Int. J. Much. Tools Manufact. Vol. 35. No. 12. pp.

1715-1728, 1995
Copyright (~ 1995 Ebcvier Science Ltd
~ Pergamon Printed in Great Britain. All rights reserved
0890-6955/9559.5(} + .(lO

0890--6955(95)00004-6

CUTTING FORCE MODEL FOR MULTI-TOOTHED CUTTING

PROCESSES AND FORCE MEASURING EQUIPMENT FOR
FACE MILLING
C. ADOLFSSON and J-E. ST]~HLt
(Received 13 April 1994)

Ab~lraet--This article presents a mechanical cutting force model for multi-tooth cutting processes, where
initial position errors in radial and axial direction, eccentricity and edge wear are taken into account. The
cutting forces are presented for each individual cutting edge, and in a system of coordinates where one axis
is parallel to the cutting speed vector at any instant. The process parameter cutting resistance, Cr, is derived
from the measured main cutting force FM. Cr should he regarded as a parameter since it is always increasing
with decreasing values of theoretical chip thickness hi. A new way of measuring cutting forces in multi-
tooth cutting processes is also presented. Eight cutting force components are measured on the tool close to
each of the four cutting edges. The aroused signals are filtered, amplified, A/D-converted and put together
in a serial stream for transmission through a hollow spindle via a fibre optic cable. The signals are sent
from the rotating spindle to the frame of the machine over an air gap with Light Emitting Diodes. They
are then demultiplexed, D/A-converted, and stored in a PC-based eight channel oscilloscope. With this
measurement equipment it is possible to directly measure the cutting forces acting on each individual cutting
edge.

NOMENCLATURE
aa axial depth of cut (ram)
bin nominal undeformed width of chip (mm)
b~ existing undeformed width of chip cut by an arbitrary cutting edge (mm)
Cel rotation radius due to eccentricity (ram)
Cr cutting resistance (N/ram 2)
dc distance between cutting edge and center of rotation (mm)
dva decrease in cutting edge distance due to flank wear (ram)
D tool diameter (ram)
e~ tooth pitch (mm)
FI cutting force vector
F. main cutting or tangential force (N)
FM feed or radial force (N)
Fp passive or axial force (N)
hi undeformed chip thickness (ram)
htl nominal undeformed chip thickness cut by an arbitrary tooth (mm)
h Icl existing undeformed chip thickness cut by an arbitrary tooth (ram)
KI calibration matrix
II rotation speed (rpm)
/I r number of edges is a row not in contact with the workpiece
r~ eccentricity distance (mm)
ri distance from tool center point to cutting edge (mm)
UI output voltage vector
V cutting speed (m/rain)
Vt, S' feed speed (m/rain)
VB flank wear land (mm)
Z number of cutting edges on a tool
Cz clearance angle (o)
cz i flexibility matrix
~PMH force ratio FM/FH
~PPH force ratio Fp/FH
angle between x-axis and location of eccentricity (°)
cutter rotation angle (o)
0o tooth pitch angle (°)

tLund University, Department of Productions and Materials Engineering, Box 118, S-221 00 Lund, Sweden.

1715
m 15-1Z-H
1716 C. Adoifssonand J.-E. St/thl

1. INTRODUCTION
In the field of cutting machining there are a number of processes where more than
one cutting edge is in contact with the work piece at the same time. These are
called multi-toothed cutting processes, and are for example milling, sawing, boring and
broaching. They differ in "average" cutting parameters as well as type of main motion,
which causes a chip to be cut. All cutting processes can be classified according to Fig.
1 [1]. The process can be continuous or intermittent, both relative to the geometry of
the tool and the geometry of the workpiece. This paper will examine the lowest branch
of the tree in Fig. 1, i.e. intermittent multi-toothed cutting.
This group of processes has been studied earlier, and milling is the one that has
been given most attention. This has been the case because milling is such a common
cutting process, and partly because there are high demands on the machining economics
and results. As early as 1941 Martellotti [2, 3] laid the foundation for a mathematical
description of the toolpath in milling. The objectives in previously published work
about the milling process vary. Some researchers, for example [4], have focused on
edge deterioration under different machining conditions. Another field of research is
developing force models in two or three dimensions and measuring cutting forces, with
the possibility of adaptive control of the milling process as a long-term goal [5, 6].
Most of these models are developed for orthogonal cutting conditions, while a few
deal with oblique cutting conditions. In some of the latest articles dealing with force
models for milling, the models also include effects of eccentricity of the spindle and
errors in initial edge position [7-10]. The force models presented are commonly
verified with forces measured with commercial, three component Kistler dynamometers
[7, 11-13]. When measuring with this type of equipment, the result is the total force
acting on the tool in three orthogonal directions, often with signal bandwidths of about
1000 Hz.
In this paper a force model will be presented, valid for multi-toothed cutting processes
in general. The model is based on the cutting force acting on each individual cutting
edge. The individual cutting force is computed in a coordinate system where the main
cutting force is parallel to the direction of the cutting speed vector at every instant of
time, and is therefore not presented in a fixed coordinate system.
The force model is verified with a specially developed milling force sensor, in which

