Output-Only Modal Analysis of Micromilling Systems

Abstract

An output-only modal analysis (OMA) approach is presented to obtain the direct frequency response function (FRF) at the tip of the tool in micromilling setups. White noise input is provided using acoustic excitation and the resulting vibrations are measured using a laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV). Autoregressive (AR) identification is used to extract the natural frequencies and damping ratios of the structural modes of the milling setup, and mass-sensitivity analysis is used to obtain modal stiffness values. The accuracy of the tool tip FRFs that are constructed using OMA is verified by comparing them against the FRFs that are measured using impulse hammer tests. The direct FRF at the tool tip is an essential component in predicting and avoiding excessive and unstable vibrations in milling operations, and the presented approach provides a practical method for the direct measurement of the tool tip FRF in micromilling where the application of traditional hammer tests is not possible.