Ultrasonic Machining (USM)

Dr. Harlal Singh Mali

Ultrasonic machining (USM) is the removal of material by the abrading action of grit-loaded liquid slurry
circulating between the workpiece and a tool vibrating perpendicular to the workface at a frequency above
the audible range. Ultrasonic machining, also known as ultrasonic impact grinding, is a machining operation
in which abrasive slurry freely flows between the workpiece and a vibrating tool. It differs from most other
machining operations because very little heat is produced. The tool never contacts the workpiece and as a
result the grinding pressure is rarely more, which makes this operation perfect for machining extremely hard
and brittle materials, such as glass, sapphire, ruby, diamond, and ceramics.

The working process of an ultrasonic machine is performed when its tool interacts with the workpiece or the
medium to be treated. The tool is subjected to vibration in a specific direction, frequency and intensity. The
vibration is produced by a transducer and is transmitted to the tool using a vibration system, often with a
change in direction and amplitude. The construction of the machine is dependent on the process being
performed by its tool.

The above figure shows the ultrasonic erosion process used to machine hard, brittle materials. The
workpiece 1 is placed under the face of the tool 2 which is subjected to high frequency vibration
perpendicular to the surface being machined. Abrasive slurry is conveyed to the working zone between the
face of the tool and the surface being machined. The tool moves towards the workpiece and is subjected to a
static driving force P. repetitive impact of the tool on the grains of the abrasive material, falling from the
slurry onto the surface to be treated , lead to the fracture of the workpiece material and to the creation of a
cavity with the shape mirror formed of the tool. The abrasive particles are propelled or hammered against
the workpiece by the transmitted vibrations of the tool. The particles then microscopically erode or "chip
away" at the workpiece. Generally the tool oscillates at a high frequency (about 20,000 cps) in an abrasive
slurry. The high speed oscillations of the tool drive the abrasive grain across a small gap of about 0.02-0.10
mm against the workpiece.

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HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF ULTRASONIC MACHINING (USM)
The history of ultrasonic machining (USM) began with a paper by R.W. Wood and A.L Loomis in 1927 and
the first patent was granted to L. Balamuth in 1945. The use of ultrasonic in machining was first proposed
by J.O. Farrer in 1945. Farrer was the patent agent on the first issued patent, British patent no.602801
(1945), issued to an American engineer, L. Balamuth, who discovered ultrasonic machining accidentally in
1942, while he was investigating the dispersion of solid in liquid by means of a magnetostrictively vibrating
nickel tube. The United States patent, for the process, no.2580716 was issued in 1962.In 1960’s Rozenberg’s
crediting to Farrer is an exquisite example of the unfortunate high frequency of “noise” when scientific
information crosses language barriers. The first report on the equipment and technology appeared during
1951-52, by 1954, the machine tools, using the ultrasonic principle, had been designed and constructed.
Originally USM used to be a finishing operation for the component processed by the electro spark machines.
However, this use becomes less important because of the development in electric discharge machining. But
then with the boom in solid state electronics, the machining of electrically no conducting, semi conductive,
and brittle material become more and more important and, for this reason, ultrasonic machining again gained
importance and prominence. In recent years, various types of ultrasonic machine tool have been developed.
The USM technique is still far from perfect.

