Microstructure and forming mechanism of metals subjected to ultrasonic vibration plastic forming: A mini review

Compared with traditional plastic forming,ultrasonic vibration plastic forming has the advantages of reducing the forming force and improving the surface quality of the workpiece.This technology has a very broad application prospect in industrial manufactur-ing.Researchers have conducted extensive research on the ultrasonic vibration plastic forming of metals and laid a deep foundation for the development of this field.In this review,metals were classified according to their crystal structures.The effects of ultrasonic vibration on the microstructure of face-centered cubic,body-centered cubic,and hexagonal close-packed metals during plastic forming and the mech-anism underlying ultrasonic vibration forming were reviewed.The main challenges and future research direction of the ultrasonic vibra-tion plastic forming of metals were also discussed.

Application of ultrasonic vibration to shape-casting based on resonance vibration analysis

The application of ultrasonic vibration during the casting process has been proven to refine the microstructure and enhance the properties of the casting.By using the direct inserting method,wherein the ultrasonic horn is inserted directly into the melt,ultrasonic treatment can be utilized in the semi-continuous casting process to produce aluminum ingots with simple shapes.However,due to the attenuation of ultrasound,it is challenging to apply the direct inserting method in the die casting process to produce complex castings.Thus,in this study,the impact of ultrasonic vibration on the microstructure of a gravity die-cast AlSi9Cu3end cap was investigated by applying ultrasonic vibration on the core(indirect method).It is found that the effect of ultrasonic vibration relies greatly on the resonance mode of the core.Selection of ultrasonic vibration schemes mainly depends on the core structure,and only a strong vibration can significantly refine the microstructure of the casting.For castings with complex structures,an elaborated ultrasonic vibration design is necessary to refine the microstructure of the specified casting.In addition,strong vibration applied on the feeding channel can promote the feeding ability of casting by breaking the dendrites during solidification,and consequently reduce the shrinkage porosity.

Control System Development and Experimental Study on Ultrasonic Vibration Feeding

Ultrasonic vibration feeding（UVF） method which can quantitatively feed and precisely deposit fine powder is a potential technique for micro feeding.The excitation sources transmit vibration to capillary though the third medium for most UVF devices.The vibrator is directly touched with the capillary can transmit mechanical energy on the capillary as much as possible,and the powder feeding can be controlled more precise.However,there are few reports about it.A direct UVF system which integrates the function of micro feeding,process observing,and powder forming was developed in this work.In order to analyze the effect of the system factors on feeding,a group of L9（3^3） orthogonal experiments are selected to confirm the effect of level change of factors.The three factors are capillary nozzle diameter,amplitude and signal.The flow rate was stable for each combined factors,and the optimum combination for the minimum flow rate are choosing small capillary,small amplitude,and triangular wave orderly.The whole process of feeding includes start point,middle stage and stop stage.Starting of feeding was synchronized to vibration when the amplitude of capillary nozzle is larger than critical amplitude.Then,the feeding process enters the middle stage,the feeding state is observed by the CCD,and it is very stable in the middle stage.Overflow of feeding can＇t be eliminated during the stop stage.The features of the deposited powder lines are analyzed; the overflow can be diminished by choosing small capillary and appropriate ratio of the capillary nozzle diameter to the particle size.Chinese characters lattices were deposited to validate the ability of quantitatively feeding and fixed feeding of UVF.Diameters of all powder dots show normal distribution,and more than 60% dots are concentrated from 550 μm to 650 μm,and the average diameter for all the dots is 597 μm.Most dots positions are well approached to their scheduled positions,and the maximum deviation is 0.27 mm.The new direct UVF system is used to implement experiments,which confirms the precise controllable of feeding.According improve the feeding technique,it suits well for rapid prototyping,chemistry,pharmaceutics and many other fields,which require precise measurement and feed minim powder.

