Active Damping of Chatter in Machine Tools - Demonstration with a ‘Hardware-in-the-Loop’ Simulator

Abstract

The motivation of the work is twofold: (a) understand the physics behind regenerative chatter and the influence of structural damping and (b) demonstrate an active damping technique based on collocated actuator/sensor pairs. A numerical stability analysis is performed using the root locus method and it is shown that, along with the structural poles, eigenvalues due to the delay parameter may contribute to instability. Since experimental demonstration of chatter in real machines is difficult, an alternative way of demonstration via a mechatronic simulator is presented, using the ‘hardware-in-the-loop’ concept. The mathematical model of the regenerative cutting process in turning is simulated in a computer and this is interfaced to a beam, representing the structural dynamics of the machine, via a displacement sensor and force actuator. In this way, a hardware and a software loop are combined. In a second step, an additional control loop is added, consisting of an accelerometer sensor and a collocated inertial actuator. Numerical and experimental stability lobe diagrams are compared, with and without active damping.