Numerical and experimental study of tool wear and chip shape in ultrasonic vibration-assisted turning

Tool wear and chip shape, which are the fairly typical physical phenomena in the turning process, directly affect the machining efficiency and machining quality. Most of difficult-to-cut materials cause serious tool wear and base chip shape during turning to restrict the development of turning due to their low thermal conductivity and high chemical activity, etc. Hence, combining with the principle of cutting, this study starts from the mechanism of ultrasonic vibration to analyze the main forms, reasons and influencing factors of tool wear. Simultaneously, the chip formation mechanism and the influence of chip shape on tool wear are analyzed, and the simulation and experimental investigation are proceeded as well. The results indicate that in turning the use of ultrasonic vibration has markedly inhibitory effect on tool wear, and preeminent chip shape can be obtained to further affect the machining efficiency and machining quality. Researching and resolving the tool wear and chip shape problems in turning has a motive force on development and practical application of ultrasonic vibration-assisted turning (UAT) for difficult-to-cut materials.