DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF RADIAL VIBRATION ULTRASONIC HORNS FOR ASSISTING THE TURNING PROCESS

Abstract

This study presents the design, simulation, fabrication, and experimental validation of the horns for radial ultrasonic assisted turning (RUAT). Two horn configurations, two-stepped and four-stepped cylindrical design, were analyzed using the finite element method (FEM) to optimize the vibration amplitude at the tool nose. Simulation results indicated that the two-stepped horn achieved a higher vibration amplitude at the tool nose (17.6 µm) compared to the four-stepped design (10.5 µm). A prototype of the four-stepped horn was then fabricated, and its vibration amplitude was experimentally measured using a high sampling rate laser distance sensor. Experimental measurements on the four-stepped horn confirmed the simulation results, showing a deviation of 14.6% at the tool nose and less than 5.3% at the internal cross-sections. These findings validate the effectiveness of FEM in accurately predicting and optimizing vibration performance in the design of horns for RUAT applications.