Effects of cutting parameters on ductile material removal mode percentage in rotary ultrasonic face machining

Rotary ultrasonic machining is an excellent method for processing hard brittle materials and has been investigated extensively via theoretical and experimental studies. However, there are few researches about rotary ultrasonic machining of ceramic matrix composite materials. Material removal mode presents both ductile-mode and brittle-fracture when machining hard brittle materials. The ratio of ductile-mode and brittle-fracture has a significant impact on processing status and processing quality. In this article, we developed a cutting force model for rotary ultrasonic face machining of ceramic matrix composite materials. Based on this model, we investigated the effects of cutting parameters on ductile-mode percentage of ceramic matrix composite materials. The cutting depth, feedrate and spindle speed are assumed to be three main factors that affect the ductile-mode percentage in rotary ultrasonic face machining. The primary aim of this article is to verify the correctness of the assumption using a three-variable three-level orthogonal experiment array. The experimental results agreed well with the assumption. The main factors deciding the ductile-mode percentage were found to be cutting depth and feedrate.