COMPUTER-AIDED-DESIGN OF ACOUSTIC HORNS FOR ULTRASONIC MACHINING USING FINITE-ELEMENT ANALYSIS

Ultrasonic machining has myriad applications in industry, especially w ith recent trends of using harder and stronger materials. The cutting performance of a machine depends on the ability of the design of the a coustic horn to facilitate an increase in tool-tip vibration, allowing a significant amount of material to be removed. In this paper, a comp uter-aided design procedure for the horn profile and material, based o n finite-element analysis, has been established.A new design profile i s suggested, using parts with different geometries. An optimization pr ocedure for the profile has been followed to obtain maximum magnificat ion, for higher rates of material removal and safe working stresses fo r the horn material.