Fig. 1. Classificationof cutting processesaccordingto numberof teeth cutting and the extent of intermittence.
 Cutting Force Model 1717

the forces are monitored for each individual cutting edge on the tool separately. This
can be achieved with high speed wireless transmission data in the centre of the spindle.
2. MECHANICAL CUTHNG FORCE MODEL

Every cutting edge in contact with t h e w o r k p i ~ is subjected to a load whose

magnitude is dependent on the chip section area and the material machined. This load
is basically determined by the chosen cutting parameters. When the cutting process
involves more than one cutting edge, the cutting force magnitude for one arbitrary
cutting edge is also dependent on the position of its neighbours. The main cutting
force acting on one cutting edge is calculated by:

Fn=Crhlbl (1)

where Cr is the cutting resistance, ht is undeformed chip thickness and b~ is the

undeformed width of chip. The cutting resistance is a process parameter that varies
with undeformed chip thickness, h~. The cutting resistance is determined by cutting force
measurements, where the main cutting force is measured for a series of undeformed chip
thickness values, and is defined as [14]:

FH
Cr- hlbl" (2)

The cutting resistance increases with decreasing values of the undeformed chip thick-
ness. Experiments have shown that the undeformed width of chip has very little
influence on the cutting resistance, unless the depth of cut is smaller than the corner
radius.
The feed force and the passive force are computed as:

FM = q~MIaFn (3)
Fp = q~I'rtFrt (4)

where q~UHand ~PH are force ratio values relating feed and passive force to the main
cutting force. If every cutting edge is located in its ideal position and is moving along
the ideal tool path, they will cut chips with exactly the same chip section area,
determined by the parameters set on the machine. The theoretical undeformed chip
thickness for each cutting edge on the tool is then given as:

hli = vfet sint~i . (5)

v

The parameters in the equation are shown in Fig. 2.

The individual cutting edges are not evenly loaded. This is dependent on different
factors occurring before and during the machining. The three most important factors
affecting variations in uncut chip section areas are:
(1) Errors in initial cutting edge position.
(2) Unexpected tool movements.
(3) Edge deterioration.
The errors in initial cutting edge position often occur when clamping the insert in
the milling body. If the tool has sofid cutting edges the errors might occur during the
manufacturing process. Unexpected tool movements consist mainly of eccentricity in
the spindle, but could also include position errors when fitting the tool to the tool
cone or the cone into the spindle. If a cutting edge is deteriorated its geometry has
changed, which causes a decrease in uncut chip section area for that particular cutting
1718 C. Adolfsson and J.-E. St:~hi

iiiii~i~i~iiiiiiiiiiiii~i":'" et
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!iiiiii!!
--:-:::--~:.:---.:.:~.

i!iiiiiiiiiiiii
iii
.:::::::::::::::..:

cutterinsen
cu~erbody
Fig. 2. Cutting parameters and forces in face milling.

edge. All the above presented factors have an influence on the uncut chip section area
in both radial and axial direction.

