Theoretical and experimental investigation of ultrasonic cutting kinematics and its effect on chip formation and surface generation in high-frequency ultrasonic vibration-assisted diamond cutting

Ultrasonic vibration-assisted cutting (UVAC) is regarded as a feasible technology to machine difficult-to-cut materials. High-frequency ultrasonic vibration-assisted cutting (HFUVAC), with a working frequency of more than low and medium frequency (20–60 kHz), has been reported to improve material machinability and prolong tool life. This paper presents a comprehensive investigation of the ultrasonic cutting kinematics and the generated chip/surface formation process in HFUVAC of a 316l stainless steel workpiece. First, the ultrasonic cutting kinematics was analyzed and verified by comparing the experimental and theoretical surface texture under different nominal cutting speeds. Based on the ultrasonic cutting kinematics and the simulated strain/stress distributions, the chip and surface formation between conventional cutting (CC) and HFUVAC was analyzed. More importantly, the incremental cutting mode was defined when the cutting stroke, namely the effective cutting length in one vibration cycle was less than 800 nm. The results show that in the incremental cutting mode, defect-free surface was achieved due to suppressed large deformation and friction action. Finally, HFUVAC of the sinusoidal microstructure was performed under the incremental cutting mode, achieving optical requirements with nanometer-scale surface roughness and submicrometric form accuracy, which validates the technical feasibility in HFUVAC of micro-structured surfaces.