Proposal of novel chatter stability indices of spindle speed variation based on its chatter growth characteristics

Chatter is one of the most critical problems that causes poor surface quality and restriction of machining efficiency. Spindle speed variation (SSV) is a well-known technique for suppression of regenerative chatter. However, in the authors’ understanding, the chatter suppression effect diminishes when the spindle speed difference between the present and previous cutting moments is small. Furthermore, the stability changes largely according to the spindle speed variation profile which changes with the set condition of SSV parameters, e.g., nominal spindle speed, variation period and variation amplitude. Therefore, SSV parameters should be adequately set to avoid this limitation and to exert its effect throughout the entire duration of cutting. However, there is no clear methodology to determine the optimal condition. This paper presents the characteristics of chatter growth during SSV focusing on the change of chatter frequency, which lead to novel indices to evaluate the chatter stability when cutting with SSV. To verify the validity of the indices, time-domain simulations and the cutting experiments with triangular spindle speed variation (TSSV) are carried out. The influence of SSV parameters on the chatter stability is investigated from the simulation and experimental results. The limitations of widely utilized SSV profiles are discussed.     

The analysis of tool life and wear mechanisms in spindle speed variation machining

Regenerative chatter vibrations generally limit the achievable material removal rate in machining. The diffusion of spindle speed variation (SSV) as a chatter suppression strategy is mainly restricted to academy and research centers. A lack of knowledge concerning the effects of non-stationary machining is still limiting its use in real shop floors. This research is focused on the effects of spindle speed variation technique on tool duration and on wear mechanisms. No previous researches have been performed on this specific topic. Tool wear tests in turning were carried out following a factorial design: cutting speed and cutting speed modulation were the investigated factors. The carbide life was the observed process response. A statistical approach was used to analyze the effects of the factors on the tool life. Moreover, the analysis was extended to the wear mechanisms involved during both constant speed machining and SSV. The worn-out carbide surfaces were examined under a scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer. Significant differences were appreciated. It was observed that SSV tends to detach the coatings of the inserts, entailing a mechanism that is quite unusual in wet steel turning and thus fostering the wear of the tool. The performed analysis allowed to deduce that the intensified tool wear (in SSV cutting) is mainly due to thermo-mechanical fatigue.     

Automatic selection of spindle speed for suppression of regenerative chatter in turning

The paper presents a new spindle speed regulation method to avoid regenerative chatter in turning operations. It is not necessary to analyse complex cutting dynamics to search for stable spindle speeds to eliminate regenerative chatter. The metal removal rate is also greatly improved by using this method. The stability lobe diagram for the stability limit of chip width and chatter frequency versus spindle speed is derived by using the Nyquist stability criterion. It is shown that stable spindle speeds can be automatically obtained when the chatter frequency is found. Computational simulations and experimental cutting tests are performed to illustrate the proposed method.     

Spindle speed variation in turning: technological effectiveness and applicability to real industrial cases

Spindle speed variation is a well-known technique to suppress regenerative machine tool vibrations especially for low spindle speeds. Although a lot of research effort was made over the years the technique is not widespread in real turning applications. In this paper, the reasons that can limit the diffusion of the spindle speed variation were investigated. Therefore, the analysis of spindle speed variation strategy was not only focused on its chatter suppression properties but also on some more general technological aspects: the surface quality of the machined components, the cutting edge-spindle bearings load and the thermal overload the electrical spindle motor is subjected to when the speed modulation is used. A time-domain numerical model of the turning process was developed and exploited to support the analysis. A lot of cutting tests were also performed both to validate the numerical model and to evaluate the effect of variable spindle speed on surface quality. Finally, some real industrial applications were analyzed focusing on thermal overload issue of the spindle motor.     

ESPRIT- and HMM-based real-time monitoring and suppression of machining chatter in smart CNC milling system

Suppression of machining chatter during milling processes is of great significance for surface finish and tool life. In this paper, a smart CNC milling system integrating the function of signal processing, monitoring, and intelligent control is presented with the aim of real-time chatter monitoring and suppression. The algorithm of estimation of signal parameters via rotational invariance techniques (ESPRIT) is adopted to extract the frequency characteristics of acceleration signals, and then, cutting state is categorized as stable state, chatter germination state, and chatter state based on amplitude-frequency characteristics of identified acceleration signals. The model of chatter identification is acquired by training a hidden Markov model (HMM), which combines acceleration signals and labeled cutting state. To implement real-time chatter suppression, the algorithm of fuzzy control is integrated into a smart CNC kernel to determine the relationship between cutting force and spindle speed. Furthermore, spindle speed of machine tool could be adjusted timely in the presented system once the chatter is identified. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed real-time chatter monitoring and suppression system is experimentally validated.     