Degassing effect of ultrasonic vibration in molten melt and semi-solid slurry of Al-Si alloys

In the process of semi-solid slurry preparation with direct ultrasonic vibration (UV) by dipping the horn into the melt, one of the questions is whether the gas content in the melt would be increased or not by the cavitation effect of ultrasonic vibration. By application of quantitative gas content measurement technique, this paper investigated the effect of the ultrasonic vibration on the gas content of both the melt and the semi-solid slurry of Al-Si alloys, and the variations of the gas contents in two kinds of aluminum alloys, i.e., A356 alloy and Al-20Si-2Cu-1Ni-0.6RE alloy (Al-20Si for short). The results show that ultrasonic vibration has an obvious degassing effect on the molten melt, especially on the semi-solid slurry of Al-Si alloy which is below the liquidus temperature by less than 20 ℃. The ultrasonic degassing efficiency of the A356 alloy decreases with the reduction of the initial gas content in the melt, and it is nearly unchanged for the Al-20Si alloy. The gas content of both alloys decreases when the ultrasonic vibration time is increased. The best vibration time for Al-20Si alloy at the liquid temperature of 710 ℃ and semi-solid temperature of 680 ℃ is 60 s and 90 s, respectively; and the degassing efficiency is 48% and 35%, respectively. The mechanism of ultrasonic degassing effect is discussed.

Mechanical properties of 2024-T4 aluminium alloy joints in ultrasonic vibration enhanced friction stir welding

Ultrasonic vibration enhanced friction stir welding （UVeFSW） is a recent modification of conventional friction stir welding （FSW）, which transmits ultrasonic vibration directly into the localized area of the workpiece near and ahead of the rotating tool. In this study, a high strength aluminium alloy （2024-T4） was welded by this process and conventional FSW, respectively. Then tensile tests, microhardness tests and fracture surface analysis were performed successively on the welding samples. The tests results reveal that ultrasonic vibration can improve the tensile strength and the elongation of welded joints. The microhardness of the stir zone also increases.

Effect of ultrasonic vibration on the dechromisation corrosion of a CuCr alloy in HCl solution

The effect of ultrasonic vibration on the dechromisation corrosion of a CuCr alloy in HC1 solution was studied and the corrosion mechanisms were analyzed. It is found that ultlasonic vibration reduces the dechromisation incubation time, accelerates the dechromisafion corrosion rate, decreases the temperature and concentration of HC1 solution, and when the dechromisation occurs it seriously weakens the microstmcture of dechromisation layer. It is concluded that ultrasonic vibration can accelerate destruction of the passivation film on the Cr surface and increase the activities of Cl^- and Cr.

Effect of ultrasonic vibration on the friction stir weld quality of aluminium alloy

A novel variant of friction stir welding process, referred as ultrasonic vibration enhanced friction stir welding, is developed to transmit ultrasonic vibration energy directly into the localized area of the workpiece near and ahead of the rotating tool. Experiments are conducted on 6061-T4 aluminium alloy plates by this new process and the conventional friction stir welding process, respectively. The morphology and macrograph of the welds under both conditions are observed and contrasted. The experimental results show that ultrasonic vibration enhanced friction stir welding can improve the weld formation quality and increase the welding efficiency. And it just needs a smaller axial downward force. Because that the added action of ultrasonic vibration energy may enhance the localized softening extent and the plastic flow around the tool. In addition, it also improves the mechanical properties of the welded joints.

Research on Ultrasonic Vibration Grinding of the Hard and Brittle Materials

It is well known that grinding techniques are main methods to machine hard and brittle materials such as engineering ceramics. But the conventional grinding has many shortcomings such as poorer surface finish, quicker wear and tear of grinding tools, lower efficiency and so on. Ultrasonic vibration grinding （UVG） which combines ultrasonic machining and grinding emerged as a developing and promising technique in recent years. In this paper, experimental studies on UVG were conducted on several kinds of hard and brittle material by altering processing parameters such as vibration frequency and its amplitude, diamond abrasive grit size, cutting depth, feeding speed and rotary speed of tools. The experimental results show that alteration in any of above mentioned parameters will bring effects on the processed surface finish of these materials. Of them, the diamond abrasive grit size has the greatest. Moreover, conventional grinding experiments were also carried out on these materials. By comparison, it was found that the UVG is superior to the conventional method in terms of the ground surface quality, the working efficiency and the wear rate of tools.

