Ravichandran G,

Assistant Prof. / Mech. Engg.,

CUFE,
Bengaluru
 Introduction
USM is a mechanical type NTMP.

It is employed to machine materials ( both

conductive and non-conductive )hardness usually
greater than 40 RC.

The word ultrasonic describes a vibratory wave having

frequency larger than upper frequency limit of human
ear(usually greater than 20kHz).

High velocity longitudinal waves are used in USM

because they can easily propagate in solids, liquids and
gases.
Definition of USM
Basic Mechanism
 Main Components
Slurry delivery and return system

Feed mechanism to provide a downward feed force

on the tool during machining

The transducer, which generates the ultrasonic

vibration

The horn or concentrator, which mechanically

amplifies the vibration to the required amplitude
of 15 50m and accommodates the tool at its tip .

The ultrasonic vibrations are produced by the transducer.

 Ultrasonic Transducer
A device which converts any form of energy into
ultrasonic waves called as Ultrasonic Transducer.

In USM, it converts high frequency electrical

signal into high frequency linear mechanical
motion called as Vibration.

The transducer for USM works on the following

principle
Piezoelectric effect
Magnetostrictive effect
Electrostrictive effect
 Piezoelectric transducer
These transducers generate a small electric current
when they are compressed.

Also when the electric current is passed though crystal

it expands.

When the current is removed, crystal attains its

original size and shape.

Such transducers are available up to 900 Watts.

Piezo electric crystals have high conversion efficiency of

95%.
 These also changes its length when subjected to strong
magnetic field.

These transducer are made of nickel, nickel alloy

sheets.

Their conversion efficiency is about 20-30%. Such

transducers are available up to 2000 Watts.

The maximum change in length can be achieved is

about 25 microns.

The most commonly used transducer in the USM.

Magnetostrictive Transducer
(along with Horn)
 Electrostrictive effect
Electrostriction is a property of all dielectric materials,
and is caused by the presence of randomly aligned
electrical domains within the material.

When an electric field is applied to the dielectric, the

opposite sides of the domains become differently
charged and attract each other, reducing material
thickness in the direction of the applied field (and
increasing thickness in the orthogonal directions
characterized by Poisson's ratio).

The resulting strain (ratio of deformation to the

original dimension) is proportional to the square of the
polarization. Reversal of the electric field does not
reverse the direction of the deformation.
 Horn or Concentrator
The horn or concentrator is a wave-guide, which
amplifies and concentrates the vibration to the
tool from the transducer.

The horn or concentrator can be of different shape

like
Tapered or conical
Exponential
Stepped

Machining of tapered or stepped horn is much

easier as compared to the exponential one.
 Abrasive Slurry
Abrasive Slurry made up of abrasive particles and
suspension medium i.e. liquid ( usually water).

The commonly used abrasives are:

Aluminium Oxide
Silicon Carbide
Diamond Dust
Boron
The abrasive slurry is circulated to the work-tool
interface by pumping.

A refrigerated cooling system is used to cool the

abrasive slurry to a temperature of 5 to 6c.
 CONT..
The size of the abrasive varies between 200
and 2000 grit.

Coarse grades are good for roughing, where

finer grades, say 1000 frit, are used for
finishing.

Fresh abrasives cut better and the slurry

therefore be replaced periodically.
 Slurry Media Properties
The liquid to produce abrasive slurry should have
the following properties:

Good Wetting characteristics

Low viscosity
High thermal conductivity
Anti corrosive property
Approximately having equal density
with abrasive
Low cost
 Mechanics of Cutting
Material removal primarily occurs due to the
indentation of the hard abrasive grits on the brittle
work material. As the tool vibrates, it leads to
indentation of the abrasive grits. During indentation,
due to Hertzian contact stresses, cracks would develop
just below the contact site, then as indentation
progresses the cracks would propagate due to increase
in stress and ultimately lead to brittle fracture of the
work material under each individual interaction site
between the abrasive grits and the work-piece. .
 CONT.
MR by abrasive particles due to throwing and
hammering.
Abrasive Particles are assumed to be spherical in shape
having diameter as d units.
Throwing Condition:
This condition will occur When the size of the abrasive
particle is small
Hammering Condition:
This condition will occur When the size of the abrasive
particle is large
 CONT
In both cases, a particle after hitting the work surface
generates a crater with depth w .
The abrasive particles are characterized by the average
grit diameter, dg. It is further assumed that the local
spherical bulges have a uniform diameter, db and
which is related to the grit diameter by db = dg2. Thus
an abrasive is characterized by and dg.
CONT
Material removal per abrasive grit w= 2X3/3