2.1. Influence of initial errors in cutting edge position

When a cutting edge position differs from the expected, this cutting edge rotates
around the tool center point with a smaller or greater radius than expected, as shown
in Fig. 3.
If the distance from the cutting edge of an arbitrary tooth i to the center of the tool
is called ri, the undeformed chip thickness for that cutting edge, considering initial
errors in edge position, can be written as:

hlci = h l i + ri - r i - 1 . (6)

If the difference in edge position between two subsequent teeth is greater than the
theoretical undeformed chip thickness per tooth, ri - ri-1 > hli, tooth number i - 1
will never gain contact with the workpiece. If this is the case, tooth number i now has
to cut twice the expected undeformed chip thickness, in addition to what its own
position causes it to cut. The same happens to edge number i if number i - 2 and
i - 1 have not been in contact with the work piece. The undeformed chip thickness
for an arbitrary cutting edge can under these circumstances be described as:

hlci = ( n r + 1) h l i -1- r i - r i _ n (7)

ri-5

ri_ ri_s
"
ri
Fig. 3. Cutter geometry when the cutting edges has an error in its initial position.
 Cutting Force Model 1719

i
Fig. 4. The undeformed width of chip for due to errors in initial axial position.

where nr is the number of teeth in a row not in contact with the workpieee. Discrepancies
in cutting edge position can also occur in the axial direction. Figure 4 shows that the
axial position errors remain constant for each tooth along the tool path, unless the
tool is tilted. The axial position deviations influences on the undeformed width of chip.
The undeformed width of chip set on the machine is referred to as bt,, and the existing
undeformed width of chip cut by an arbitrary tooth i is called blci. Thus the tooth
having the greatest bid-value has to cut some material on its minor flank, width is
dependent on the clearance angle oL.

2.2. Cutting edge deterioration

Edge deterioration is a time dependent phenomenon, but should not be neglected
for this reason. The fact that the cutting edges are subjected to different loads causes
them to wear unevenly. There are a few types of wear that alter tool geometry in a
way that has an influence on the uncut chip section area, of which flank wear is the
best example. Chipping along the cutting edge also affects tool geometry. Figure 5
shows the altered tool geometry due to flank wear.
Flank wear decreases the distance between the cutting edge and the tool center point
with the distance dva.

dvB = V B . tan a (8)

where V B is the flank wear land and a = clearance angle. The wear influences the
existing undeformed chip thickness similarly to radial errors in edge position. The
existing undeformed chip thickness for an arbitrary cutting edge i increases due to the
loss of edge material.

h l c i = h l i + r i - d v B i -- ( r i _ 1 -- d v B i _ l ) . (9)

A A
cut A-A
Fig. 5. Changes in cutting edge geometry due to flank wear.
1720 C. Adolfsson and J.-E. Sthhl

If the damage on edge no. i - 1 is so severe that the edge never gains contact with
the work piece the edge no. i has to cut twice the size of the undeformed chip thickness.
If more than one cutting edge, situated before edge no. i, has lost contact with the
work piece the undeformed chip thickness can be written as:

hlci = (nr + 1)hli + ri - d v B i - (ri--n -- dvBi-,) • (10)

2.3. Unexpected tool movements

The main tool motion seldom corresponds to an ideal rotational or straight line
movement. In cutting processes with a straight line main movement, as for example
sawing, the tool can oscillate transversal to the main movement. In milling, with a
rotational main movement, the tool center point does not always coincide with the
center of rotation and an unexpected tool movement has occurred. Possible reasons
are, for example, eccentricities in the spindle, deviation when mounting the tool to
the spindle or tool form defects. Consider a coordinate system with the origin in the
center of the tool and x-axis in the feed direction. The center of rotation is then
displaced a certain distance re and a certain angle ~te from the center of the tool, as
can be seen in Fig. 6.
Each cutting edge on the tool therefore rotates with various distances, cei, in relation
to the center of rotation. When the deviation in the rotational radius due to unexpected
tool movements is taken into account, the undeformed chip thickness is computed as:

hlc i --- (n r + 1 ) h l i q- r i - d v B i -- (ri_ n -- d v B i _ n ) Jr- C e i - Cei_ n . (11)

For a milling body with equal tooth spacing, as in Fig. 6, the radius of rotation can
be described as:

cel = ~ + -~- - Dre sin~/e ) Ce5 = ~ + ~ - + Dre sin~/e)

c~2 = ~ + ~ - - Dre sin(Od + ~/e) c~6 = ~ + ~ - + Dre sin(Od + ~/e)

C~4 = ~ + ~ - -- Dr~ Cos(Od + ~/~) Ce8 = ~ + ~ - + Dre CoS(Oo + ~e) •

Ci-4

0 ~ Cio?