MACHINING UNIT FOR ULTRASONIC MACHINING

The above figure schematically depicts the major components of a typical ultrasonic machining setup. The
vibration exciter, a magnetostrictive transducer 1, is fixed to the body 2 of the acoustic head using the
shoulder 3 and the thin walled cup 4. The winding of the transducer is supplied with an alternating current,
at ultrasonic frequency, by the generator 5. The alternating magnetic field induced by the current in the core
of the transducer, which is made from magnetostrictive material, is transformed into mechanical vibration in
the core. Its main elements are an electromagnet and a stack of nickel plates. The high frequency power
supply activates the stack of magnetostrictive material which produces the vibratory motion of the tool. The
tool amplitude of this vibration is usually inadequate for cutting purposes, and hence the tool is connected to
the transducer by means of a concentrator which is simply a convergent wave guide to produce the desired
amplitude at the tool end. The waveguide or concentrator 6 transmits this vibration to the tool 7. The
concentrator takes the form of a bar with a variable cross section. It is specially designed to transmit
vibration from the transducer, to the tool, with an increase in the amplitude. The selection of frequency and
amplitude is governed by practical considerations. The workpiece 10 is placed under the tool, on a plate 8, in
a tray 9, within an abrasive slurry. The body of the acoustic head is adjusted to the base’s guides 11 and is
subjected to a static force P which drives the tool in the direction necessary to machine the workpiece.
The magnetostrictive material is brazed to a connecting body of monel metal. A removable tool holder is
fastened to the connecting body and is made of monel metal or stainless steel. All these parts, including the
tool, act as one elastic body, transmitting the vibrations to the tip of the tool. The abrasive slurry is circulated
by pumping, and it requires cooling to remove the generated heat to prevent it from boiling in the gap and
causing the undesirable cavitation effect caused by high temperature.

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Tool holder
The tool holder transfers the vibrations and, therefore, it must have adequate fatigue strength. With a good
tool design, an amplitude gain of 6 over the stack can be obtained. Generally, the shape of tool holder is
cylindrical, or a modified cone with the centre of mass of the tool on the centre line of the tool holder. It
should be free from nicks, scratches and tool marks to reduce fatigue failures caused by the reversal of
stresses
Tool materials and tool size
The tool material employed in USM should be tough and ductile. However, metals like aluminum, give very
short life. Low-carbon steel and stainless steels give superior performance. The figure below shows a
qualitative relationship between the material removal rate and lambda i.e. workpiece/tool hardness

The mass length of the tool is very important. Too great a mass absorbs much of the ultrasonic energy,
reducing the efficiency of machining. Long tool causes overstressing of the tool. Most of the USM tools are
less than 25 mm long. In practice the slenderness ratio of the tool should not exceed 20. The under sizing of
the tool depends coupon the grain size of the abrasive. It is sufficient if the tool size is equal to the hole size
minus twice the size of the abrasives. Among all the types of transducers Magnetostrictive transducers are
most popular and robust amongst all.

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

1-Tapered or 2-Exponential 3-Stepped

conical

Machining of tapered or stepped horn is much easier as compared to the exponential one.

SALIENT FEATURES OF THE ULTRASONIC MACHINING SETUP

1-The machines have a power rating of 0.2-2.5 kW

2-The amplitude of vibration is of the order of 0.01 to 0.06 mm
3- Frequency varies from a lower limit of 15,000 Hz (hearing range) to an upper limit of about 25,000 Hz
(imposed by the requirement of cooling of the transducer)
4- The transducer amplitude is limited by the strength of the magnetostrictive material.

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A refrigerating cooling system is used to cool the abrasive slurry to a temperature of 5-60C
5-The tool is smaller than the size of the cavity by a few hundredths of a millimeter and made of low-carbon
or stainless steel to the shape of the desired cavity.
6-Tool size = Hole size – 2*(Size of the abrasives)
7-Grit size 200-400 for roughing & 800- 1000 for finishing
8-Slenderness ratio of the tool should not exceed 20

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.
1- Amplitude of tool oscillation(a0)
2- Frequency of tool oscillation(f)
3- Tool material
4-Type of abrasive
5-Grain size or grit size of the abrasives – d0
6-Feed force - F
7- Contact area of the tool – A
8- Volume concentration of abrasive in water slurry – C
9-Ratio of workpiece hardness to tool hardness; λ=σw/σt
Physical parameters
Abrasive Boron carbide, aluminium oxide and silicon Carbide
Grit size(d0) 100 – 800
Frequency of vibration (f) 19 – 25 kHz
Tool material Soft steel titanium alloy
Wear ratio Tungsten 1.5:1 and glass 100:1
Gap overcut 0.02-0.1 mm

