Component based modelling of piezoelectric ultrasonic actuators for machining applications

Ultrasonically Assisted Machining (UAM) is an emerging technology that has been utilized to improve the surface finishing in machining processes such as turning, milling, and drilling. In this context, piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers are being used to vibrate the cutting tip while machining at predetermined amplitude and frequency. However, modelling and simulation of these transducers is a tedious and difficult task. This is due to the inherent nonlinearities associated with smart materials. Therefore, this paper presents a component-based model of ultrasonic transducers that mimics the nonlinear behaviour of such a system. The system is decomposed into components, a mathematical model of each component is created, and the whole system model is accomplished by aggregating the basic components' model. System parameters are identified using Finite Element technique which then has been used to simulate the system in Matlab/SIMULINK. Various operation conditions are tested and performed to demonstrate the system performance.