Identification of milling information and cutter-workpiece engagement in five-axis finishing of turbine blades based on NURBS and NC codes

Abstract

Five-axis milling is frequently used for machining of turbine blades. Cutting force can cause deformation and vibration of blades, which will eventually affect the milling accuracy and surface quality. Modeling of cutter-workpiece engagement (CWE) is a key process to predict cutting force, especially for complex tool geometries and workpiece surfaces. In this paper, a method to modeling ball-end cutter CWE boundaries for blades with free-form surfaces is presented. Firstly, the NURBS theory is employed to get the surfaces before and after finishing. Secondly, milling information such as coordinate systems is extracted from NC codes. Thirdly, the CWE boundaries are extracted based on the NURBS surfaces and extracted information. The proposed model is a combination of discrete and analytical method. Finally, the performance of CWE model is examined from computational accuracy and efficiency, and is verified through milling test. The proposed method provides a visualization of complex engagement between tool and blade in five-axis milling process, and can be further used in simulation of milling force, vibration and deformation.