Process parameter analysis of ultrasonic vibration-assisted polishing of SiCp/Al ceramics based on optimized Hilbert trajectories

As an important ceramic matrix composite material, SiCp/Al ceramics have found extensive applications across several domains. However, the intricate nature of their material properties has resulted in a scarcity of scholarly investigations pertaining to the topic of ultrasonic vibration-assisted polishing (UVAP) of SiCp/Al ceramics. To solve this problem, a theoretical derivation of the material removal model (MRM) for UVAP SiCp/Al ceramics is presented in this paper. The selection of UVAP feeding speed is analyzed and discussed. The process parameters of UVAP of SiCp/Al ceramics are optimized based on the improved Hilbert's trajectory characteristics. According to the experimental results, high-quality machined surfaces can be obtained and the "fish scale" phenomenon can be avoided when the feeding speed is 0.015 m/s. Compared with the traditional trajectory, the improved Hilbert trajectory is easier to achieve uniform surface polishing. The introduction of ultrasonic amplitude (UA) can increase the material removal rate (MRR) by more than 21.6 % compared with the conventional polishing method. The maximum removal depth (MRD) increased by more than 27.76 % and the surface roughness (SR) is reduced by more than 76.45 %. The research results have an important application value for realizing efficient and high-quality polishing of SiCp/Al ceramics.