The role of tool geometry in process damped milling

Spindle speed variation is a well-known technique to suppress regenerative machine tool vibrations, but it is usually considered to be effective only for low spindle speeds. In this paper, the effect of spindle speed variation is analyzed in the high-speed domain for spindle speeds corresponding to the first flip (period doubling) and to the first Hopf lobes. The optimal amplitudes and frequencies of the speed modulations are computed using the semidiscretization method. It is shown that period doubling chatter can effectively be suppressed by spindle speed variation, although, the technique is not effective for the quasiperiodic chatter above the Hopf lobe. The results are verified by cutting tests. Some special cases are also discussed where the practical behavior of the system differs from the predicted one in some ways. For these cases, it is pointed out that the concept of stability is understood on the scale of the principal period of the system—that is, the speed modulation period for variable spindle speed machining and the tooth passing period for constant spindle speed machining.     

基于开放式控制器的铣削颤振在线抑制

为实现在线抑制铣削颤振,对颤振领域常用的传感器监控技术,尤其是三向切削力和振动加速度传感器的各向分量在颤振监控过程中的时域和频域敏感信号特征进行试验研究。针对监控的颤振敏感信号频域特性,研究快速傅里叶变换技术对信号有效信息的在线提取技术。对自激颤振的机理进行分析,建立颤振频率与主轴转速间的关系模型,为实现变主轴转速抑制自激颤振提供理论基础。对集成在线参数采集、反馈控制的全软件型模块化铣削控制器进行设计,将在线抑制颤振的相关变主轴转速算法嵌入开放式控制器中,并设计控制参数数据流在控制器模块间的实现流程。对连续变切削深度铝合金工件进行在线颤振抑制加工试验,试验验证开放式智能铣削控制器在线抑制颤振相关技术的正确性。     

Parameter optimization of time-varying stiffness method for chatter suppression based on magnetorheological fluid-controlled boring bar

An innovative chatter suppression method based on a magnetorheological (MR) fluid-controlled boring bar for chatter suppression is developed. The MR fluid, which can change stiffness consecutively by varying the strength of the applied magnetic field, was applied to adjust the stiffness of the boring bar and suppress chatter. The cutting dynamic stability under different natural frequencies of the structure was analyzed by an energy method, which shows that cutting dynamic stability depends on both the natural frequency of the structure and the spindle speed. The chatter suppression mechanism with varying natural frequency is analyzed for further parameter optimization. Furthermore, both theoretical analyses and numerical simulations indicate that a square wave exciting current with a large amplitude and a moderate frequency has a better effect on regenerative chatter suppression. Experiments utilizing a MR fluid-controlled boring bar under an exciting current with different waveforms and frequencies were conducted. The experimental results show that the chatter can be significantly suppressed using MR fluid-controlled boring bar under a square wave exciting current with a frequency of 4–6 Hz and an amplitude of 0–2 A.     

Chatter prediction based on frequency domain solution in CNC pocket milling

Chatter has been a problem in CNC machining process especially during pocket milling process using an end mill with low stiffness. Since an iterative time-domain chatter solution consumes a computing time along tool paths, a fast chatter prediction algorithm for pocket milling process is required by machine shop-floor for detecting chatter prior to real machining process. This paper proposes the systematic solution based on integration of a stability law in frequency domain with geometric information of material removal for a given set of tool paths. The change of immersion angle and spindle speed determines the variation of the stable cutting depth along cornering cut path. This proposed solution transforms the milling stability theory toward the practical methodology for the stability prediction over the NC pocket milling.     

SUPPRESSION OF PERIOD DOUBLING CHATTER IN HIGH-SPEED MILLING BY SPINDLE SPEED VARIATION

Spindle speed variation is a well known technique to suppress regenerative machine tool vibrations, but it is usually considered to be effective only for low spindle speeds. In the current paper, spindle speed variation is applied to the high speed milling process, at the spindle speeds where the constant speed cutting results in period doubling chatter. The stability analysis of triangular and sinusoidal shape variations is made numerically with the semi-discretization method. It is shown that the milling process can be stabilized by increasing the amplitude of the spindle speed variation, while the frequency of the variation has no significant effect on the dynamic behaviour. The results are validated by experiments. Based on the analysis of the machined workpieces, it is shown that the surface roughness can also be decreased by the spindle speed variation technique.     

