Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2014) 73:433–442
DOI 10.1007/s00170-014-5793-8
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Cutting force prediction and analytical solution of regenerative
chatter stability for helical milling operation
Zhongqun Li & Qiang Liu & Xingzu Ming & Xin Wang &
Yafeng Dong
Received: 12 September 2013 / Accepted: 17 March 2014 / Published online: 22 April 2014
# Springer-Verlag London 2014
Abstract As a new type, highly efficient hole-making tech-
nique, helical milling is widely used to generate holes on
composites and composite-metal compounds in the aircraft
industry. The accurate prediction of cutting forces and chatter
stability are essential for achieving a highly efficient and
chatter-free helical milling process by cutting condition opti-
mization. On the basis of a quantitative description of cutting
zones corresponding to helical milling operation, a novel
dynamic cutting force model is proposed for helical milling
in this paper, in which the cutting mechanism and the cutting
force contribution on both the peripheral and the front cutting
edges are taken into consideration simultaneously. An analyt-
ical stability prediction method is also proposed to obtain a
novel stability lobe diagram represented by the ratio of the
axial to the tangential feed per tooth with regard to the spindle
speed using a numerical approach to calculate the average
directional cutting force coefficients. The proposed method is
capable of predicting the stability lobes accurately for helical
milling process where different types of cutting mechanism
exist and the axial depth of cut is time varying. It is shown that
the numerical predictions agree well with the cutting tests.
Finally, the effect of cutting conditions on both the cutting
forces and stability limits are thoroughly analyzed.
Keywords Helical milling . Cutting force prediction . Chatter
stability . Dynamic simulation
Z. Li (*) : X. Ming : X. Wang : Y. Dong
School of Mechanical Engineering, Hunan University of
Technology, Zhuzhou, Hunan 412007, China
e-mail: zhqunli@163.com
Z. Li : Q. Liu
School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Beihang
University, Beijing 100197, China
1 Introduction
Helical milling, also called orbital drilling, is a hole-making
operation with a cutting tool, in which the axis of the cutting
tool orbits around the axis of the hole while spinning on its
own axis and feeds in the axial direction. As an alternative to
the conventional drilling operation, helical milling allows
drilling holes with different diameters without changing the
tool, which makes it possible to save the cycle time when
machining holes of different diameters [1]. Other advantages
of helical milling are low blur formation, low process forces,
good chip transportation, good cutting fluid conditions, and
little delamination when workpiece of carbon fiber-reinforced
polymer (CFRP) material is machined [2, 3]. Therefore,
helical milling first appeared in hole-making for aero-
nautical materials and is widely used in manufacturing
industry nowadays.
Recently, a number of research efforts have been focused
on helical milling techniques. Iyer [4] investigated the helical
milling of ANSI D2 tool steel experimentally and found that
helical milling is capable of machining H7 quality holes with a
surface roughness of 0.3 μm such that the need for reaming is
eliminated. Denkena [5] modeled the undeformed chip geom-
etry for helical milling in which the axial depth of cut of side
cutting edges is assumed to increase approximately linearly
with the tool rotation angle, and used it to explain the impact
of the axial and tangential feed per tooth on the process forces.
Brinksmeier [6] described mathematically the occurring cut-
ting conditions over the engagement angle as a function of the
technology parameters such as the hole diameter, the tool
diameter, and the gradient of the helical course, on the base
of which further fundamental and qualitative statements re-
garding the cutting process of helical milling can be deter-
mined. Based on an improved Z-map representation of the
machined hole, the authors [7] presented a 3D topography
model for the surface finish profile in helical milling
434
operation, in which the effect of insert runout error of
the cutting tool is included and the influence of cutting
conditions is investigated.
One of the most influential factors on the performance of
helical milling, machining accuracy of a hole, and tool life is
the cutting forces that deal with dynamic phenomenon, rough-
ness increase, and tool wear and that are influenced by cutting
conditions, material properties of workpiece, cutting tool ge-
ometry, and dynamics of the machining system. Prediction of
cutting force through modeling and simulation becomes an
important research topic to improve the productivity of helical
milling operation by process planning. To some extent, helical
milling is a combination of circular peripheral milling (feeds
