Dynamic Interrogation of a Basic Cutting Process

A dynamic cutting fixture based on the test rig pioneered by Peters et al. has been developed to aid investigations of cutting process dynamics. This active fixture consists of a flexure-based tool holder with a single dominant modal direction, two voice-coil type actuators for excitation and control, sensors for measuring tool displacement and acceleration, and analog electronics for feedback control of the structural dynamics. The sensing and actuation features of this fixture are exploited to identify model parameters and to examine the transition from stable cutting to chatter by comparing experiment to theory and simulation.