A predictive model of critical depth of cut for ultrasonic elliptical vibration cutting of brittle materials

Abstract

Ultrasonic elliptical vibration cutting (UEVC) is attracting much attention in ultra-precision machining of brittle materials as it was found be able to increase the critical depth of cut (dc) of brittle materials. However, there are few studies on the prediction of dc for UEVC of brittle materials. In this study, a predictive model was developed for the prediction of dc in microgroove plunge-cutting with respect to several factors, including the distance from transient surface to target surface (DTSTS), the actual undeformed chip thickness (UCT), the critical UCT (tc) and crack length (Cm). Experiments on plunge-cutting of KDP crystal were conducted. Results showed the predicted dc matches well with the experimental ones.