PROCESS CAPABILITIES

• MRR=300 mm3/min
• Tolerance=7.5 μm
• Surface Finish=0.2-0.5CLAμm
• Surface damage depth=25 μm
• Corner Radii=0.025mm

MATERIAL REMOVAL RATE

USM can be applied to machine nearly all materials; however it is not economical to use USM for materials
of hardness less than 50 HRC. Generally the workpiece materials are of stainless steel, cobalt-base 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 that are ceramic
and glass
Material removal rate is inversely proportional to the cutting area of the tool. Tool vibrations also affect the
removal rate. The type of abrasive, its size and concentration also directly affect the MRR Material removal
in USM appears to proceed by a complex mechanism involving both fracture and plastic deformation to
varying degrees, depending on several process variables.
There are two models that explains the material removal mechanism in USM. (Refer 6 for equations and
numerical problems)
1.Hammering Model.
2.Throwing Model.

 The hammering of the abrasive particles on the work surface by the tool.
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  The impact of the free abrasive particles on the work surface.
 The speed of the vibrating tool.
 The erosion due to cavitation, and
 The chemical action associated with the fluid used.

Fig. Material Removal Processes

Material removal mechanism of USM involves three distinct actions:

1. Mechanical abrasion by localized direct hammering of the abrasive grains stuck between the
vibrating tool and adjacent work surface.
2. The microchipping by free impacts of particles that fly across the machining gap and strike the
workpiece at random locations.
3. The work surface erosion by cavitation in the slurry stream.

Fig. Variation of MRR with respect to various process parameters

ADVANTAGES

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USM effectively machines precise features in hard, brittle materials such as
 Glass
 Engineered Ceramics
 Cvd Sic- Chemical Vapor Deposition Silicon Carbide
 Quartz
 Single Crystal Materials
 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, as well as OD-ID features—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.
 The machining of parts with preexisting machined features or metallization is possible without
affecting the integrity of the preexisting features or surface finish of the workpiece.
 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 that might
lead to device or application failure over the life of the product
 Unlike other non-traditional processes such as laser beam, and electrical discharge machining, etc.,
ultrasonic machining does not thermally damage the workpiece or appear to introduce significant
levels of residual stress, which is important for the survival of brittle materials in service
 Unlike conventional machining methods, ultrasonic machining produces little or no sub-surface
damage and no heat-affected zone
 This machining process is nonthermal, nonchemical, and nonelectrical. It does not change the
metallurgical, chemical or physical properties of the workpiece.
DISADVANTAGES
 Ultrasonic machines have a relatively low mrr. Material removal rates are 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 slurry may wear the wall of the machined hole as it passes back towards the surface, which
limits the accuracy, particularly for small holes
 The machining area and the depth of cut are quite restricted

Material removal models in USM

Theoretical analysis and experimental results have revealed that USM is a form of
abrasion and material removal in the form of small grains by four mechanisms
1. Throwing of abrasive grains
2. Hammering of abrasive grains
3. Cavitations in the fluid medium arising out of ultrasonic vibration of tool.
4. Chemical erosion due to micro –agitation
Material removal due to throwing and hammering is significant and MR due to
cavitations and chemical erosion can be ignored.
Abrasive particles are assumed to be spherical in shape having diameter dg. Abrasive
particles move under high frequency vibrating tool. There are two possibilities when
the tool hit the particle.
 If the size of the particle is small and gap between the tool and work is large,
then particle will be thrown by tool to hit the work piece.

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  If the size of the particle is large and gap between tool and work is small,
then particle is hammered over the work surface.
From the geometry

AB2 = AC2 + BC2

( )² = ( )² + ²
2 2
Neglecting δ² term we
can write
=
Volume of the material removed is the volume of the hemispherical crater due the
fracture per grit per cycle.
Volume of the material removed
1 4
=
2 3
= 1 3/2

where K1 is constant
Number of impacts (N) on the work piece by the grits in each cycle depends on number of grits
beneath tool at any time. This is inversely proportional to diameter of grit.

