An Improved Cutting Force Model for Ultrasonically Assisted Grinding of Hard and Brittle Materials

Cutting force is one of the most important factors in the ultrasonically assisted grinding (UAG) of hard and brittle materials. Many theoretical and experimental studies show that UAG can effectively reduce cutting forces. The existing models for UAG mostly assume an ideal grinding wheel with abrasives in both the end and lateral faces to accomplish material removal, whereas the important role of the transition fillet surface is ignored. In this study, a theoretical cutting force model is presented to predict cutting forces with the consideration of the diamond abrasives in the end face, the lateral face, and the transition fillet surface of the grinding tool. This study analyzed and calculated the vibration amplitudes and the cutting forces in both the normal and tangential directions. It discusses the influences of the input parameters (rotation speed, feed rate, amplitude, depth and radius of transition fillet) on cutting forces. The study demonstrates that the fillet radius is an important factor affecting the grinding force. With an increase in fillet radius from 0.2 to 1.2 mm, the grinding force increases by 139.6% in the axial direction and decreases by 70% in the feed direction. The error of the proposed cutting force model is 10.3%, and the experimental results verify the correctness of the force model.