再生型切削颤振稳定性极限的图解法

分析了再生型切削颤振的稳定性极限,并提出一种简单的确定稳定性曲线的图解法,这种图解法对于分析系统的稳定性更具有直观性,并为抑制再生型切削颤提供了理论依据。     

Prediction of regenerative chatter in the high-speed vertical milling of thin-walled workpiece made of titanium alloy

With the wide application of high-speed cutting technology, high-speed machining approach of titanium alloy has become one of the most effective ways to improve processing efficiency and to reduce the processing cost, but the cutting chatter which often occurs in the cutting process not only affects the machining surface quality but also reduces the production efficiency. Regenerative chatter is a typical phenomenon during actual cutting, and it has the greatest impact on the cutting process. With the purpose of avoiding regenerative chatter and selecting appropriate cutting parameters to achieve a steady cutting process and a high surface quality, it is necessary to determine the critical boundary conditions where chatter occurs. Built on the work of previous theoretical researches of regenerative chatter, this paper utilized Visual C++ software to calculate the chatter stability domain during the finish machining of titanium alloy. It was shown that the border between a stable cut and an unstable cut can be visualized in terms of the axial depth of cut as a function of the spindle speed. Using the result, it can find the specific combination of machining parameters, which lead to the maximum chatter-free material removal rate. In order to verify the result, the high-speed milling experiment of an I-shaped thin-walled workpiece made of titanium alloy was conducted. It revealed that the actual machining result was consistent with the calculation prediction. This study will offer a useful guide for effective parameter selection in future CNC machining applications.     

Chatter prevention for milling process by acoustic signal feedback

This paper presents how real-time chatter prevention can be realized by feedback of acoustic cutting signal, and the efficacy of the proposed adaptive spindle speed tuning algorithm is verified as well. The conventional approach to avoid chatter is to select a few appropriate operating points according to the stability lobes by experiments and then always use these preset cutting conditions. For most cases, the tremble measurement, obtained by accelerometers or dynamometers, is merely to monitor spindle vibration or detect the cutting force, respectively. In fact, these on-line measures can be more useful, instead of always being passive. Furthermore, most of these old-fashioned methodologies are invasive, expensive, and cumbersome at the milling stations. On the contrary, the acoustic cutting signal, which is fed into the data acquisition interface, Module DS1104 by dSPACE, so that an active feedback loop for spindle speed compensation can be easily established in this research, is non-invasive, inexpensive, and convenient to facilitate. In this research, both the acoustic chatter signal index (ACSI) and spindle-speed compensation strategy (SSCS) are proposed to quantify the acoustic signal and compensate the spindle speed, respectively. By converting the acoustic feedback signal into ACSI, an appropriate spindle speed compensation rate (SSCR) can be determined by SSCS based on real-time chatter level. Accordingly, the compensation command, referred to as added-on voltage (AOV), is applied to actively tune the spindle motor speed. By employing commercial software MATLAB/Simulink and DS1104 interface module to implement the intelligent controller, the proposed chatter prevention algorithm is practically verified by intensive experiments. By inspection on the precision and quality of the workpiece surface after milling, the efficacy of the real-time chatter prevention strategy via acoustic signal feedback is further examined and definitely assured.     

Chatter stability prediction in milling using time-varying uncertainties

The chatter stability in milling severely affects productivity and quality of machining. Tool wear causes both the cutting coefficient and the process damping coefficient, but also other parameters to change with cutting time. This variation greatly reduces the accuracy of chatter prediction using conventional methods. To solve this problem, we consider the cutting coefficients of the milling system to be both random and time-varying variables and we use the gamma process to predict cutting coefficients for different cutting times. In this paper, a time-varying reliability analysis is introduced to predict chatter stability and chatter reliability in milling. The relationship between stability and reliability is investigated for given depths and spindle speeds in the milling process. We also study the time-varying chatter stability and time-varying chatter reliability methods theoretically and with experiments. The results of this study show that the proposed method can be used to predict chatter with high accuracy for different cutting times.     