Cl
Fig. 6, Eccentricity effects on the cutting edge rotation radius.
 Cutting Force Model 1721

In the equations above, D is the diameter of the milling head and 0 d is the tooth pitch
angle.
When considering each individual tooth, and modelling cutting force components in
relation to instantaneous normal, axial and radial direction, the three dimensional force
model becomes rather simple. The three cutting force components are expressed as:

Eli = Cri hlci blci

FMi = ~OMHFHi
Fpi = ~ol,. FHi. (12)

The real undeformed chip thickness, hlci is calculated from equation (11), and the real
unreformed width of chip bl~ is measured for each cutting edge.
3. DEVELOPMENTOF MILLING FORCE SENSOR
The purpose of the experimental studies is to measure cutting forces on the tool
instead of on the workpiece, making it possible to register the forces acting on each
individual cutting edge. Placing the sensor elements on the tool means that the force
signals are not mechanically filtered through the transition surface between the tool
and the work piece. It also gives the shortest distance between the cutting edge and
the sensor elements, which makes the loss of information a minimum. For this a new
type of milling force sensor had to be developed. The device is shown in Fig. 7.
Strain gauges were chosen as the sensor element because of their frequency and
temperature performance, and the possibility of continuous measurement. These sensor
elements were mounted on a modified standard face mill, with a diameter of 125 mm
and originally eight cutting edges. Every second cutting edge position was removed,
giving space for mounting of strain gauges, as well as weakening the tool in order for
the strain gauges to be subjected to a larger strain. Two force components, main
cutting force FH and feed force FM, for each cutting edge are measured, making a
total of eight force components to be taken care of. The finite element method (FEM)
was used to determine the areas close to the cutting edges where the largest strains
caused by one force component at a time occur. Also of interest are where the areas
with the smallest strain are located. When measuring F n the least possible interference
from the signal caused by FM is desirable. Therefore, areas with the largest possible
strain caused by force components are to be measured, with the least possible strain

Fig. 7. Developed milling force sensor.

1722 C. Adolfsson and J.-E. Stlhl

caused by the force component not being measured, are optimal. Each force component
is registered with a temperature compensated Wheatstone bridge.
On a specially fitted adapter between the tool and the tool holder, electronic devices
for signal processing are mounted close to the strain gauges. The signals from the
strain gauges are filtered, amplified, digitalized, put together in a serial stream (MUX)
and sent via a fiber optic cable to a LED. From the LED the signals are transmitted
by IR light signals over an air gap in the rear of the hollow spindle, at a speed of
1.28 Mbps. The PCM-code is then received in a data acquisition system (Compact256,
Volland Telemetry) where it is demultiplexed. The Compact256 provides bitparallel
data output as well as analog output with selectable output voltage level -+2.5/5/10 V.
The signals are finally stored in a PC-based eight-channel A/D-converter (ACRO6400)
connected to an IBM-compatible 486-computer. Together with the ACRO measurement
system, a software package called Snapshot is used to sample, view and store the force
signals. A principle structure of the whole measurement system is shown in Fig. 8.
The A/D-converter in the minimodule connected to the tool has a 12-bit resolution
capacity and a full scale range of 0-10 V output voltage. The maximum sample rate
is 12 kHz per channel and if eight channels are used the LP-filter is 2400 Hz and if
four channels are used the LP-filter is 4800 Hz. Inside the minimodules there is room
for two 9 V batteries, but power can also be provided from an external +10 to +30 V
d.c.-source. The strain gauges are fed with +5 V d.c. The minimodules also contain
individual offset adjustments for each channel.
The force signals are, when stored in the PC, still in the unit mV. In order to
transfer them to Newton a calibration of the milling force sensor is necessary. Since
the strain gauges are not glued on identical spots for every cutting edge position, the
calibration has to be made for all eight force components. The principle of a calibration
is to apply a known load in the desired direction, and measure the voltage in the strain
gauge bridge that is supposed to measure the applied load to get the direct calibration
factor. The voltage occurring in the strain gauge bridge not measuring the applied
load, but located near the same cutting edge position, is also registered to calculate

