Development of a Tri-Axial Cutting Force Sensor for the Milling Process

Area of Science:

• Mechanical Engineering
• Manufacturing Technology
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Milling operations are susceptible to force variations based on workpiece position.
• Existing dynamometers may exhibit inaccuracies due to positional changes during milling.
• Accurate force measurement is crucial for machining process control and monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a three-component fixed dynamometer capable of reducing output errors caused by changes in milling position.
• To investigate the performance of a novel tri-layer cross-beam structure for enhanced positional stability.
• To assess the accuracy and reliability of the developed dynamometer in both static and dynamic milling conditions.

Main Methods:

• Design and implementation of a three-component fixed dynamometer utilizing strain gauges.
• Development of a reformative tri-layer cross-beam structure with optimized sensitive areas and measuring circuits.
• Conducting static calibration tests with standard loads and dynamic milling tests on different workpiece positions.
• Comparison of the developed sensor's output variation against a standard dynamometer under identical machining parameters.

Main Results:

• Static calibration demonstrated a maximal deviation of 4.87% between measured and standard forces.
• Dynamic milling tests showed output variation differences not exceeding 6.61% compared to a standard dynamometer.
• The developed dynamometer exhibited consistent performance across different milling positions.

Conclusions:

• The developed strain gauge dynamometer effectively reduces output errors associated with positional variations in milling.
• Experimental results confirm the dynamometer's suitability for measuring milling forces at diverse workpiece locations.
• The sensor shows significant potential for application in advanced machining monitoring systems.