微小型无偏正交车铣加工系统稳定性研究

以微小型车铣复合加工系统为对象,通过对微小型车铣加工工艺系统进行分析将其简化为进行端铣研究。针对加工系统中刚度最低的工件系统利用再生型颤振理论进行分析,得到加工稳定性叶瓣图,并且通过实验验证了该叶瓣图的准确性。得到的微小型车铣稳定性叶瓣图可以指导微小型车铣的加工参数选择,提高微小型车铣加工效率。     

基于自抗扰控制的变速非圆车削技术研究

为了抑制非圆截面工件加工时的颤振,将变速加工应用于非圆截面车削中,设计了变速车削系统结构,分析了变速车削抑制颤振、提高稳定性的机理,设计了适于变速非圆车削的直线伺服单元,单元控制采用自抗扰控制技术.车床控制系统采用PMAC(Programmable multi-axis controller)时基控制法,实现刀具驱动进给和工件变速旋转的协调控制,完成非圆截面的变速车削.结果表明,直线伺服单元能很好地跟踪刀具目标值,非圆截面车削加工精度和稳定性得到了提高.     

Active suppression of chatter in peripheral milling Part 1. A statistical indicator to evaluate the spindle speed modulation method

This work investigates the potential of employing the spindle speed modulation method for real-time control of chatter in peripheral milling. The first part of the study concentrates on developing a measurable chatter indicator which can quantify the relative vibration suppression properties of various speed modulation parameters. Experimental and simulation runs have shown that this indicator provides a well-behaved estimate of the relative cutting condition. The simulation and the experimental set-up for implementing spindle speed modulation are described. Different amplitude-frequency combinations of sinusoidal fluctuations were tested at 20% and 50% beyond the limit of stability both numerically and experimentally with steel workpieces. They showed higher vibration suppression with increased values of speed modulation parameters, which is a general trend that was also reported in other works conducted under different environments.     

Three-dimensional stability lobe and maximum material removal rate in end milling of thin-walled plate

Chatter phenomenon often occurs during end milling of thin-walled plate and becomes a common limitation to achieve high productivity and part quality. For the purpose of chatter avoidance, the optimal selection of the axial and radial depth of cut, which are decisive primary parameters in the maximum material removal rate, is required. This paper studies the machining stability in milling of the thin-walled plate and develops a three-dimensional lobe diagram of the spindle speed, axial, and radial depth of cut. Through the three-dimensional lobe, it is possible to choose the appropriate cutting parameters according to the dynamic behavior of the chatter system. Moreover, this paper studies the maximum material removal rate at the condition of optimal pairs of the axial and radial depth of cutting.     

切削加工颤振智能监控技术

切削加工颤振智能监控技术是智能机床中不可或缺的一部分，是智能加工的一个重要发展方向。它对于提高零件的加工精度与效率，增加企业的运营绩效具有重要的意义。以传感器的选择、特征提取、颤振识别和颤振抑制为主线，系统的综述了切削加工过程中颤振智能监控的研究进展。分析颤振信号的选择和时域、频域、时频域以及特征自适应智能提取的特征提取方法；分析神经网络、支持向量机、隐马尔科夫模型、混合模型和在线智能进化模型在颤振识别中的应用；着重分析基于主轴转速调整的颤振智能控制方法。在此基础上，对切削加工颤振智能监控的研究难点进行了分析，并总结了目前存在的问题。最后，对切削加工颤振智能监控技术今后的发展趋势进行了展望。     

Unique regenerative chatter in wiper-turning operation with burnishing process Part 2: Experimental verification of predicted generation mechanism,critical stability,and characteristics

In this paper, the predicted generation mechanism, chatter stability, and characteristics of the unique regenerative chatter with the burnishing process in wiper-turning operations are verified experimentally. It was found in the first part of the paper that the vibration regenerates in the burnishing process by the wiper part of the insert causing a novel type of chatter. In this second part, this chatter phenomenon is investigated in an experimental manner to verify its mechanism. The specific burnishing force, which is a gain factor characterizing the burnishing process, is determined by the Hertzian contact law. In addition, the specific cutting force is measured by a cutting test, the compliance of the flexible structure is measured by a hammering test, and the residual compliance is measured by a static indentation test. Then, experiments are conducted where the tilt angle and the feed rate are varied to find the critical stability. The conducted chatter experiments prove that the predicted generation mechanism, critical stability, and characteristics are true.