Design of Sonotrode

Fig. Solidworks model of the setup.
Different views of the USM setup

SPECIFICATIONS AND DIMENSIONS
OF COMPONENTS
1. Ultrasonic Generator:
Input Frequency: 50Hz
Output Frequency : 25KHz
Type: Auto Tuning
Amplitude: 1-1.5 µm
2. Ultrasonic Transducer
 Type: Electrostrictive PZT

 Power: 50 Watt
 Diameter: 50 mm
3.
Horn/Sonotrode :
Material: Alloy Steel
Resonance Length : 127.46 mm
Upper Diameter : 50 mm
Lower Diameter : 27.7mm
4. Tool/Tool holder: Stainless steel and

Tungsten Carbide with tip diameter ranging
from 0.5-1 mm
5. Abrasive Particle : Silicon carbide,

Boron carbide, Aluminium oxide with Solidworks Model of Acoustic head
grain size varying from 0.5-15 µm
The Sonotrode Design
 The principal function of the sonotrode is to amplify the amplitude of
ultrasonic vibrations of the tool to the level required to the effective
machining. It does so by being in resonance state with the transducer.
 The most important aspect of sonotrode design is a sonotrode resonant

frequency and the determination of the correct sonotrode resonant
wavelength.
 The sonotrode length should be usually integer multiple of the half

wavelength of the system.
 Generally, the sonotrodes are made of metals that have high fatigue
strengths , high wear resistance and low acoustic losses. Monel,
Titanium, stainless steel, heat treated steel, Al etc. are some of the commonly
used materials for sonotrode.
SONOTRODE SHAPES:
 Till now, multiple shapes of horn have been used for different applications out of
which cylindrical, stepped, conical and exponential are the most common shapes.
 The required performance of sonotrode is assessed by an amplification factor

υ=│A1/A0│
where A0 – amplitude of input end of sonotrode,

A1 – amplitude of output end of sonotrode.
The basic requirement for the size of the amplification factor is
υ > 1.
 Stepped shaped sonotrode has the highest amplification factor (4:1)of all
horns due to abrupt change in cross sectional area. Also, stress is maximum
near the transition of cross sections which makes it less preferable.
 Cylindrical shape offers the least amplification factor (1:1)due to uniform

cross sectional area.
 Exponential shape has a high amplification factor and uniform stress

distribution over its length but due to manufacturing considerations, it is not
preferred.
 Conical or tapered shaped horn is generally preferred as they combine the

amplification gain advantage of stepped horn and desirable stress
distribution of exponential horn. Also, the required shape is easy to
manufacture.
Material selection for

sonotrode
Generally, the sonotrodes are made of metals that have high fatigue
strengths , high wear resistance and low acoustic losses. Titanium,
stainless steel, heat treated steel, Al, Monel ,etc. are some of the commonly used
materials for sonotrode.
 Titanium has the best acoustical properties and high fatigue strength. However,
horn made of titanium are more expensive and require high machining time.
 Aluminium heat treated alloy has excellent acoustic properties but it can’t be
used in case of high amplitude vibrations.
 Alloy steels are found to satisfy the above properties and its low cost and easy
machining makes it the best choice for sonotrode material.
Calculation of Sonotrode dimensions
 The governing equation of longitudinally vibrating sonotrode with variable circular cross-
section S(x), which is valid for 1D continuum (thin elastic bar), is expressed in the form of
Ordinary Differential Equation for Conical Shape:
where is longitudinal displacement of cross-section

c is wave speed of Horn
is taper angle of horn
This equation is derived by integrating the forces(elastic and inertia forces) acting on very
small element which is in equilibrium.
On solving the above equation and applying the boundary conditions for conical shape horn, the
resonant length is given by :
where
 c is the wave speed, f is the natural frequency of the machine (25 kHz)and N is
equal to the required amplitude ratio (3:1).
The wave speed c can be calculated using
c = (E/d) (2)
where E is the value of Young's Modulus (205 GPa for Alloy steel)and d is the density of
the horn material(7800 kg/mm^2).
On substituting the variables in equation (1), the resonance length L of the horn comes
out to be 127.46 mm
The major diameter of horn is determined by the specification of transducer diameter.
Hence, do= 50mm, di= 27.7 mm
THANK YOU
 Ordinary Differential Equation for Conical Shape :
where is longitudinal displacement of cross-section

c is wave speed
is taper angle
This equation is derived by integrating the forces(elastic and inertia forces) acting on very
small element which is in equilibrium.

L= [] (1)

Design of Sonotrode

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Design of Sonotrode

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Fig. Solidworks model of the setup.

Different views of the USM setup

 Type: Electrostrictive PZT

4. Tool/Tool holder: Stainless steel and

5. Abrasive Particle : Silicon carbide,

 The most important aspect of sonotrode design is a sonotrode resonant

 The sonotrode length should be usually integer multiple of the half

 The required performance of sonotrode is assessed by an amplification factor

where A0 – amplitude of input end of sonotrode,

 Cylindrical shape offers the least amplification factor (1:1)due to uniform

 Exponential shape has a high amplification factor and uniform stress

 Conical or tapered shaped horn is generally preferred as they combine the

where is longitudinal displacement of cross-section

where is longitudinal displacement of cross-section

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