Structural components with sensing capability of three-dimensional temperature distribution for thermal deformation prediction

Abstract

Approximately 70% of the errors in machining processes are attributed to thermal deformation. In this regard, the compensation scheme is effective in canceling out thermal deformation and maintaining good machining quality, but it requires a fine measurement of the temperature distribution of the machine structure. Thus, in this study, a structural component for machine tools with a large-scale array of temperature sensors interconnected in series (LATSIS) is proposed. The three-dimensional temperature distribution is obtained by the embedded LATSIS, which potentially realizes thermal error compensation with excellent accuracy. The main purpose of this research is to evaluate the potential superiority of the proposed composite material compared to conventional materials, such as damping properties, weight, and thermal compensation capability. Moreover, a block-shaped structural component made of polymer concrete (PC) embedded in a steel shell was designed. The LATSIS was also embedded in the PC. For comparison, another structure was designed with cast iron to have a similar rigidity and fit in a design space similar to that of the proposed component. Intermittent heating experiments were conducted using components fixed as a cantilever. The temperature and displacement changes at the edges of each cantilever were collected using LATSIS and laser displacement meters, respectively. By interpolating the temperature data and obtaining the temperature distributions, the thermal deformations using thermal finite element method analysis were predicted. The results indicated that the thermal deformation could be predicted more accurately in the structure made with the proposed composite material compared to that made of cast iron.