Improvement of boring operations by means of mode coupling effect

Boring bars are inherently slender tools which are prone to show chatter problems due to their low dynamic stiffness and damping, being this problem their main limitation in productivity. The onset of chatter is mainly related to the dynamic stiffness of the bending mode of the boring bar when the length L to diameter D ratio is higher than 4. Tuned mass dampers (TMD) are effective technical solutions to increase the dynamic stiffness of large ratio boring bars. However, there are many applications where 4–6 L/D ratio tools are required, and the avoidance of chatter without the application of TMDs is interesting due to the high cost of damped tools. This work proposes the use of mode coupling effect to increase the damping and stabilise the machining process avoiding the use of any special device. This effect occurs when the frequency of one of the machine’s modes is similar to the frequency of the dominant mode of the boring bar. As a result, the shape of the critical mode of the boring bar is mixed with the mode originated in the machine, and the damping and stability will be higher than the one that is not subjected to any dynamic coupling. The main contribution of this work is the application of this concept to increase stability in boring operations. This objective has been achieved by optimising the tool length and material by means of a dynamic model based on Receptance Coupling Substructure Analysis (RCSA). The model combines an analytical model of the elastic body of the boring bar with the experimental characterisation of the effect of the rest of the machine. This way, the shape and materials of the boring bar can be optimised to create an increase of damping. The optimisation procedure has been experimentally validated resulting in an increase of cutting stability and demonstrating that not always a shorter bar supposes a higher stability.