Stiffness Maximization on the Basis of Layout Characteristics of the Elastic Machine System and Milling Process

Abstract

© 2020, Springer Nature Switzerland AG. The paper dwells upon improving the efficiency of milling by increasing the stiffness of the technological system. The stiffness is affected by the system layout geometry, which features the non-uniformity of strains in different spatial directions, and is characterized by the axes of stiffness. The paper defines the axes of stiffness by means of finite-element modeling of the technological system, which consists of the machine supports, the tool, the tool fixture, and the workpiece. Finite-element modeling is performed on any computer-aided engineering system. As a result of the calculation, the deformation of the most characteristic element of the technological system is determined. Based on the finite-element computations, the theory of elasticity is used to find the direction of stiffness axes in the machine workspace. It is herein proposed to use such direction in order to find the cutting parameters by reference to the cutting-force components ratio when milling. Using this method during process engineering enables optimizing the system layout as well as the cutting parameters.