Bifurcation and Stability Analysis of a Nonlinear Milling Process

Numerical investigations of milling operations dynamics are presented in this paper. A two degree of freedom nonlinear model is used to study workpiece-tool vibrations. The analyzed model takes into account both flexibility of the tool and the workpiece. The dynamics of the milling process is described by the discontinuous ordinary differential equation with time delay, which can cause process instability. First, stability lobes diagrams are created on the basis of the parameters determined in impact test of an end mill and workpiece. Next, the bifurcations diagrams are performed for different values of rotational speeds.