-- Millingcutter

~~~,~
~ ransmission
electronics

[~ / ~ .. [[ C~:~.~"
j "
Wirelessa'ans
missionwith L E D
b - - ~ ~ and fibreoptic

PC
J

Fig. 8. Experimental equipment setup for cutting force registration.

 Cutting Force Model 1723

the indirect calibration factor. The calibration data consist, in all, of four calibration
matrices, one for each set of FH and FM. During the calibration it was noted that the
procedures had to be extremely accurate to be able to determine reliable values in the
~ i b r a t i o n matrices. In Fig. 9 the principals of load application during the calibration
is shown.
The result of the calibration is four different calibration matrices, one for each tooth.
The calibration procedure gives the following relation between the applied forces and
the voltage in the strain gauge bridges:

P a i = Ul (13)

where F ~ is the cutting force vector for an arbitrary cutting edge position and Ui is the
output voltage vector. The element in the flexibility matrix ¢xt is defined as:

Oti = (Othhi Othmi ) "

\O~mhi Otmmi

After having machined, the cutting forces for an arbitrary cutting edge is determined
by:

\ FMi/

where K i is the calibration matrix. It is derived by inverting the flexibility matrix:

Ki=ot-i=(khhi\kmhi kmmikhmi)= K i ' U I "

The equations for the our cutting positions can be grouped into one set of calibration
equations valid for the whole tool.

Fig. 9. Principal calibration procedure when determining the main cutting force calibration factor.
1724 C. Adoifsson and J.-E. Stthl

'khh 1 khm 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
FHI kmhl kmmI 0 0 0 0 0 0 Uh 1
eM1 Uml
0 0 khh 2 khm2 0 0 0 0
Fm U~2
Fm 0 0 kmh2 kmm2 0 0 0 0 Um2
F.3 0 0 0 0 khh3 khm3 0 0 Uh3
FM3 Um3
0 0 0 0 kmh3 kmm3 0 0
F., Uh4
FM, 0 0 0 0 0 0 khh4 khm4 Um4
0 0 0 0 0 0 kmh4 kmm4
F=K.U.
Since the force sensor is designed to have no interference between the cutting force
signals from two neighbouring cutting positions, the calibration matrix will be zero in
these positions. The matrix has a value only where there are relations to the same
cutting edge position.
4. EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES
The experiments are carried out in a 18 kW milling centre manufactured by SAJO,
with a maximum rotation speed of 7500 rpm. The workpiece material used in the
experiments is SS2172, a conventional machine steel with the following compound:
0.20% C, 0.30% Si, 1.3% Mn, 0.05% P, 0.05% S, 0.3% Cr, 0.4% Cu and 0.01% N.
It was chosen because it is fairly easy to machine and there is little variation in the
material compound. For the majority of the experimental studies the cutting parameters
used are as follows:

Nominal axial depth of cut: aa = 1.5 mm

Cutting speed: v = 120 m/min.

Two different tool paths with various shapes of the uncut chip were used during the
experiments as shown in Fig. 10. The tool paths are shown together with the measured
shape of the main cutting force for two different teeth. The distance A marked in the

60( SO
I I
~2o~ /
u . ac
40¢
.,, o , , m 60

u-=20
Ir
0 --
L_.
~ w I..... 11
-200 -20
0 .02 .04 .O6 .08 .13 .1$ .17 .19

t(~.l t(Mc.)
Fig. 10. Tool paths, with corresponding shapes of the main cutting force, used during the experiments.
 Cutting Force Model 1725

figure is the one used when calculating the mean cutting forces presented further in
this section.
First the calibration data were checked through machining with only one tooth
mounted in the milling body at a time. This procedure assures that there are no effects
of initial radial position errors on the undeformed chip thickness for each tooth. The
remaining influences from initial position error in the axial direction, must be determ-
ined. By measuring the level difference between the machined and unmachined surfaces
with an inductive level indicator after each tooth had cut a certain distance, the existing
depth of cut machined by each cutting edge was determined. The real depth of cut
for each tooth during the single tooth test was:

bll = 1.285 mm, b12 = 1.508 mm, b13 = 1.376 mm, b14 = 1.355 mm.

The inductive level indicator is a METEM 551 from CE Johansson AB with resolution
of 2 per cent of maximum deflection of the preset measuring range.
After compensation for the deviation in axial cutting edge position the main cutting
force FH for the four edges appears, as shown in Fig. 11.
In the diagrams in Fig. 11, the forces were measured for four different values of
