Performance of Ultrasonic-assisted Turning of Additively Manufactured Titanium Alloys
Additively manufactured (AM) titanium alloys are increasingly deployed in aerospace, medical, and high-end equipment sectors owing to their high design freedom, material utilization efficiency, and superior mechanical properties. However, insufficient surface quality and dimensional accuracy necessitate post-processing. This study investigates the performance of two-dimensional ultrasonic vibration-assisted turning (2D UVAT) on AM titanium alloys under dry and wet cutting environments, comparing it against conventional turning (CT). Cutting forces were measured using a Kistler 9257B dynamometer; surface morphology and roughness were characterized with a Super Viewer surface profiler; surface hardness was assessed via a TMVS-1 digital micro-Vickers hardness tester; and tool adhesion was analyzed through scanning electron microscopy and EDX composition mapping. Results demonstrate that under dry cutting conditions, 2D UVAT reduces the main cutting force by up to 25.50% at a feed rate of 0.05 mm/r compared to CT. Under wet cutting conditions, the maximum reduction in main cutting force is 22.73%. Surface roughness decreases by 21.28%–37.11% in dry cutting and 14.68%–38.63% in wet cutting. The average surface hardness of 2D UVAT specimens consistently exceeds that of CT specimens. Furthermore, tool rake face adhesion is markedly reduced in 2D UVAT, attributed to lower friction and cutting forces that mitigate adhesive wear. These findings confirm that 2D UVAT substantially improves machined surface integrity and tool performance when turning AM titanium alloys, offering a viable strategy for enhancing post-processing quality in high-value AM components.