Development and characterization of a rotary ultrasonic grinding tool with large cup wheel for SiCp/Al composites

In the field of ultrasonic grinding of SiCp/Al composites, the resonant tool system plays a crucial role in grinding. However, large-size cup wheels have been rarely investigated within this domain. To this end, an effective method is proposed for designing a rotary ultrasonic grinding tool with a large-sized cup wheel. The cup wheel transformer can be represented as a combination of four components: a plate, a tube, a conical horn, and a cylindrical horn. A theoretical model for the vibration analysis of the cup wheel transformer is developed based on the Mindlin plate theory and the one-dimensional longitudinal vibration theory. Finite element simulations are utilized to validate the accuracy of the design theory. The performance testing results confirm that the rotary ultrasonic grinding tool exhibits a good resonance effect. Furthermore, the comparison grinding machining between conventional grinding and rotary ultrasonic grinding of SiCp/Al test pieces was completed. The results reveal that the rotary ultrasonic grinding has a small tangential grinding force but a larger axial grinding force. The machining traces left by abrasive grains on the grinding surface resemble sinusoids and cosines. In addition, the wear debris are smaller with a granular shape. Interestingly, the surface roughness has no discernible relationship with the spindle speed in rotary ultrasonic grinding. Overall, the findings of this investigation can boost the development and practical application of rotary ultrasonic grinding technology with large size cup wheels.