Vibration-free surface finish in the milling of a thin-walled cavity part using a corn starch suspension

Abstract

Abstract Cutting vibration has a large influence on the machining accuracy and surface quality of thin-walled parts. An innovative and effective cutting vibration suppression method suitable for the milling of thin-walled cavity parts is proposed in this paper which is based on the shear thickening property of the corn starch suspension. Cutting vibration signals with and without the corn starch suspension are measured in milling experiments under different cutting parameters. Comparisons of the dynamic response of the workpiece in the time domain at different weight fractions of the corn starch suspension are carried out. A nonlinear dynamic model of the milling process with the corn starch suspension is established to analyse the effect of the corn starch suspension on the suppression of the cutting vibration. The influence of the corn starch on the cutting vibration suppression is analysed in the frequency domain. The theoretical analysis, coupled with the experimental results, demonstrates the excellent performance of the corn starch suspension in vibration suppression during the milling of a thin-walled cavity part. Both the chatter vibration and the forced vibration induced by the milling force are effectively suppressed by the corn starch suspension. The corn starch suspension has a pronounced impact hardening property and can be prepared rapidly. The cutting vibration suppression method proposed in this paper is convenient and environmentally friendly for application in the industrial production.