Review: Progress and Trends in Ultrasonic Vibration Assisted Friction Stir Welding

This paper aims to reviewthe state-of-the-art of ultrasonic vibration assisted friction stir welding(UVAFSW) process. Particular attention has been paid on the modes of ultrasonic exertion,experimental results and effects of ultrasonic vibrations on process effectiveness and joint quality. The trends of various aspects with and without ultrasonic vibrations in FSW process are studied and presented. The influence of ultrasonic vibrations on welding loads, temperature history, weld morphology, material flow, weld microstructure and mechanical properties are revisited. Ultrasonic assisted FSW offers numerous advantages over the conventional FSW process. The superimposing of high-frequency vibrations improves various phenomena of the process and the physical,metallurgical,mechanical and tribological properties of the welded joint. The ultrasonic assisted FSW process has a potential to benefit the industry sector. A checklist listing the materials and process parameters used in the documented studies has been presented for quick reference.

Formation of hypereutectic silicon particles in hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys under the influence of high-intensity ultrasonic vibration

The modification of eutectic silicon is of general interest since fine eutectic silicon along with fine primary aluminum grains improves mechanical properties and ductilities. In this study, high intensity ultrasonic vibration was used to modify the complex microstructure of aluminum hypoeutectic alloys. The ultrasonic vibrator was placed at the bottom of a copper mold with molten aluminum. Hypoeutectic Al-Si alloy specimens with a unique in-depth profile of microstructure distribution were obtained. Polyhedral silicon particles, which should form in a hypereutectic alloy, were obtained in a hypoeutectic Al-Si alloy near the ultrasonic radiator where the silicon concentration was higher than the eutectic composition. The formation of hypereutectic silicon near the radiator surface indicates that high-intensity ultrasonic vibration can be used to influence the phase transformation process of metals and alloys. The size and morphology of both the silicon phase and the aluminum phase varies with increasing distance from the ultrasonic probe/radiator. Silicon morphology develops into three zones. Polyhedral primary silicon particles present in zoneⅠ, within 15 mm from the ultrasonic probe/radiator. Transition from hypereutectic silicon to eutectic silicon occurs in zoneⅡ about 15 to 20 μm from the ultrasonic probe/radiator. The bulk of the ingot is in zoneⅢ and is hypoeutectic Al-Si alloy containing fine lamellar and fibrous eutectic silicon. The grain size is about 15 to 25 μm in zoneⅠ, 25 to 35 μm in zoneⅡ, and 25 to 55 μm in zoneⅢ. The morphology of the primary α-Al phase is also changed from dendritic (in untreated samples) to globular. Phase evolution during the solidification process of the alloy subjected to ultrasonic vibration is described.

Influence of non-uniform ultrasonic vibration on casting fluidity of liquid aluminum alloy

The application of ultrasonic vibration to the casting process can be realized through mould(die)vibration.However,the resonant vibration of the mould is always accompanied by a non-uniform vibration distribution at different parts,which may induce a complex liquid flow and affect the casting fluidity during the mould filling process.The influence of non-uniform ultrasonic vibration on the fluidity of liquid AlSi9Cu3 alloy was studied by mould vibration with different vibration gradients.It is found that ultrasonic mould vibration can generate two opposite effects on the casting fluidity:the first,ultrasonic cavitation in melt induced by mould vibration promotes the casting fluidity;the second,the non-uniform mould vibration can induce a melt flow toward the weak vibration areas and turbulence there,consequently decreasing the casting fluidity.When the melt flow and turbulence are violent enough to offset the promoting effect of cavitation on fluidity,the ultrasonic vibration will finally induce a resultant decrease of casting fluidity.The decreasing effect is proportional to the vibration gradient.

Microstructure Evolution of AS41 Magnesium Alloy Fabricated by Ultrasonic Vibration

The effects of ultrasonic vibration on the grain size and morphology of Mg2Si in Mg-4 wt% Al-1 wt%Si（AS41） alloys designed were evaluated. The results show that the major constituents of the alloy include β-Mg17Al12 and Mg2Si phase, and no difference in the type of constituents between without ultrasonic vibration and with ultrasonic vibration. Without any ultrasonic vibration, the grain size and Mg2Si phase in AS41 alloy are coare structure. However, the microstructure with fine uniform grains and Mg2Si particles are achieved with ultrasonic vibration. The crystal grains and Mg2Si particles refine with increase in the ultrasonic vibration intensity. When the ultrasonic vibration intensity was too low or too high, coarse structures could be obtained. The analysis of refinement mechanism indicates that the acoustic cavitation and flows induced by ultrasonic vibration lead to the fine uniform microstructure.