in the tangential direction with a fixed axial depth of cut) with
plunge milling (feeds in the axial direction). As for circular
milling, Zhang and Zheng [8] proposed an approach to predict
the cutting forces in peripheral milling of rectangular circular
corner profiles in which varying radial depth of cut is encoun-
tered. Moreover, the authors [9] also proposed a dynamic
model to predict the cutting forces in peripheral milling of
arbitrary circular corner profiles based on generic geometrical
modeling. Kardes and Altintas [10] presented a mathematical
model of chip removal mechanism by predicting time-varying
tool-part intersection as the cutting tool travels along the
circular path which results in the prediction of chatter-free
cutting forces. As for plunge milling, Ko and Altintas [11–13]
established a mechanic and dynamic cutting force model for
plunge milling in the time domain with which the lateral and
axial cutting forces were predicted by considering the feed,
radial engagement, tool geometry, spindle speed, and genera-
tion of the chip due to vibration.
Recently, some research efforts began to focus on the
mechanic and dynamic modeling of helical milling process.
Wang et al. [14] established a novel analytical cutting force
model for helical milling based on its principles, and the
model was experimentally verified under different cutting
conditions for the titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V). Liu et al. [15]
proposed a mechanistic model to accurately predict the cutting
forces and torque for helical milling as a function of feed,
spindle speed, cutting depths, and cutting tool’s geometry. In
these researches, although both side and end cutting edges
have been considered to participate in the cutting process, the
detail chip geometry generated by side and end cutting edges
still needs more elaborate investigation and evaluation.
Chatter vibrations develop due to dynamic interactions
between the cutting tool and workpiece and result in poor
surface finish and reduced tool life. Under certain conditions,
the amplitude of vibrations grows up and the cutting system
becomes unstable. The stability analysis of milling is compli-
cated due to the rotating tool, multiple cutting teeth, periodical
cutting forces and chip load directions, and multi-degree-of-
freedom structural dynamics and has been investigated using
experimental, numerical, and analytical methods. Based on
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2014) 73:433–442
the classical analytical solution of chatter stability in frequen-
cy domain, the corresponding research efforts are focused on
the following aspects: (1) improved zero-order analytical
(ZOA) models are proposed for a variety of tool geometry
[16–18]; (2) improved ZOA models are proposed for a variety
of tool path [10, 19]; and (3) the classical 2D chatter stability
model is extended to three or multiple dimensions [20, 21].
With the best knowledge of authors, this paper is the first
attempt to study the dynamics of helical milling. Henceforth,
the paper is organized as follows: The kinematics of helical
milling is introduced in Section 2, where the intersection of
the cutter and part along the helical path is modeled and used
in the prediction of chip geometry and cutting forces. The
mechanics of helical milling is described in Section 3, where
the helical milling is decomposed into peripheral milling of
side cutting edges and plunge milling of end cutting edges,
and thus the cutting forces are predicted. The stability of
helical milling is modeled in frequency domain by extending
Budak and Altintas’s stability theory in Section 4. The pre-
dictions are compared against experimental measure-
ments in Section 5, and the paper is concluded with
the summary of contributions.
2 Kinematics and chip geometries of helical milling
In addition to the primary rotational movement of the cutting
tool along its own axis, the helical milling operation (Fig. 1) is
characterized by the second movement of the cutting tool on a
circular path (tangential feed) and the third movement in the
axial direction (axial feed). The compound movement of the
last two forms a helical course. When the geometrical condi-
tions between the cutting tool and the workpiece are carefully
investigated, it can be found that there are two different
engagements zones in helical milling process. The tangential
feed of the cutting tool makes the peripheral cutting edges
(side cutting edges) participate in an intermittent cutting (pe-
ripheral milling), while the axial feed of the cutting tool makes
the front cutting edges (end cutting edges) participate in a
continuous cutting (drilling or plunge milling). Therefore,
both these two kinds of cutting mechanisms must be
taken into consideration in modeling the undeformed
Axis of the cutting tool
Rt Axis of the machined hole
Rh
z Oh x
Ot
y z
Workpiece
Trajectory of tool center
Fig. 1 Kinematics of helical milling
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2014) 73:433–442 435

