Machining Chatter of End Mills With Unequal Modes

Abstract

This paper further investigates the effect of reducing the contribution of the mode coupling mechanism to machining chatter. This reduction was achieved in a previous investigation by making the cutting tool more compliant in one direction. Thus, in particular, the objective of the present work was to study the effect of varying the orientation angle between the flexible mode and the leading edge of the first cutting tooth. The study covered slotting and half immersion, up and down milling. The modified cutters, irrespective of the orientation angle, are shown to outperform the regular cutter in slotting over a wide speed range. This angle is found to have a very strong effect in half immersion. The study is conducted using both computer simulation and cutting tests using aluminum.