Study on Edge Chipping in Rotary Ultrasonic Machining of Ceramics: An Integration of Designed Experiments and Finite Element Method Analysis

Rotary ultrasonic machining (RUM) is a relatively low cost and environmentally benign process for machining of advanced ceramics. Much effort has been made to theoretically and experimentally investigate material removal rate, surface roughness, and tool wear in RUM. However, there is no report on systematic study of edge chipping in RUM drilling of ceramics. This paper presents the results of a study on edge chipping in RUM drilling of advanced ceramics. The study is conducted by an integrated approach, combining designed experiments and FEM (finite element method) analysis. The designed experiments will reveal the main effects as well as interaction effects of process variables (spindle speed, ultrasonic power, feedrate, and grit size) on cutting force and chipping thickness. FEM simulations will provide the stress and strain distributions in the workpiece while being drilled by RUM. Furthermore, the relationship between chipping thickness and cutting force obtained from the FEM simulations will be compared with that obtained from the designed experiments.