Dynamic modeling and experimental investigation of hole making accuracy in the helical milling process

Abstract

Helical milling is one of the novel hole-making methods to create a hole with high accuracy and quality. In this study, the helical milling process is dynamically modeled using a set of second-order differential equations. In this modeling, the tool is considered a cantilever beam with a degree of freedom in all three directions of x, y, and z. Experimental tests were conducted to investigate the validity of the obtained theoretical relations and the effects of different parameters such as material, diameter, and rotational speed of the cutting tool on the precision of the created hole. The error of the theoretical relations in predicting the hole diameter is 2.7%, indicating the high precision of the accomplished modeling. Theoretical relations show that the error of the chip removal path decreases by increasing each of the parameters, namely, tool stiffness, the rotational speed of the tool, tool diameter, and tangential feed per tooth. In contrast, the error of the chip removal path increases by increasing each of the parameters, namely, the speed of the tool in the helical path and axial feed per tooth. It has been shown that improving the cutting tool material in terms of strength or increasing the rotational speed of the tool and the cutting tool diameter causes a reduction in the diametrical error. It has been shown that the diametrical error rate is 0.9% with the change of the cutting tool from HSS-E to carbide, and it has reduced to 0.6% by increasing the rotational speed of the tool from 900 r/min to 2100 r/min.