Study on ultrasonic vibration–assisted cutting of Nomex honeycomb cores

Traditionally processed Nomex honeycomb cores usually have apparent defects. These defects are inevitably caused by the large cutting force generated as a consequence of limit clamping mode of the honeycomb core. These defects, such as tear, burr, and other machining defects, are normally observed on the processed honeycomb cores. In this paper, a reliable predictive model for the ultrasonic assisted cutting of honeycomb cores is developed and the mechanics behind the machining process is presented. The theoretical model predicts the influence of each processing parameter on the cutting force, and the model is verified through single-factor experiment which reveals that the cutting force is influenced by four experimental factors. Comparison between the images of the workpiece surfaces obtained in the ultrasonic assisted cutting and traditional cutting experiments indicates that the ultrasonic assisted cutting is superior to the traditional cutting of Nomex honeycomb cores. The influence of the four factors on the cutting force test index in descending order as obtained from the orthogonal experiment is amplitude, oblique angle, depth of cut, and feed rate. Finally, the optimum processing parameters are determined as amplitude 25 μm and oblique angle of 30°.