Where
n = no. of grits
f = Vibrating Frequency
Where
F = Feed Force
n = no. of abrasive grits
C = Volume Concentration of abrasive grit
A = Contact area of the tool
Parameters affecting the MRR
Amplitude of vibration (ao) 15 50 m
Frequency of vibration (f) 19 25 kHz
Feed force (F) related to tool dimensions
Feed pressure (p)
Abrasive size 15 m 150 m
Abrasive material Al2O3
- SiC
- B4C
- Boronsilicarbide
- Diamond
Flow strength of work material
Flow strength of the tool material
Contact area of the tool A
Volume concentration of abrasive in water slurry C
Process capability of USM
MRR Vs Feed Force
MRR F 3/4
MRR f dg
Case Study
 Introduction
Titanium and its alloys are alternative for many engineering
applications due to their superior properties such as
chemical inertness, high strength and stiffness at elevated
temperatures, high strength to weight ratio, corrosion
resistance, and oxidation resistance.
Titanium and its alloys are poor thermal conductors. As a
result, the heat generated when machining titanium cannot
dissipate quickly; rather, most of the heat is concentrated on
the cutting edge and tool face.
The surface finish achieved by a single machining process
(no finishing operations) is poor.
Therefore, there is a crucial need for reliable and cost-
effective machining processes for titanium and its alloys.
 CONT
Nontraditional machining processes such as EDM and LBM
have been applied to the machining of titanium and its alloys
in recent times, but even these processes have their own
limitations; the most prominent are the surface finish and
dimensional inaccuracies besides their undesirable effects on
the machined surface such as heat affected zone, thermal
stresses, etc.
Ultrasonic Machining (USM) could be another alternative
machining process that can be applied commercially to the
machining of titanium; as this process is known to be free
from all these adverse effects on the machined component,
and the repeated impacts of abrasive grains on the work
surface lead to a favorable compressive surface stress
thereby improving the fatigue life of titanium components
along with the surface integrity.
 Materials
Pure titanium (ASTM grade-i) has been used as
the work material .
Five type of tools made of high carbon steel, high
speed steel, cemented carbide, titanium (ASTM
grade-i) and titanium alloy (ASTM grade-v) with
straight cylindrical geometry (diameter 8 mm) are
used. All the tools except cemented carbide were
made as one piece unit and attached to the horn
by tightening the threaded portion of the tool with
the horn.
Three types of abrasive materials were used:
silicon carbide, aluminum oxide and boron
 Experiment
To measure the tool wear rate (TWR), the time
taken for drilling each hole was recorded using
stop watch. The tool was weighed before and after
drilling each hole using electronic balance. The
weight loss for drilling each hole was thus
recorded. TWR was calculated by taking the ratio of
weight loss of tool per hole to the product of
drilling time per hole.
The surface roughness of the machined surface
was evaluated by using Perthometer. Three
observations were taken for each hole and were
averaged to obtain the value of roughness.
Control of log for Experimentation
 TWR Analysis
It can be observed from figure that the tool material affects the
rate of wear of the tool very significantly.
Moreover, the different tool materials used in the
experimentation can be ranked in the order of increasing tool
wear rate as Ti alloy, Titanium, HSS, HCS, Cemented carbide.
The lowest tool wear has been recorded for titanium alloy
(ASTM Grade V). This can be attributed to its excellent
combination of high fracture toughness and optimum hardness
(42 RC) from the point of view of USM process.
The use of a coarser grit size promotes the increase in tool
wear rate further use of coarse abrasive grains results in stronger
impacts on the tool surface and hence the rate of fracture
increases.
It is clear from slide no. 37 that tool wear rate (TWR) is lowest
at the fourth level of tool material parameter (A4), first level of
abrasive material parameter (B1), third level of the grit size (C3)
and also the first level of power rating (D1).
It has also been observed that for a given tool material, TWR is
maximum at that particular grit size-power level combination
which corresponds to maximum MRR. In other words, TWR is
maximum at the points of maximum MRR.
 Surface Roughness
The lowest tool wear has been recorded for titanium alloy
(ASTM Grade V). This can be explained on the basis of the
Machining rate obtained with different tool materials.
In USM process, as the machining rate increases, the surface
quality deteriorates, the reason being formation of larger micro
cavities at the time of machining. The larger micro cavities give
rise to rougher surface.
As the use of titanium alloy tool involves least machining rate,
it also promotes the reduction in surface roughness, thereby
generating better surface finish.
 APPLICATIONS
Used for machining hard and brittle metallic alloys,
semiconductors, glass, ceramics, carbides etc.
Used for machining round, square, irregular shaped
holes and surface impressions.
Machining, wire drawing, punching or small blanking
dies.
 Advantages
It can be used machine hard, brittle, fragile and non conductive
material
No heat is generated in work, therefore no significant changes
in physical structure of work material
Non-metal (because of the poor electrical conductivity) that
cannot be machined by EDM and ECM can very well be
machined by USM.
It is burr less and distortion less processes.
It can be adopted in conjunction with other new technologies
like EDM,ECG,ECM.
 Disadvantages
Low Metal removal rate
It is difficult to drill deep holes, as slurry movement is
restricted.
Tool wear rate is high due to abrasive particles.
Tools made from brass, tungsten carbide, MS or tool steel
will wear from the action of abrasive grit with a ratio that
ranges from 1:1 to 200:1
USM can be used only when the hardness of work is more
than 45 HRC.
 References
Non-Conventional Machining Methods ( NTMM),
NPTEL Material

An experimental study on ultrasonic machining of pure

titanium using designed experiments by Jatinder Kumar
and J. S. Khamba