chip geometry as well as the mechanics and dynamics cut which is similar to the plunge milling occurs (aptan =0);
of helical milling process. otherwise, according to similar theorems of triangle, the fol-
If a hole is fabricated by helical milling with a cylindrical lowing mathematical relation of the peripheral cutting depth
cutting tool, the input parameters are the diameter of the hole htani can be obtained (see Fig. 2):
Dh and the cutting tool Dt, the tangential feed per tooth fzt, the

U Ri − U Wi
axial feed per tooth fza, the rotational speed (spindle speed) aptani ¼ ap ð2Þ
nrot, and the number of teeth of the cutting tool N. The U Ri
revolution speed nrev and the axial depth per orbital revolution
ap can be expressed as follows: As shown in Fig. 3, the revolution angle α corresponding
to the rotational angle of the cutting tool ϕ can be expressed as
N nrot f zt the following:
nrev ¼
πð D h − D t Þ
ð1Þ Dt sinf
πðDh − Dt Þf za α ¼ arcsin qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi ð3Þ
ap ¼
f zt ðDt sinfÞ þ ðDh − Dt þ Dt cosfÞ2
2

According to the abovementioned discussion, the helical For the final calculation of aptani, it is necessary to use the
milling process contains a discontinuous cut (peripheral mill- following expression (see Fig. 3):
ing) on the side cutting edges and a continuous cut (plunge
milling) on the end cutting edges at the same time. As to the U wi ¼ αRi
ð4Þ
undeformed chip geometry of peripheral milling, the axial U Ri ¼ 2πRi
depth of cut aptan increases with the tool rotation angle f and
reaches a maximum of ap, and the undeformed chip thickness Substituting Eqs. (3) and (4) into (2) yields the following:
htan shows a sinusoidal behavior over the tool rotation angle f 0 1

¼ uð fi Þ ap ¼ B C
1 Dh sinfi
with a maximum of the tangential feed per tooth fzt. The aptani @1 − arcsin qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi Aap
π
ð5Þ
resulting complex form of the undeformed chip leads to a ðDh sinfi Þ2 þ ðDh − Dt þ Dt cosfi Þ2

discontinuous cut. As to the undeformed chip geometries of

plunge milling, the undeformed chip thickness hax is equal to
the axial feed per tooth fza, while the undeformed chip width
3 Mechanics of helical milling processes
equals half of the tool diameter Dt.
According to the geometrical relationship between the
As the available axial depth per orbital revolution in helical
cutting tool and the machined hole shown in Fig. 2, the axial
milling is very small, the lag angle caused by the helix angle is
depth of cut with regard to the tool rotation angle f can be
omitted since it is negligible. Therefore, the instantaneous immer-
obtained. In Fig. 2, Ri and URi are the radius and the circum-
sion angle of j th tooth at i th time interval is expressed as follows:
ference of the concentric circle of the machined hole passing
the cutting point, respectively, and UWi is the arc length of the π
fij ¼ ði − 1Þndt þ ð j − 1Þfp ð6Þ
circle penetrating the cutting tool. For the material located in 30
circumference URi, the range on arc length UWi is cut by the
front cutting edges while the remaining is cut by the peripheral where dt is time interval and fp =2π/N is pitch angle of the
cutting edges. On occasion, Ri is small enough (Ri ≤(Dt −Dh/ cutting tool. In calculation of cutting forces in helical milling,
2)) and it cannot pierce the cutting tool contour, a pure front it is considered that the cutting forces are induced by the

Fig. 2 Geometries between

arbitrary inspection radius Ri with
cutting depths (htani, haxi)
P1
URi

Rh Rt
Pt 0
htani

URi Ot UWi
Oh UWi
ap

P2

Tool path
haxi
436 Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2014) 73:433–442

y
on the whole cutter in the global coordinate system (work-
piece coordinate system) are expressed as follows:
P1 8
>
> X N
 
Rt >
> ¼ − F tij cosϕij − F rij sinϕij
Rh >
> F xi
Pt 0 >
>
URi Ot UWi >
> j¼1
>
<
Oh x X N
 
P2 F ¼ F tij sinϕij − F rij cosϕij ð11Þ
>
>
yi
>
> j¼1
Tool path
>
>
>
> X
N
>
>
>
:F zi ¼ F aij
j¼1

Fig. 3 Graphic for calculating the revolution angle α

where φij is the rotation angle of the jth cutting edge at the ith
peripheral and front cutting edges according to the above time interval with respect to the global coordinate system and
analysis. When the linear-edge force model is applied to the is expressed as follows according to Fig. 3:
peripheral cutting edges, the instantaneous tangential Fts, ra-
dial Frs, and axial Fas cutting forces acting on the peripheral

edge of jth tooth at ith time interval are given by the following: Dh − Dt þ 2 f zt N
ϕij ¼ α0 þ φij ¼ φij ð12Þ
8      Dh − Dt
< F stij ¼ g  fij K tc aptan hfij  þ K te aptan 
F srij ¼ g fij K tc aptan h fij þ K re aptan ð7Þ
:     
F saij ¼ g fij K ac aptan h fij þ K ae aptan
4 Dynamics of helical milling processes

