High Definition Metrology-Based Quality Improvement of Surface Texture in Face Milling of Workpieces With Discontinuous Surfaces

Abstract In face milling process, the quality of surface texture is vital for mechanical performance of workpieces. The quality of surface texture, especially for waviness, is directly affected by tool marks, a commonly observed phenomenon in face milling. However, appropriate approaches for evaluation and modeling of tool marks are absent to date. Limited to the resolution as well as the efficiency of conventional measurement instruments, the height data of tool marks is hard to be entirely obtained, leading to valuable information omission. Besides, most existing models of tool marks are established for general workpieces with regular geometry and continuous surfaces. Since the cutter-workpiece engagement mode has a significant impact on the generation of tool marks, current models could be inaccurate or invalid when dealing with workpieces with discontinuous surfaces. To overcome this shortage, a novel approach is proposed in this research, aimed at quality improvement of surface texture in face milling of workpieces with discontinuous surfaces. First, the evaluation indexes for tool marks are defined based on the recently developed high definition metrology (HDM). Second, the physical modeling of tool marks is presented, taking the face milling mechanism into account. Third, the physical-informed optimization model is developed to search for the optimal processing parameters for surface quality improvement. At last, the effectiveness of the proposed approach is verified by a face milling experiment on the engine blocks.