Ultrasonic vibration assisted tungsten inert gas welding of dissimilar metals 316L and L415

Ultrasonic vibration assisted tungsten inert gas welding was applied to joining stainless steel 316 L and low alloy high strength steel L415.The effect of ultrasonic vibration on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a dissimilar metal welded joint of 316 L and L415 was systematically investigated.The microstructures of both heat affected zones of L415 and weld metal were substantially refined,and the clusters ofδferrite in traditional tungsten inert gas(TIG)weld were changed to a dispersive distribution via the ultrasonic vibration.The ultrasonic vibration promoted the uniform distribution of elements and decreased the micro-segregation tendency in the weld.With the application of ultrasonic vibration,the average tensile strength and elongation of the joint was improved from 613 to 650 MPa and from 16.15%to31.54%,respectively.The content ofΣ3 grain boundaries around the fusion line zone is higher and the distribution is more uniform in the ultrasonic vibration assisted welded joint compared with the traditional one,indicating an excellent weld metal crack resistance.

Research on Influence of Cutting Conditions on Roundness of Ultra-thin Wall Parts in Ultrasonic Vibration Cutting

In the paper, the experimental researches were carr ie d out to discuss the roundness forming rule and the influence of cutting paramet ers on roundness by ultrasonic vibration cutting of the camera’s guiding drawtu be with 47.75 mm diameter and 0.6～1.5 mm wall thickness. The research results s h ow that the roundness error of ultra-thin wall parts in ultrasonic vibration cu tting is only one third of that in common cutting. The relations between the rou ndness error and the cutting parameters behave as: (1) The roundness error in co mmon cutting decreases gradually with the rise of cutting speed, while in ultras onic cutting, the roundness changes not obviously till the cutting speed is up t o a value, which is nearly equal to one third of the critical velocity. Then the roundness of workpiece will begin to increase slowly. (2) The roundness error i ncreases along with the feed rate both in common cutting and ultrasonic cutting. (3) Within the range of cutting depth in experiment, the influence of cutting d epth on the roundness error is more obvious in common cutting than that in ultra sonic vibration cutting. The conclusions are useful in machining such precise ul tra-thin wall parts. According to the tests, the following conclusions can be o btained: 1) Compared with common cutting, ultrasonic cutting can decrease effect ively roundness error of the workpiece. Under the same condition, the roundness error of the ultra-thin wall part in ultrasonic turning is about one third of t hat in common cutting. 2) In common cutting, cutting depth and feed rate have mu ch influence on the roundness and the influence of cutting velocity is little. W hile in ultrasonic cutting, the roundness was influenced heavily only when feed rate is more than 0.1 mm/r and cutting speed is more than 1/3 of the critical ro tation speed, cutting depth has little influence on the roundness in the experim ent. 3) Kerosene-oil is an optimum cutting fluid in machining ultra-thin wall workpiece. 4) To machine the ultra-thin wall precision part, ultrasonic cutting is the perfect method which can decrease the roundness error effectively an d ensure high quality of the surface.

Hot-Dip Coating of Lead-free Aluminum on Steel Substrates with Ultrasonic Vibration

Hot-dip coating has been practically employed in manufacturing zinc alloy coated steel sheets.However,it is difficult to coat aluminum alloy on a bulky steel substrate without sufficient preheating,because a rapidly solidified layer containing gas babbles is formed on a substrate surface.A variety of iron-aluminides are also formed at the interface of a steel and aluminum hot-dip coating system,which is the main difficulty in joining of steel with aluminum.Ultrasonic vibration was applied to a steel substrate during hot-dip coating of aluminum alloy to control a rapidly solidified layer and a brittle reaction layer.Hot dipping of columnar steel substrates into molten aluminum alloy （Al-2.7 mass fraction Si-4.6 mass fraction Sn） was carried out through the use of a Langevin oscillator with resonant frequency of 19.5 kHz.The application of ultrasonic vibration is quite effective to control a rapidly solidified layer and a surface oxide layer from a substrate surface by the sonocapillary effect based on a cavitation phenomenon,so that the intimate contact is achieved at the beginning of hot-dip coating.The application of ultrasonic vibration to hot-dipping is effective to control a reaction layer with less than 5 #m in thickness.An impact test exhibits that the good adhesive strength is approved in hot-dipped aluminum coatings with a thin reaction layer of approximately 5μm.