As the cutting tool is considered to be flexible in two lateral

where g(fij) is used to define whether the tooth j is in cut or directions (the rigidity in z direction is very high when com-
not; g(fij)=1 when the tooth j is cutting (fst ≤fij ≤fex); g(fij)=0 pared to the others), namely, in the global (x) and (y) direc-
when the tooth j is out of cut. The undeformed chip thickness on tions, the helical milling process can be reduced to a 2-DOF
the peripheral edge h(fij) can be estimated as follows: vibration system in these two orthogonal directions (see
  Fig. 4). The dynamics of the milling system can be given by
h fij ¼ f zt sinfij ð8Þ
the differential equations as the following:
(
The front edges of the cutting tool cut metal as them plunge mx ẍ þ cx ẋ þ k x x ¼ F x ðt Þ
into metal in the spindle axis direction. The tangential cutting ð13Þ
my ÿ þ cy ẏ þ k y y ¼ F y ðt Þ
force (Fet) is in the direction of cutting speed and along the
cutting edge at the bottom. The radial cutting force (Fer) is in
the direction of feed direction or z-axis, and the axial cutting where m, c, and k are the mass, damping ratio, and stiffness of
force (Fea) acts along the front cutting edge. The cutting forces the machine-tool system in the directions of x and y, respec-
acting on the front peripheral edge of jth tooth at ith time tively. Fx and Fy are the overall cutting forces applied on the
interval are given by the following: cutting tool in the directions of x and y.
8
< F teij ¼ K tc Rt f za þ K te Rt
F reij ¼ K rc Rt f za þ K re Rt ð9Þ y
:
F aeij ¼ K ac Rt f za þ K ae Rt
cx
Fy
The instantaneous tangential Ft, radial Fr, and axial Fa Ot α0
cutting forces acting on the jth tooth at the ith time interval x
are given by the following: kx O h Fx
Cutter
8   
< F tij ¼ g fij K tc aptan f zt sinfij þ K te aptan þ K tc Rt f za þ K te Rt Hole
F rij ¼ g fij K tc aptan f zt sin fij þ K re aptan þ K ac Rt f za þ K ae Rt
   ð10Þ
: ky cy
F aij ¼ g fij K ac aptan f zt sin fij þ K ae aptan þ K rc Rt f za þ þK re Rt

Using coordinate transformation and summing for all the

teeth of the cutting tool, the instantaneous cutting forces acting Fig. 4 Dynamics of helical milling process
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2014) 73:433–442 437

The total dynamic chip thickness is expressed in terms of with uniform-spaced teeth but also at the revolution period of
the tool’s angular position (ϕ), the instantaneous immersion the helical milling operation Tp =60π(Dh −Dt)/(nN2fzt). In ad-
angle (fj) of tooth j, and the vibrations in the global coordi- dition to the periodic variation of the directional coefficients,
nates Δx and Δy as follows: the time variation of the axial depth of cut (aptan) (see Eq. (5))
  brings additional complexity to the dynamics of helical mill-
h fij ¼ f zt sin fij þ Δxsin φij þ Δycos φij ð14Þ ing process.
The presence of double periodicity leads to the com-
plexity of chatter stability in helical milling process; the
where fztsin(fij) defines the static chip load due to rigid body directional milling coefficient matrix is expanded only
motion of the cutting tool, and Δx sin(φ ij)+Δy cos(φ ij) at the tooth passing period T. When Fourier series
represents dynamic part of the chip thickness. Δx=x(t)−x(t−T) expansion of the periodic term is used for the solution
and Δy=y(t)−y(t−T) represent regenerative vibration terms dur- of the periodic systems, it is sufficient to include only
ing the present and the previous tooth period (T). Since the static the average term in the Fourier series expansion of A(t)
part does not affect the stability, fzt sin(fij) can be omitted from which takes the following forms:
Eq. (14) and the resultant dynamic chip thickness expression Z ϕex
becomes the following: 1 N αxx αxy
A0 ¼ AðfÞdf ¼ ð18Þ
      ϕp ϕst 2π αyx αyy
h fij ¼ Δxsin ϕij þ Δycos ϕij ð15Þ

The variation of the entry angle fst and exit angle fex
By substituting Eqs. (10) and (15) into Eq. (11), the total of the cutting tool makes the average directional factor
dynamic cutting forces (Fx, Fy) in the global directions are time varying, which hinders the stability solution. The
calculated as a function of the cutting force coefficients Ktc, largest immersion condition is assumed where fst =0 and
Krc, the axial depth per orbital revolution ap, and the instanta- fex =π in order to consider the most conservative stabil-
neous immersion angle ϕij of the tooth j as follows: ity condition which does not lead to chatter. The im-
mersion dependent average directional milling coeffi-
1 X  
N
F x ðt Þ
¼ K tc g f j aptan j cients are given as follows:
F y ðt Þ 2 j¼1
8
−K r − sin 2φ j þ K r cos 2φ j −1 − K r sin 2φ j − cos 2φ j Δxðt Þ > −2π Xr     
N
>
>
1− cos 2φ j − K r sin 2φ j − K r − K r cos 2φ j þ sin 2φ j Δyðt Þ >
> α ¼ g fij u fij K r þ sin 2ϕij − K r cos 2ϕij
>
>
xx
N r i¼1
ð16Þ >
>
>
>
>
>
>
> −2π Xr    
N

