Experimental investigations on effects of frequency in ultrasonically-assisted end-milling of AISI 316L: A feasibility study.

The effects of frequency in ultrasonic vibration assisted milling (UVAM) with axial vibration of the cutter is investigated in this paper. A series of face-mill experiment in dry conditions were conducted on AISI 316L, an alloy of widespread use in industry. The finished surfaces roughness were studied along with basic considerations on tool wear for both conventional milling and an array of frequencies for UVAM (20–40–60 kHz) in a wide range of cutting conditions. Surface residual stresses and cross-cut metallographic slides were used to investigate the hidden effects of UVAM. Experimental results showed competitive results for both surface roughness and residual stress in UVAM when compared with conventional milling especially in the low range of frequency with similar trend for tool wear.