Experimental Investigation into the Hole Quality in Ultrasonic Machining of WC-Co Composite

This study has focused on the evaluation of the influence of different input variables (cobalt content, thickness of workpiece, tool profile, tool material, size of abrasive grains, and power rating) on the hole quality (dimensional and form accuracy) obtained in ultrasonic machining of WC-Co composite material. Taguchi's approach has been employed for planning the experiments and optimization of the experimental results. Three measures of hole quality (hole oversize, out of roundness, and conicity) have been investigated under controlled experimental conditions. The experimental results showed that abrasive grit size and power rating were most influential for the hole quality. Hole quality has been found to be improved at higher cobalt content, whereas it is found to be degraded with the use of coarse grit size.