A Novel Excitation Approach to Ultrasonically-Assisted Cylindrical Grinding

Usage of ultrasound is prevalent in a wide range of industrial applications; it is employed in aiding the removal of hard-to-machine materials. In such cases, special care needs to be taken in designing an ultrasonic horn, as the geometrical make-up of this part that strongly influences the ultrasonic power output, frequency, and amplitude transferred to the area of effect. This article proposes a novel solution to the excitation of rotating interfaces: the excitation of the workpiece in cylindrical grinding. The approach focuses on the excitation of stationary centres, holding the workpiece, rather than the workpiece itself. The modelling and development procedures for a high-power actuator as well as experimental verifications to the validity and effectiveness of the approach are provided.