Smart Cutting Tool Integrated With Optical Fiber Sensors for Cutting Force Measurement in Turning | IEEE Journals & Magazine | IEEE Xplore

Smart Cutting Tool Integrated With Optical Fiber Sensors for Cutting Force Measurement in Turning


Abstract:

Real-time cutting force measurement is significantly important to monitor tool condition and machining process. Although commercial dynamometers are available for a range...Show More

Abstract:

Real-time cutting force measurement is significantly important to monitor tool condition and machining process. Although commercial dynamometers are available for a range of machining applications, there is a lack of multipoint and low-cost measuring methods suitable for detecting cutting forces in harsh machining environments. In this paper, a smart cutting tool integrated with optical fiber sensors is first presented for cutting force measurements in turning. Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors are employed to acquire cutting force information on cutting tools. Compared with the electrical and piezoelectric sensors, the proposed smart cutting tool has unique advantages such as electromagnetic interference immunity, explosion proof, ability to measure multiple cutting forces in the same and simplified data acquisition device with along-distance signal transmission, and enabling it to work in harsh machining environments. In addition, the proposed smart tool brings little effect on the structure and characteristics of machine tools due to FBGs' small size and light weight. This paper investigates the operating principle of the sensory cutting tool theoretically and validates it using finite-element simulations. A prototype of the proposed device was developed and tested. Static calibration, dynamic identification experiment, and comparative cutting tests were conducted to evaluate its performances. The experimental results have shown that the cutting forces acquired by the developed smart tool are in good agreements with the results obtained by the reference commercial dynamometer. The proposed smart cutting tool has the potential to provide a new solution to the real-time measurement and monitoring of multipoint cutting forces in turning processes.
Published in: IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement ( Volume: 69, Issue: 4, April 2020)
Page(s): 1720 - 1727
Date of Publication: 13 May 2019

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I. Introduction

To obtain high-dimensional accuracy and fine surface roughness, real-time measurement of cutting forces is essential for tool condition and machining process monitoring [1]–[5]. Resistance strain gauge and piezoelectric-based dynamometers are well-known approaches for cutting force measurements. However, they have several limitations such as high cost, poor performances in harsh machining environments, and possible interferences with cutting dynamic [6], [7]. In addition, due to the size and weight, dynamometers often need modifying machine tool structure for installations, which may change the stiffness of the tooling system [8]. Therefore, some research and development efforts on sensory cutting tools were conducted for cutting force measurements [9]. For instance, a triaxial cutting force sensor based on the octagonal ring and strain gauges was developed and tested [10]. A smart turning tool was presented with four pieces of piezoelectric sensors as an array in the shank tool [11]. A turning tool with two pieces of piezoelectric films was proposed to measure cutting and feed force in real time [12]. Measuring transducers based on piezoceramic sensing element were designed for cutting force measurements in ultrahigh-speed metal processing [13]. A cutting-force measuring device was designed by using an optical fiber sensor to detect the displacement of the rear part on the shank tool [14]. In addition, Hall-effect current transducers were adopted to measure cutting forces in turning by detecting current signals in servomotors [15]. An instrumented cutting tool with surface acoustic wave (SAW) strain sensors on tool surfaces was investigated [16]–[18]. A self-sensing smart tool was presented using two stress cavity structures with piezoelectric films [19]. Few of the above methods and devices are suitable for multipoint and real-time cutting force measurements with low costs for the long term in harsh industrial environments.

References

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