Review of multi-dimensional ultrasonic vibration machining for aeronautical hard-to-cut materials

To solve the problems of high cutting forces, severe tool wear, and poor surface integrity faced by advanced materials in aerospace manufacturing, multi-dimensional vibration machining (MDVM) is receiving unprecedented attention. MDVM utilizes workpiece and/or tool vibration excited in different directions to achieve high quality and efficient machining of aeronautical hard-to-cut materials. This paper covered typical MDVM hardware systems based on different vibration mechanisms, vibration application methods, and control methods, discussed the machining mechanisms such as friction reversal and contact-separation, and displayed the application effects in extending tool life, improving surface integrity, and manufacturing functional surfaces. The diversity of vibration mechanisms and the complexity of vibration modes of the MDVM system made it difficult to develop a unified design method for vibration systems and to demonstrate the machining mechanism under the coupling of different ultrasonic-induced effects. Therefore, it is an important development direction for future research to investigate the vibration and machining characteristics of MDVM systems and reveal the unified law.