECH sensitive to the variation of apm.
Fig. 17 shows the variations in Ra and Rp with ω, which are different
To understand the effect of ultrasonic vibration on the surface in CECH and UAECH. The average values of Ra, Rp, and Rv in CECH
topography of honing, the experimental results of UAECH and CECH increase with the increase in ω, and the trends are more significant when

Fig. 14. Honed surface (magnification = 200 ×) in (a) CECH with apm = 37 µm, ω = 200 r/min; (b) UAECH with apm = 37 µm, ω = 200 r/min, A = 16.9 µm,
f = 19.92 kHz.

8
K. Ma et al.
Fig. 15. Honed surface (magnification = 500 ×) in (a) CECH with apm = 37 µm, ω = 200 r/min; (b) UAECH with apm = 37 µm, ω = 200 r/min, A = 16.9 µm,
f = 19.92 kHz.
Fig. 16. 3D surface topography in UAECH with apm = 37 µm, ω = 200 r/min, A = 16.9 µm, f = 19.92 kHz.
ω is high. In CECH, when low size of abrasive particles is used, one of the
most important factors causing increase in surface roughness is the vi­
bration between the workpiece and tool in the machining process, which
is increasingly significant with the increase in ω. In addition, the in­
crease in tangential honing force caused by the increase in relative
tangential speed in the honing process will also cause the increase in
surface roughness. In UAECH, with the increase in ω, the average values
of Ra and Rp decrease, while the average value of Rv increases. Obvi­
ously, the intermittent cutting of abrasive particles in UAECH is bene­
ficial to improvement in surface topography with increase in ω. The
experimental results show that as ω increases from 200 r/min to 600 r/
min, the average values of Ra and Rp in UAECH decrease by 5.8% and
10% respectively, and the average value of Rv increases by 20.9%.
Therefore, considering the machining efficiency and surface topog­
raphy, an appropriate increase in the rotation speed in UAECH is
beneficial to improving the wear resistance and lubrication performance
9
Journal of Materials Processing Tech. 306 (2022) 117627
of the surface.
5.3. Honing forces in CECH and UAECH
Fig. 18 (a) and (b) show the variation trends of average normal
honing force (FN) and average tangential honing force (FT) with apm,
respectively. In the figures, the points with A = 0 represent the honing
forces in CECH and those with A = 16.9 µm represent the honing forces
in UAECH. As shown in Fig. 18, whether in CECH or UAECH, an increase
in apm leads to an increase in FN and FT. When apm is similar, the exis­
tence of ultrasonic vibrations makes FN in UAECH larger than that in
CECH, while the situation in Ft is opposite. By comparing with the
simulation results, it can be seen that the increase in apm cause the in­
crease in cutting amount and cutting time of the abrasive particles in
intermittent cutting process, which is the main reason for the increase in
FN and FT in the experiments. In addition, as shown in Fig. 18 (b), the
K. Ma et al. Journal of Materials Processing Tech. 306 (2022) 117627

Fig. 17. Variations of roughness parameters with apm and ω in CECH (A = 0) and UAECH (A = 16.9 µm) (error bars denote S.D.).

Fig. 18. FN and FT in CECH (A = 0) and UAECH (A = 16.9 µm) with different apm and ω = 200 r/min (error bars denote S.D.).

10
K. Ma et al.
Fig. 19. FN and FT in CECH (A = 0) and UAECH (A = 16.9 µm) with different ω and apm = 27 µm (error bars denote S.D.).
smaller values of FT in UAECH compared with that in CECH have a great
correlation with the counteraction effect of the tangential cutting forces
on the front and rear surfaces of abrasive particles as shown in the
simulation results in Fig. 9(b).
The variation trends of FN and FT with ω are shown in Fig. 19 (a) and
(b), respectively. As depicted in Fig. 19, with an increase in ω, FN and FT
in CECH show a decreasing trend. Meanwhile, in UAECH, FN decreases
slowly and FT increases gradually. This is primarily because an increase
in ω leads to an increase and decrease in the cutting effects of the front
and rear surfaces, respectively, of the abrasive particle in UAECH. The
experimental results are consistent with the variations in the cutting
forces of abrasive particles with ω in the simulation results shown in
Fig. 11. Furthermore, the results show that the influence of ω on the
honing forces in UAECH is relatively small.
Comparing FN and FT in CECH and UAECH, it can be deduced that
when ω is constant, within the apm range of 27–47 µm, the effect of ul­
trasonic vibration increases FN by 9.3–18.9% and decreases FT by
25.4–47.7%. Furthermore, when apm is constant, within a ω range of
200–600 r/min, the effect of ultrasonic vibration increases FN by
15.8–28.9% and decreases FT by 20.6–47.7%.
6. Conclusion
1. In this paper, a new intermittent cutting model of a single abrasive
particle in UAECH was established. It has been clarified that the
parameters influencing the intermittent cutting process are the top
angle of abrasive particles, ultrasonic frequency, amplitude, radius
and rotation speed of workpiece. The new model is helpful to further
study the intermittent cutting mechanism of abrasive particles with
the effect of ultrasonic vibration.
2. There was counteraction effect between the tangential forces on the
symmetrical surfaces of an abrasive particle in the intermittent cut­
ting process, which can improve the imbalance of cutting forces, and
greatly reduce the average tangential honing force.
3. The increases in ultrasonic frequency and amplitude can reduce the
interruption threshold and cutting time proportion in the intermit­
tent cutting process of abrasive particles mainly by increasing the
relative velocity of abrasive particles. The increases in cutting depth
and rotation speed mainly cause the increases in deformation rate of
workpiece material and cutting time proportion in the intermittent
cutting process of abrasive particles.
4. In practice, the honing depth and rotation speed are easier to change
and control compared with ultrasonic parameters. In this study, it
has been proved by experimentation that when the honing depth or
rotation speed was similar, the average tangential honing force in
UAECH was 25.4–47.7% or 20.6–47.7% lower than that in CECH,
respectively. The improvement of intermittent cutting process of
abrasive particles in UAECH causes the surface roughness
11
Journal of Materials Processing Tech. 306 (2022) 117627
parameters Ra and Rp decrease by 5.8% and 10% respectively, and
Rv increase by 20.9% with the increase in rotation speed, which is
beneficial to improving honing efficiency and surface topography.
Moreover, the novel dents surface topography in UAECH is highly
similar to the surface features that can improve the friction and
lubrication performance of a working surface. These results have
important reference significance for the application of ultrasonic
vibration in grinding field and development of forming process for
functional surface topography in honing.
Funding
This study was funded by the National Science Foundation of China,
China (grant numbers 51975540); the Opening Project of Shanxi Key
Laboratory of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, China (grant
number XJZZ202109).
CRediT authorship contribution statement
Kai Ma: Methodology, Validation, Formal analysis, Investigation,
Writing - Original Draft, Writing - Review & Editing, Visualization.
Xijing Zhu: Conceptualization, Resources, Supervision, Project admin­
istration, Funding acquisition. Jie Shen: Validation, Resources.
Declaration of Competing Interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial
interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence
the work reported in this paper.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the National Science Foundation of
China (grant numbers 51975540); the Opening Project of Shanxi Key
Laboratory of Advanced Manufacturing Technology (grant number
XJZZ202109). This manuscript was edited for English language by
Elsevier’s WebShop. The authors would like to express their gratitude
for the assistance.
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