Effect of Directional Relations on Milling Chatter Stability and Development of a Stability Index

This paper analyzes effect of directional relationships on chatter vibrations experienced in peripheral milling process. Based on the directional relationships, a geometry-based chatter stability index (CSI) is proposed to improve chatter stability of the process. It is well-known that chatter stability depends on cutting conditions and tool geometry; whereas it is less known that it also depends strongly on the directional relations between the machining process and the flexible directions of the machine. In this research, these directional factors affecting chatter stability are extracted from process kinematics and dynamically compliant directions of the structure. Three cases are considered and analyzed; namely, 1) if the machine tool/workpiece structure is flexible only in single direction, 2) if it is flexible in two orthogonal directions and finally 3) when those flexible directions are not orthogonal. Tool feed direction is considered to be the optimization parameter to maximize process stability. Overall, this research aims to present new knowledge on the effect of directional relationships for chatter stability and how they can be utilized in a practical manner based on a chatter stability index (CSI) that can be computed from geometry, process kinematics and limited knowledge of machine dynamics. (C) 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.