Performance evaluation of high-speed ultrasonic vibration cutting for improving machinability of Inconel 718 with coated carbide tools

High-speed ultrasonic vibration cutting (HUVC) has been proved highly effective for the finishing of titanium alloy at high cutting speed. In this study, HUVC is used for the first time to improve the machinability of Inconel 718 during the process of finish machining with coated carbide tools. First, the intermittent cutting of HUVC is analysed. Then, the feasibility of HUVC for finish machining Inconel 718 is verified experimentally in comparison with conventional cutting (CC). The results showed that, compared with CC, HUVC extends the tool life by up to 250% through significantly reduced tool wear and decreases the cutting force by up to 32.59% and cutting temperature by ~20%. Moreover, HUVC can obtain better surface roughness during a successive cutting process.