>
> α ¼ g fij u fij 1 þ K r sin 2ϕij þ cos 2ϕij
where Kr =Krc /Ktc is the ratio between the radial and tangential >
< xy
N r i¼1
cutting force coefficients. The edge force of the peripheral
cutting edges in tangential and radial directions Fste and Fsre, >
> 2π Xr    
N

>
>
and the cutting forces applied on the front cutting edges in >
> α ¼ g fij u fij 1−cos2ϕij − K r sin 2ϕij
>
>
yx
N r i¼1
>
>
tangential and radial directions Fet and Fer are static and >
>
>
> 2π Xr    
N
 
independent of regeneration. Therefore, they are ignored in >
> α ¼ g fij u fij −K r −K r cos 2ϕij þ sin2ϕij
>
> yy
the analysis of chatter stability. The time-varying dynamic : N r i¼1
cutting forces can be rewritten in matrix form as follows:
ð19Þ
1
F ðt Þ ¼ K tc ap Aðt Þ Δðt Þ ð17Þ
2
where Nr is the discretized points number within a pitch angle.
The resultant dynamic cutting forces are defined in a frequency
where
d xx d xy X
N
  domain by substituting zero-order term of Fourier series [A0]
Aðt Þ ¼ ¼ g f j u fi (Eq. 18) into dynamic cutting forces expression given by Eq. (17):
d yx d yy
j¼1
1
− K r − sin2ϕ j þ K r cos 2ϕ j −1− K r sin 2ϕ j − cos 2ϕ j FðiωÞ ¼ ap K tc A0 ΔðiωÞ: ð20Þ
1− cos 2ϕ j − K r sin 2ϕ j − K r − K r cos 2ϕ j þ sin 2ϕ j 2

is the directional milling coefficient matrix. Unlike in regular In the above equation, A0 does not vary with time anymore
milling, the directional milling coefficients are periodic not and depends only on the immersion angle. The vibrations
only at the tooth passing period T=60/nN for a cutting tool Δ(iω ) are expressed in terms of the dynamic cutting forces
438 Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2014) 73:433–442

F(iω ) and the transfer function of the tool-workpiece engage- 5 Experimental verification and discussion
ment G(iω ) as follows:
5.1 Implementation of cutting force and chatter stability limits


 prediction
Δx iω   Gxx ðiωÞ Gxy ðiωÞ Fx ðiωÞ
Δ iω ¼
Δy iω
¼ 1−e−iωT
Gyx ðiωÞ Gyy ðiωÞ Fy ðiωÞ
: ð21Þ
The prediction of cutting forces and chatter stability limits for
helical milling is implemented on the platform of Matlab
The cross frequency response functions Gxy(iω ) and Gyx(iω ) R2008a. Two simulation modules are included in the system:
are assumed to be zero, although their inclusion does not change one is the helical milling process simulation in time domain
the order of the solution. The dynamic cutting forces at chatter and the other is the chatter stability simulation in frequency
frequency ωc are obtained by substituting Eq. (20) into Eq. (19): domain. The algorithms for these two modules are outlined in
Fig. 5a, b, respectively.
F x −iωc t 1  
e I − K tc ap A0 1 − e−iωc t G ðiωc Þ ¼0 ð22Þ
Fy 2
5.2 Experimental verification of mechanics model

Therefore, the stability of helical milling system turns into
an eigenvalue problem, and the system is critically stable only
when the real part of the root is zero. For a given chatter
frequency ωc, the critical axial depth of cut aplim and the
corresponding spindle speeds nrot can be found. When this
procedure is repeated within a range of chatter frequencies and
number of vibration waves, the stability lobe diagram of
helical milling process is obtained, with which an optimal
chatter-free cutting depths and the corresponding spindle
speeds can be determined. As a result, a maximum material
removal rate (MRR) of helical milling operation can be
achieved without sacrificing the quality of machined surface.
The cutting force verification tests were conducted on a 5-axis
vertical machining center FIDIA K197 in dry machining
conditions. Holes of 15.0 mm in diameter (Dh =15.0 mm)
are helical milled with a solid carbide end mill with Dt =
10.0 mm diameter, β =30° helix angle, Lo =70.0 mm over-
hang length, and N=2 teeth. The cutting conditions are given
as follows: The axial feed per tooth fza =0.01~0.10 mm,
whereas the tangential feed fzt =0.1~0.5 mm and the spindle
speed nrot =12,000 r/min. The workpiece material was alumi-
num AL7075-T6 with the cutting force coefficient of Ktc =
796.0 N/mm2, Krc =168.0 N/mm2, Kac =222 N/mm2, Kte =
27.7 N/mm, Kre =30.8 N/mm, and Kae =1.5 N/mm.