maximum undeformed chip thickness hit = 0.050, 0.075, 0.100 and 0.125 mm/tooth,
and the mean cutting forces were calculated over the distance shown in the left half
of Fig. 10. The diagram in Fig. 11 also shows a linear relationship between FH and
hi, which is a necessity for the verification of the cutting force model presented in
chapter 2.
The procedure when studying the cutting forces with all cutting edges mounted in
the milling force sensor is to, first of all, measure the deviations in axial and radial
cutting edge position while the tool is mounted in the spindle. This was done with the
previously presented inductive level indicator. The cutting edge positions measured
just prior to the following cutting force measurements, is presented in the table. The
first column indicates that the following column should be read as the difference in
distance between, for example, edge number two and edge number one, taken in that
order. A positive difference means that edge number 2 is situated on a larger radius
from the center of rotation, in reference to edge number 1.
Since the cutting edge positions are measured while the tool is mounted in the
spindle, by means of rotating the tool passed a fixed measurement point the values in
the table consist of both errors in radial cutting edge position and spindle eccentricities.
To separate these types of errors, the eccentricity can be measured somewhere on the
tool other than where the cutting edges are situated, while the tool is still mounted in
the spindle. Measuring the spindle eccentricity, the result is a radial deviation
~r = 0.128 mm at an angle of ar = 152°.
During machining the preset maximum theoretical chip thickness value per tooth is

50O 5O0
Edge1 ~ - - ~ E~dgeI
Edge2 Edge2
~-- 400 - ~ - Edge3 400
EOge4 ,~, Edge4
~ 00 300
_A /J
.~ 200 200
j¢ 4
100 100
0 0
0 .04 .08 .12 .16 .2 0 .04 .08 .12 .16 .2
Theoretical chip thickness h, (ram)
Fig. 11. Main cutting force form single tooth cutting test: (A) directly after measurement and (B) after
compensation for deviations in axial cutting edge position.
1726 C. Adolfsson and J.-E. St~hl

400

A
300
Z
'1
it.a"

200

t-
.D
gg 100 I '1
I

¢9

°-I a!
-100
0 .2 .4 .6 .8 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2
Time (see.)
Fig. 12. Main cutting forces from all four cutting edges, when machining in SS2172 with hi. = 0.125 mm.

Table 1. Differences in radial cutting edge positions between subsequent cutting edges, and the real depth
of cut for each cutting edge. Units are in millimeters

Edge no. Radial diff. Edge no. Depth of cut

2-1 0.030 1 1.500

3-2 -0.039 2 1.485
4-3 -0.003 3 1.490
1-4 0.012 4 1.466

varied from 0.05 to 0.125 mm with equal spacing. At the cutting speed of v = 120 m/
rain the sweep time of the measurements was 2.0 sec, which means that the data files
consist of approximately 10 subsequent cutting force values for each tooth. The data
was sampled at a rate of 4000 Hz. A calibrated cutting force diagram measured under
the described circumstances is shown in Fig. 12.
Since the force levels for the four cutting edges in the diagram above are not at the
same value, it is obvious that the cutting edges were not situated in their ideal locations.
The main cutting forces for all four cutting edges for a series of feed values is presented
in the left part of Fig. 13. After compensating for both axial and radial cutting edge

400- - ~ i , - - ~ - F.~ .o.I j ~ 400 'Ec~no.1

E~no,2 J
2dpn0.S
,,= 300-
"" ¢
~E~,,,4
E~.a
.~
_
..~.-.'" 300-

,1~ 200- 200-

¢-

100- 1110

0
0
4 .03 .06 .09 .12 .15
o
0 .04 .08 .12
®
.16
Theoreticalchipthickness h 1 (mm)
Fig. 13. Force diagrams from full cut experiments: (A) calibrated data and (B) calibrated data compensated
for errors in axial and radial cutting edge positions.
 Cutting Force Model 1727

position and unexpected tool movements according to equation (11), the force diagrams
show almost identical values for all four teeth as expected, which is shown in the right
half of Fig. 13.
The regression lines in diagram B in Fig. 13 do not correlate to o n e straight line.
The variations of the lines' equations can be caused by one or more of the following
factors.
(1) Difficulties in establishing correct calibration matrices. A deviation of up to 5%
is possible in individual calibration factors from one calibration to another.
(2) Deflection of the tool. The distance from the cutting edge to where the tool
