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.