Fig. 5 Algorithm used to predict Start Start

mechanics and dynamics of
helical milling a prediction of
cutting forces and b prediction of
chatter stability lobes
Input initial conditions: Input: Dh, Dt, N, fzt, fza,Gxx(i ω), Gyy(i ω), Ktc, Krc, ; ω=ω l
Tool geometry (Dt, N,
Hole geometry (Dh, Hh) Calculate ap by Eq.(1)
Cutting conditions (fzt, fza, n) Calculate ij, ij by Eq. (6) and Eq.(12)
Specific Cutting force (Ktc, Krc, Kac, Kte, Kre, Kae) Calculate u( ij) by Eq.(5)
Calculate average directional coefficient αxx, αxy, αyx, αyy by Eq.(19)
Calculate ap according to Eq.(1)
i=1
Calculate Gxx(iω ), Gyy(iω);
Solve the eigin equation Eq. (22);
j=1 Obtain the critical cutting depth and its spindle speed;
Set the same critical cutting depth for all the harmonic spindle
speeds.
Calculate:
ij, ij according to Eq. (6) and Eq.(12)
dFtij, dFrij, dFaij according to Eq. (10) ω=ω+ ω ω <ω h
Fxi, Fyi, Fzi according to Eq. (11) No Yes
Within the scope of spindle speed, reserve the smallest one for the
Yes
j<N j=j+1 spindle speed with more critical cutting depths;
No Obtain the critical cutting depth for each spindle speed by
Yes interpolating with the existing spindle speed and the corresponding
i=i+1 i<Nr critical cutting depth.
No

Display Fx, Fy, Fz on screen and save it into a file Plot with the simulated data to get the stability lobe diagram

End End

(a) Prediction of cutting forces (b) Prediction of chatter stability lobes

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2014) 73:433–442 439

800 A Kistler 3-component dynamometer (model 9257B) and

the supporting Kistler charger amplifier (model 5070) were
Fz-test
600 placed under the workpiece (see Fig. 8a), and an NI data
Fz-simu
acquisition board (model PCIM-DAS1602/16) and Kistler
400
Cutting Force [N]

data acquisition software (model Dyno2825A) were utilized

200 for 3D cutting forces measurement. As shown in Fig. 6, the
predicted cutting forces are in good agreement with that of
0 measured in the global coordinates system. The slight differ-
Fx-simu
ence may be due to the cutting force model approximation,
-200
machining error and installing error of the cutting tool, inho-
Fy-test
Fx-test mogeneity of workpiece material, and the small errors intro-
-400 Fy-simu
duced in the cutting force coefficient identification tests. In
-600 addition, the phase difference of the experimental and predict-
0 100 200 300 400
Rotation Angle [º]
ed values of the cutting force seems to have been influenced
by the tool shape errors and runout. Thus, the validity of the
(a) fzt = 0.5 mm, fza = 0.05 mm
proposed cutting force prediction approach for helical milling
is confirmed by the experiments.
Simulations under different cutting conditions were also
600
conducted to reveal the impact of feed per tooth in the tan-
Fz-test gential (fzt) and axial (fza) directions on the orthogonal cutting
400 Fz-simu forces (Fx, Fy, Fz) in the global coordinates, and the results
Cutting Force [N]

Fx-test
were shown in Fig. 7. When the axial feed per tooth fza is kept
200 unchanged, the cutting forces in the three orthogonal direc-
Fx-simu tions drop slightly with the increase of tangential feed per
tooth (fzt). This may be because as fzt increases, the chip
0
thickness (hs) cut by the peripheral cutting edges increases,
but as the axial depth per orbital (ap) decreases, the area cut by
-200 Fy-test the peripheral cutting edges (As) is kept unchanged. A fixed
Fy-simu
area As results in a fixed shear force, a decreased ap results in a
0 100 200 300 400 slightly decreased edge force, and as a result, the cutting forces
Rotation Angle [º]
in the three orthogonal directions drop slightly. When the
(b) fzt = 0.2 mm, fza= 0.10 mm tangential feed per tooth fzt is kept unchanged, the cutting
Fig. 6 Cutting force verification under different cutting conditions a fzt = forces in the three orthogonal directions increase remarkably
0.5 mm, fza =0.05 mm and b fzt =0.2 mm, fza =0.10 mm with the increase axial feed per tooth fza. This may be because
as fza increases and fzt is fixed, the axial depth per orbital (ap)
increases and the chip thickness (hs) cut by the peripheral

