Building of Longitudinal Ultrasonic Assisted Turning System and Its Cutting Simulation Study on Bulk Metallic Glass

Bulk metallic glass (BMG) is a new kind of material which is made by rapid condensation of alloy. With excellent properties like high strength, high hardness, corrosion resistance, BMG is increasingly applied in mold manufacturing, weapon equipment and other fields. However, BMG is also one of hard-to-machine materials, which is arduous to be processed precisely and efficiently by the means of conventional cutting. Compared with conventional cutting, ultrasonic machining has a multitude of technological advantages such as reducing the cutting force, extending the tool life, etc. In ultrasonic machining, the ultrasonic electric signal is transformed into high frequency mechanical vibration on the tool, which changes the relationship between the tool and the workpiece in the process of machining. In this study, the longitudinal ultrasonic assisted turning (LUAT) system is established for processing BMG. Its resonant frequency and vibration characteristics are first simulated by modal analysis and harmonic response analysis, and then tested by displacement testing experiments, so that the suitable frequency and the amplitude for BMG turning can be selected and verified. On this basis, the two-dimensional turning finite element model is established to study the effect of ultrasonic vibration on cutting force under different cutting speeds. The research manifest that during the BMG turning, the assistance of longitudinal ultrasonic vibration can significantly reduce the average cutting force as well as the von Mises stress when the turning speed is below the critical turning speed. In addition, the tip of the tool contacts the workpiece discontinuously during cutting process which makes the instantaneous turning force in LUAT more periodic than that in conventional turning (CT).