cone is mounted in the spindle is rather large, which causes the tool to bend slightly,
approximately 0.062 ixm/N, due to the cutting forces.
(3) Spindle tilt. It has not been possible to measure any variation in axial depth of
cut, caused by spindle tilt here.
The cutting resistance, defined in equation (2), derived from the experimental results
in Fig. 13, is presented in Fig. 14.
Since all the force values in diagram B in Fig. (13) is used to calculate Cr in Fig.
14, there is a small spread in the values, due to the same reasons that causes the
variations in force values. The cutting resistance values correspond with those for the
work material SS2172, calculated from cutting forces measured in turning.
In this paper the investigation of the inflluence of edge wear (flank wear) has been
omitted, because those types of long duration experimental studies have not yet been
done. The wear could be listed as one of the factors influencing the variations in
regression equations above, but that is not likely. The experimental studies presented
were made with new, sharp cutting edges and lasted for only a short period of time.
The cutting edge positions were also measured both before and after machining, with
no difference in cutting edge positions being noted.
5. CONCLUSIONS

This paper deals with a general cutting force model for multi-tooth cutting as well
as a cutting force sensor for measuring cutting forces in face milling operations. The
presented cutting force model has some new approaches to dealing with cutting forces
in the multi-toothed cutting process:
(1) With a slight modification, the cutting force model is valid for all types of multi-
toothed cutting processes.
(2) The force model presents the cutting forces for each individual cutting edge in

,-, 2500

2000 ~'-

ff
® 1500
¢,.

1000

500

O
0
0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.10 0.12 0.14 0.16
Theoretical chip thickness h I (mm)
Fig. 14. Cutting resistance derived from the cutting forces presented in Fig. 13.
1728 C. Adolfsson and J.-E. St~hl

a coordinate system where one of the axes is always parallel to the cutting speed
vector.
(3) The force model considers practical situations, such as errors occurring when
m o u n t i n g the inserts, eccentricities when m o u n t i n g the tool in the spindle and wear,
which are not desirable but still occur.
(4) In the force model, the material behaviour is represented by the process para-
m e t e r cutting resistance Cr, which varies with the process conditions. This p a r a m e t e r
is derived f r o m the cutting force acting on each individual tooth.
The developed milling force sensor introduces a new way of measuring cutting forces
for rotating tools. The forces are m e a s u r e d on the tool instead of on the work piece.
This gives new possibilities to investigate the milling process:
(5) It is experimentally p r o v e n that it is possible to transmit cutting force signals
from a rotating tool. This makes it possible to measure the cutting forces for each
individual cutting edge, close to cutting position.
(6) The device has a dynamic p e r f o r m a n c e of 4800 H z per channel if the main
cutting force c o m p o n e n t s are measured.
(7) The possibility exists of investigating the magnitude of the variations in individual
cutting forces and the cause of these variations between the individual cutting force
values for a millling body.
(8) The milling force sensor is useful when determining the instantaneous cutting
resistance Cr, and also when determining total torque on the spindle.
(9) In a long term perspective this type of sensor gives a g o o d possibility of controlling
the process adaptively, where the condition of each individual cutting edge can work
as an alarm indicator.
The force m e a s u r e m e n t results shows that there are variations in cutting forces
between the teeth on a face mill. These variations d e p e n d on different factors, and
the experimental studies have shown that the largest influence comes from errors in
radial cutting edge position, and mainly from eccentricities in the spindle.

Acknowledgements--The authors gratefully acknowledge support from the Swedish National Board for
Industrial and Technical Development (NUTEK), within the framework of the project RAT, and the
ongoing project TID/TIME.

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