Ultrasonic cutting of foods with inclined moving blades

Cutting with devices excited by ultrasound is a promising alternative to conventional cutting when the materials contain particles which differ in stiffness and elasticity from the surrounding bulk or when they consist of layers which exhibit largely differing mechanical properties. Aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of ultrasonic excitation and blade inclination (slice-to-push ratio) on cutting forces and cutting work of different foods with a fast-moving device which was excited in a way that the direction of vibration was parallel to the edge of the blade. The results show that ultrasonic excitation significantly reduces cutting force, that the magnitude of cutting force reduction largely depends on the product, and that cutting force and cutting work increase with increasing cutting velocity. Whereas these interactions are because of the micro-saw movement of the cutting tool, it was not possible to explain the product-dependent response to blade inclination.