A tool breakage detection system using an accelerometer sensor

An on-line and in-process based monitoring system to detect tool breakage via an accelerometer was developed and successfully evaluated in an end milling operation. Prior to testing and evaluation of the tool breakage condition, a simulation model was developed. Transfer of the on-line vibration signal to the frequency domain employed the fast fourier transfer function, and set thresholds were used to determine the tool condition after various experimental tests. In comparison to other in-process methods, such as those that employ dynamometers and acoustic emission sensors, the proposed system is easy to set up and does not require changing of the mechanism. Additional benefits of the system are its high reliability and low cost. Thus, the new monitoring system is potentially useful for untended milling operations in on-line and real-time tool breakage detection in linked-cell manufacturing systems (L-CMS).