FE analysis of Ultrasonic vibration assisted turning of magnesium AZ31B alloy

Abstract

Ultrasonic vibration assisted turning (UVAT) is advanced machining process where vibrational assistance of high frequency and low amplitude is provided to tool. In the present study, a two dimensional (2D) numerical simulation is carried out in ABAQUS/Explicit to compare the machinability of AZ31B magnesium alloy with tungsten carbide as a cutting tool during the conventional turning (CT) and UVAT processes. The objective of this study is to compare the effective stress distribution, cutting and thrust forces, and machining temperature during the CT and UVAT processes. The simulation results showed that the average stress distribution during UVAT is reduced to about 40% compared with CT. However, the average stress distribution is comparable during CT and the penetration stage of the UVAT process. Furthermore, the average cutting and thrust forces were reduced by 69% and 65% respectively in UVAT than CT. Although, the machining temperature in UVAT is found to be around 37% higher than that in CT. The results revealed that the UVAT has many advantages over CT and the machinability can be improved significantly by incorporating vibrations to the conventional turning process.