Gyroscopic and mode interaction effects on micro-end mill dynamics and chatter stability

This paper investigates the gyroscopic and mode interaction effects on the micro-end mill dynamics and the stability behavior due to regenerative chatter. A high-speed spindle system for micro-milling is modeled using finite elements. The transfer functions and the mode shapes are studied to gain a deep insight into the dynamic characteristics. The experimentally identified chatter states and operational vibration modes are given to verify the analytical results. It is shown that, due to the small rotary inertia of the micro-end mill, the gyroscopic effect considered in the inertial frame is less significant despite high rotational speeds. The mode interaction strongly affects the dynamics and the chatter stability. Moreover, piezoelectric elements are applied to in-process excitation in order to identify the transfer behavior of the micro-end mill in the operating state.