=
where K2 is constant
All the abrasive particle under the tool need not be necessarily effective
Volume of the material
MRR=
removed ∗ ∗ of impact ∗
per grit per cycle per cycle

under tool being effective

This is the general Material removal equation

Model 1 : Grain Throwing model

It is assumed that a particle is hit and thrown by the tool on to work surface.
Assuming sinusoidal vibration. Displacement of the tool (y) is given in time period(t) and amplitude (a/2) of
oscillation.
= sin(2 )
2
Velocity = =
Let us assume that grits also move with same velocity Vmax.
, then we can write
Kinetic Energy = KE=

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A grit penetrates to the depth equal to δ into the work piece. The work done by the
grit is given by
W D by the grit=

Also we know the Flow strength of material = =

Using above equations
Work Done by the grit should be equal to the Kinetic energy of the particle
1 1
= ( )²
2 2 6
Simplifying we have

Using above value

⁄
=

Model 2: Grain Hammering Model

When the gap between the tool and the work piece is smaller than the diameter of the grit it will result into
partial penetration in the tool (δt) as well as in the work piece (δw). The values
of (δt) and (δw ) depends on the hardness of the tool and work piece material
respectively.

Force 'F' acts on abrasive particle only for a short time (ΔT ) out of the cycle
time “T”. During this time period, the abrasive particle is in contact with the tool
and work piece both. The mean hammering force (Favg) on the grit can be
expressed by
1
= ( )
Here F(t) is the force at any instant of time “t”. Force on the grit by the tool starts increasing as soon as grit
gets in contact with both tool and the work piece at the same time. It attains maximum value and then starts
decreasing until attains the zero value. Hence the momentum equation can be written as
( ) = ∆
2
So.
1
= ∆
2

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Total penetration depth ' ' due the hammering is given by
= +
As, a/2 is amplitude of oscillation of the tool, for 'T' Time period, The mean velocity of the tool during
⁄2
the quarter cycle is given by , ( )= ⁄4
=
So, indentation time (ΔT) required to travel from A to B (for distance) is:

∆ = =
( )
Now, mean hammering force (Favg), by replacing, ∆

= = , So, =

Let N be the number of grains under the tool, Stress acting on the tool (σ t) and work piece (σ w) can
be found as follows.
= ( )
; = ( )
and =

Writing = , combining above equations

= (
=
)
=( )
= 2
( )

4
=
( + 1)
Volumetric material removal rate from the work piece due to hammering mechanism
can be evaluated using the above equation as follows:

=
( + )

APPLICATIONS

o Machining of cavities in electrically non-conductive ceramics.

o Used for multistep processing for fabrication silicon nitride ( Si3N4 ) turbine blades.

o In machining , wire drawing , punching ,or blanking of small dies.

o Machining ceramic substrates for drilling holes in borosilicate glass for the sensor used in electronic
industries.

o Drilling small holes in helicopter power transmission shafts and gears.

o USM enables a dentist to drill a hole of any shape on teeth without any pain

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 o Ferrites and steel parts , precision mineral stones can be machined using USM.

o USM is used for grinding Quartz , Glass , ceramics.

Micro ultrasonic machining

 Microchipping by impact of the free moving abrasive particles.
 Mechanical abrasion by the abrasive particles against the workpiece surfaces.
 Cavitation effect in liquid agitated by ultrasonic vibration.
 Chemical actions associated with the liquid being employed.

PRINCIPLES OF MICRO-USM

VARIENTS OF MICRO-USM BASED ON MACHINE TOOL CHARACTERISTICS

PARAMETERS IN MICRO-USM

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MICRO –USM PROCESS CAPABILITY

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