Fig. 7 Impact of feed per tooth on the cutting forces in the three orthogonal directions
440 Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2014) 73:433–442

Table 1 Modal parameters of the machine-tool system lobe diagram for helical milling operation. As in helical mill-
Mode Order Natural frequency Damping Stiffness ing operation, the axial depth per orbital revolution (ap) is not
direction f/Hz ratio ξ k/(N μm−1) an independent variable and depends on other known cutting
parameters. When the diameter of the machined hole and the
X 1 807.0 0.047 12.3 cutting tool is selected, it depends on the ratio of axial to
2 1,158.0 0.092 6.2 tangential feed per tooth by Eq. (1). Therefore, the stability
3 1,450.0 0.031 2.7 lobe diagram of helical milling can also be represented by the
Y 1 777.8 0.052 7.6 critical ratio of axial to tangential feed per tooth with regard to
2 1,177.2 0.061 7.0 the spindle speed. The cutting tests were conducted at a fixed
3 1,410.2 0.025 15.0 axial feed per tooth (fza =0.05) to verify the predicted stability
lobe diagram (SLD), in which the spindle speeds were select-
ed within the available scope of the machining center (nrot =
cutting edges is kept unchanged, and both the area cut by the
10,000~20,000 r/min) with a step size of 2,000 r/min. For each
peripheral cutting edges (As) and that cut by the front cutting
of these spindle speeds, the initial axial depth of cut per orbit
edges (Ae) increase. An increased As and Ae results in an
was set as 1.8 mm (fza /fzt =0.115) and increased with a step of
increased shear force acting on the peripheral and front cutting
0.2 mm (Δfza /fzt =0.013) until the chatter occurs. Cutting
edges, and as a result, the cutting forces in the three orthogonal
noise was recorded using a Shure microphone, and the chatter
directions increase.
was distinguished using the fast Fourier Transform (FFT)
approach. Figure 9 shows that the predicted and experimental
5.3 Experimental verification of chatter stability model boundaries agree very well except two exceptions. One is
located at nrot =18,000 r/min and ap =2.4 mm, and the other
The machining center, cutting tools, and workpiece material is located nrot n=20,000 r/min and ap =2.6 mm which may
used for chatter stability verification test are the same as those result from the inaccurate measurement and identification of
used for the cutting force verification test, and the overhang system’s modal parameters.
length of the cutting tool is 50.0 mm. The testing system The influence of helical milling geometry (Dh/Dt) on the
includes a Kistler 9722A500 impact hammer (sensitivity of peripheral cutting depth (aptan/ap) is given in Fig. 10. It is
10 mV/N, 500 N, and a frequency range of 1–8 kHz), a Kistler shown in the figure that when Dh/Dt <2, the peripheral cutting
8775A50 accelerator (low impedance, sensitivity of 100 Mv/g, depth aptan drops from the initial value ap to zero nonlinearly
50 g, and a frequency range of 1–7 kHz), a National Instru- with the increase of the rotation angle (f); when Dh/Dt =2, the
ments USB 9233 24-bit combined DAQ-Signal Conditioning peripheral cutting depth aptan drops from the initial value ap
unit, a Shure microphone, and a tap testing software module linearly with the increase of the rotation angle (f); when Dh/
CutPro® MALTF. As shown in Fig.8b, hammer tests were Dt >2, the peripheral cutting depth aptan first drops with the
conducted in both X and Y directions (i.e., the X-axis and Y-axis increase of the rotation angle (f), then increases with further
directions of the machining center). Using Modal Analysis increase of f, which presents a saddle shape; when Dh/Dt is
Module of CutPro®, the obtained modal parameters of the large enough, the peripheral cutting depth aptan is approxi-
machine-tool system are listed in Table 1. mately constant no matter how rotation angle (f) changes,
When a hole with a diameter of 15.0 mm was helical milled which presents the constant cutting depth (aptan =ap) in pure
by a cutting tool with a diameter of 10.0 mm, the maximum linear peripheral milling conditions.
radial depth of cut ae =10.0 mm (fst =0°, fst =180°), and it was The impact of helical milling geometry on the stability
used in the chatter stability simulation to predict the stability limits of helical milling operation is shown in Fig. 11. The

Fig. 8 Experimental setup for Computer

Computer
helical milling operation Spindle Kistler Dynoware2825A Spindle
CutPro® MALTF

