Characterizing the Vibration Responses of Flexible Workpieces during the Turning Process for Quality Control

Featured Application This study represents a breakthrough in the engineering of turning processes for manufacturing. By examining dynamic properties and vibration response during turning, it provides key insights for real-time machining system monitoring. The findings can improve surface quality and stability, particularly for slender, flexible shafts. Industries such as automotive, aerospace, and heavy equipment manufacturing can leverage these insights to optimize machine performance, reduce downtime, and boost productivity. This marks a significant stride towards more efficient manufacturing.Abstract The chatter that occurs during the turning operation, especially when cutting a slender and flexible shaft, determines the surface quality of the workpiece and the stability of the machining system. However, when building a dynamic model of a slender workpiece with a chuck and tailstock, it is generally regarded as a cantilever or simply supported beam, without consideration of the axial force and supported stiffness effect. In this work, a dynamic model for thin and flexible workpieces with different clamping boundary conditions was first built. Then, a finite element analysis (FEA) was used to study the influence of the axial force and supporting stiffness on the mode frequencies of the workpiece. A further analysis found that the relationship between support stiffness, axial force, and the dynamic response of the workpiece is nonlinear and far more complex than that of the simply supported beam model. The clamping force directly influenced the magnitude of the vibration response with the decrease of shaft stiffness during the turning process. These results were verified experimentally by measuring the vibrational response of slender shafts with different clamping modes using an on-rotor sensing (ORS) system. It proved that the proposed model shows advantages for the identification of dynamic vibration and quality control when machining slender workpieces.

Automated summary

This study has made a breakthrough in the engineering of turning processes by providing key insights for real-time machining system monitoring. The findings can significantly improve surface quality and stability, particularly for slender, flexible shafts.