Experimental investigation of rotary ultrasonic face milling on red granite: A comparison with conventional grinding

Abstract

Long-term sustainability with cost-effective machining and materials are used in many companies these days. Also, precise machining on brittle and hard materials is becoming a challenge for production engineering. Rotary ultrasonic face milling (RUFM) is an unconventional milling process that is preferred to perform precise surface machining on such materials. The research work aims to analyse the enhancement in conventional diamond grinding (CG) due to the addition of ultrasonic vibration and compare both processes (RUFM and CG). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) technology was applied for the analysis. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) technique was used to analyse the tool wear after milling operation. The controlling factors used for the study were feed rate, depth of cut, and ultrasonic power. The outcomes of the study showed an increment in material removal rate during RUFM compared to CG. Material removal rate (MRR) also increases with increment in each level of controlling factors. Surface roughness (SR) increases with the addition of ultrasonic vibration during RUFM. Also, SEM technology shows the complete removal of diamond grits at the bottom surface of the tool. The research concluded that tool life and material removal rate get improved but the reduction in surface finish during RUFM while comparing to CG.