Individual and combined influences of main loading parameters on granite damage development under ultrasonic vibration

Ultrasonic vibration technology has great potential to weaken hard rocks.Understanding the effect of ultrasonic vibration loading parameters is essential to accelerate the application of this technology in practical rock engineering.In the present work,three-factor mixed-level orthogonal ultrasonic vibration rock breaking tests were conducted to investigate the influence of the main loading parameters,including confining pressure,vibration frequency,and static force,on the damage of granite specimens.The individual and combined influences were analyzed according to the porosity increase and P-wave decrease of granite specimens using the variance analysis method.The results show that the combined effect of the static force and vibration frequency mainly promotes fatigue damage of specimens,that the confining pressure determines the damage behaviour and failure mode of specimens under ultrasonic vibration,and that the confining pressure and vibration frequency are the main factors that cause the fracture concentration in the upper part of specimens,an effect mechanistically driven by the obvious load energy attenuation.The research results provide theoretical guidance for the application of ultrasonic vibration technology.

Experimental Investigation on Finishing Technology by Magnetostrictive Ultrasonic Vibration of Magnetic Liquid

Magnetic liquid can produce alternative internal pressure under the alternative high-frequency gradient magnetic field.Because it has higher bulk modulus,the internal pressure results in its volume change.Using piezoelectric transducers,the ultrasonic wave generated by the vibration of magnetic liquids can be detected,which shows that the magnetic liquids have the magnetostrictive effect and can generate the ultrasonic vibration under the alternative magnetic gradient field.Some nonmagnetic abrasives and rust-proofing agents can be mixed into the magnetic liquids,under the alternative magnetic field,the abrasives held by magnetic liquids grind the surface of the workpieces,and thus,the finishing for the surface with complex shape,mold cavity and inner wall of tiny tubes can be realized.

Effect of Compound Energy-Field with Temperature and Ultrasonic Vibration on Mechanical Properties of TC2 Titanium Alloy

To solve the problem of the poor plasticity and to meet the requirements of high temperature for forming titanium alloy,mechanical properties of TC2 titanium alloy under the compound energy-field(CEF)with temperature and ultrasonic vibration were studied.The effects of CEF on tensile force,elongation,microstructure and fractography of the TC2 titanium alloy were compared and analyzed.The results show that,under the same thermal conditions,the deformation resistance of TC2 titanium alloy decreases with the increase of ultrasonic vibration energy.The formability is also improved correspondingly due to the input of ultrasonic vibration energy and its influence on the microstructure of the material.However,when the ultrasonic vibration energy is larger,the fatigue fracture will also appear,which reduces its formability.

Surface Topography of Fine-grained ZrO_2 Ceramic by Two-dimensional Ultrasonic Vibration Grinding

The surface quality of fine-grained ZrO2 engineering ceramic were researched using 270# diamond wheel both with and without work-piece two-dimension ultrasonic vibration grinding（WTDUVG）. By AFM images, the surface topography and the micro structure of the two-dimensional ultrasonic vibration grinding ceramics were especially analyzed. The experimental results indicate that the surface roughness is related to grinding vibration mode and the material removal mechanism. Surface quality of WTDUVG is superior to that of conventional grinding, and it is easy for two-dimensional ultrasonic vibration grinding that material removal mechanism is ductile mode grinding.

Separate critical condition for ultrasonic vibration assisted grinding

Separate characteristic of the tangential ultrasonic vibration assisted grinding (TUAG) machining is analyzed based on TUAG process, and a critical speed formula is given to correctly set the machining parameters to insure the separate characteristics of TUAG process. The critical speed is not only related to the ultrasonic vibration amplitude and frequency, but also to the grinding wheel velocity and the cutting point space, and the grinding force can be decreased during the TUAG process with separability. Grinding force experiments are conducted, and the experimental results are in good agreement with the theoretical results.