Chemical-assisted ultrasonic machining of glass

Ultrasonic machining is an efficient and economical mean for precision machining of glass or ceramic materials. However, because of its complexity, the mechanism of the material removal process is still not well understood. Therefore, it is hard to optimize process parameters effectively. In the conventional ultrasonic machining methods, materials are removed primarily by the repeated impacts of the abrasive particles. It is time consuming and gives a relatively rough surface. In this study, in order to improve the material removal rate and the integrity of the machined surface, the chemical-assisted ultrasonic machining (CUSM) method is introduced. To obtain the chemical effects, a low concentration hydrofluoric acid solution is added to the alumina slurry. Through various experiments and comparison with conventional results, the superiority of our novel method is verified. Not only did the material removal rate increase to 200%, but also the surface roughness was improved and the machining load decreased dramatically. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.