An insight into ultrasonic vibration assisted conventional manufacturing processes: A comprehensive review

Conventional manufacturing processes such as casting, forming, welding, machining, etc., have been optimized using different improvement techniques in the last few decades. The alterations in these processes have led to more efficient and productive manufacturing practices for the industry. One of these modification techniques is the deployment of ultrasonic vibrations in conventional manufacturing processes. In the last few decades, ultrasonic vibration assistance to manufacturing processes has seen an uprise and was the point of attraction for different research groups. Several improvements by utilizing ultrasonic vibration in manufacturing practices have been reported by the authors in the past. In this article, an attempt has been made to review all the reported techniques for different conventional processes viz. casting, forming, machining, and welding. The article outlines different research findings from the extensive work on ultrasonic vibration assistance showcasing the improved mechanical and morphological properties. The improvisation in the performance parameters viz. friction reduction, stress reduction, tool wear, surface finish, and grain structure has been witnessed by ultrasonic assistance in contrast to simple manufacturing processes. The outcomes have been summarized along with the optimized set of parameters from various studies.