Data Acquisition Board

Flat end PCIM-DAS1602/16 Flat end
cutter Hit DAQ-Signal
cutter
Conditioning Unit
Multi-channel Amplifier Accelerator NI USB9233
Workpiece Kistler 5070 Kistler 8775A50
Dynamometer
Impact Hammer
Kistler 9257B
Kistler 9722A500
Work Table

(a) Cutting force measurement (b) Hammer test

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2014) 73:433–442 441

Fig. 9 Comparison of predicted 4.0 0.25

SLD with the experimental one Prediction

Ratio of Axial to Tangential Feed per Tooth fza/fzt

for helical milling Stable Exp
Chatter Exp

a Depth per orbital ap [mm]

3.5 0.22

3.0 0.19

2.5 0.16

Axial
2.0 0.13

1.5 0.10
2000 6000 10000 14000 18000 22000
Spindle speed nrot [r/min]

figure shows that high stability limits will be obtained with a 6 Conclusions
small value of Dh/Dt, i.e., when a cutting tool with a given
diameter is used to fabricate a small hole, the machining According to the cutting mechanism and kinematics of helical
system is prone to be stable. It can be explained that a small milling, the geometry of both the peripheral and the front cut
value of Dh/Dt leads to a small average axial peripheral cutting zones is derived as a function of the helical milling geome-
depth, and then a small average cutting force coefficients. As a tries, the cutting conditions, and the rotation angle of the
result, the chatter stability limits increase. When the value of cutting tool. On the basis, the dynamic cutting force of helical
Dh/Dt trends to infinity, i.e., the trajectory of the tool becomes milling is modeled and the analytical solution of chatter sta-
a line, the average axial peripheral cutting depth reaches the bility of helical milling is achieved when a numerical ap-
maximum value ap, in which case the machining system is proach is employed to calculate the average directional cutting
most prone to chatter. force coefficients. Cutting tests show that the complicated
To illustrate the impact of fzt on the predicted SLDs, cutting process of helical milling resulting from time-varying
simulations were also conducted, and the simulation results cutting condition and the synthesis movement of the periph-
show that when fzt is changed from a small value (fzt = eral milling with the plunge milling can be well predicted with
0.1 mm) to a large value (fzt =1.0 mm), the predicted SLD
is almost the same (the minimum stability limits are only
changed from ap =1.9907 mm to ap =1.9919 mm and the
5.0
maximum chatter stability limits are only changed form Dh/Dt = 1.5
Dh/Dt = 2.0
ap =4.8218 mm to ap =4.8303 mm). Therefore, the influ- 4.5
Dh/Dt = 4.0
ence of tangential feed per tooth on the chatter stability of 4.0 Dh/Dt =
Axial Depth per orbital ap [mm]

helical milling can be ignored.

3.5

3.0
1.2
2.5
1
2.0
0.8
Dh/Dt=1.5
1.5
aptan/ap

0.6 Dh/Dt=2.0
1.0
Dh/Dt=2.5
0.4
Dh/Dt=3.0 0.5
0.2 Dh/Dt=4.0 0
0 2000 6000 14000 18000 22000
0
0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 Spindle speed nrot [r/min]
Rotation Angle /
Fig. 11 Impact of Dh/Dt on the predicted stability lobe diagram of helical
Fig. 10 Impact of Dh/Dt on the peripheral cutting depth aptan milling operation
442
the proposed dynamic cutting force model and the corre-
sponding chatter stability prediction method.
Both peripheral milling and plunge milling exist in helical
milling process, and the change from pure peripheral milling
to pure plunge milling depends on the variation of Dh/Dt. On
the one hand, as Dh/Dt is 1, a pure plunge milling occurs in the
helical milling; on the other hand, as Dh/Dt trends to infinity, a
pure peripheral milling occurs in the helical milling. Simula-
tion result shows that the proposed chatter stability prediction
method can well predict the stability lobe diagram of helical
milling changing from a pure peripheral milling to a pure
plunge milling. It also shows that the smaller the value of
Dh/Dt, the higher the stability limits are, while other cutting
parameters remain unchanged.
The simulation and the experimental results demonstrate
that both the proposed cutting force model and the analytical
chatter stability prediction method can be applied as a tool in
cutting tool geometry design, cutting condition optimization
for helical milling in industry applications.
Acknowledgments The authors would like to acknowledge the support
of National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51375160,
51375161), National Major Science and Technology Special Projects of
China (Grant No. 2012ZX04011-011), and China Postdoctoral Science
Foundation funded project (Grant No. 2013T060050)
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