Structural modeling of end mills for form error and stability analysis

Structural modeling of end mills is crucial for predicting deflections and vibrations in milling processes. End mill geometry is very complex which makes the use of simple beam models inaccurate. Stiffness and frequency response function (FRF) measurements need to be performed to identify the static and dynamic properties experimentally. This can be very time consuming considering the number of tool-tool holder combinations in a production facility. In this paper, methods for modeling structural properties of milling tools are presented. Static and dynamic analysis of tools with different geometry and material are carried out by finite element analysis (FEA). Some practical equations are developed to predict the static and dynamic properties of tools. Receptance coupling and substructuring analyses are used to combine the dynamics of individual component dynamics. In this analysis, experimental or analytic FRFs for the individual components are used to predict the final assembly's dynamic response. Clamping parameters between the tool and the tool holder may effect the results significantly. These parameters are also identified from the measurements. The effects of changes in tool parameters and clamping conditions are evaluated. The predictions are verified by the measurements for different conditions. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.