Enhancing the dry drilling process of Al/Ti laminates using ultrasonic elliptical vibration

Abstract

The dry drilling of Al/Ti laminates presents significant technical challenges owing to the excessive thrust force, which accelerates tool wear and degrades surface integrity during conventional drilling (CD). To address these issues, this study explores the feasibility of analyzing ultrasonic elliptical vibration in the dry drilling of Al/Ti laminates for sustainable processing through both theoretical modeling and experimental validation. A kinematic model of the tool was developed to analyze the material separation characteristics under various cutting parameters. Additionally, a novel drilling force model is proposed that incorporates layered material transitions, the dynamic influence of ultrasonic vibration on angular parameters, and intermittent contact mechanics, which can predict the force accurately within a deviation of 10%. A series of comparison tests was conducted to demonstrate the advantages of ultrasonic elliptical vibration drilling (UEVD) considering the thrust force, chip morphology, surface integrity, and tool wear. The results indicated that ultrasonic elliptical vibration could effectively reduce the thrust force by 15.3% and 19.4% for aluminum and titanium alloys, respectively, compared with CD. The chips were more prone to breaking into segments, and a lower degree of chip serration was obtained. In addition, the surface integrity was notably enhanced, and the plastic deformation and grain refinement of the hole surface were alleviated. Moreover, UEVD exhibited the most effective reduction in tool wear compared with CD and ultrasonic vibration drilling, confirming its superiority in the precise and sustainable drilling of laminated materials.

Keywords

Dry drilling / Ultrasonic elliptical vibration / Al/Ti laminates / Sustainable drilling

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Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China(52205455)

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Shanghai University and Periodicals Agency of Shanghai University and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature