Simulation and experimental study of ultrasonic cutting for aluminum honeycomb by disc cutter

Aluminum honeycomb has been widely used in many industrial fields, especially the aeronautics and aerospace industries, owing to its high strength and stiffness to weight ratio. Machining of aluminum honeycomb is usually associated with deformations and burrs. Ultrasonic cutting has been introduced as a promising method to overcome these constraints. In order to conduct in-depth research on the ultrasonic cutting for aluminum honeycomb by disc cutter, a 3D finite element model is carried out and verification tests are performed. Comparison result of simulated and experimental cutting forces indicates that the developed model agrees well with the experiment. Based on the developed model, cutting forces and contact relationship between cutter and honeycomb during the cutting process are studied. The reason for the periodic increase in cutting force is analyzed, subsequently. Moreover, the stress distribution in the cutting zone and honeycomb morphologies under different cutting conditions are compared and analyzed. Results show that the hexagonal structure of aluminum honeycomb can be protected and machining quality can be improved by using ultrasonic vibration. Therefore, high quality and efficient machining for aluminum honeycomb can be achieved.