An integrated thermo-mechanical-dynamic model to characterize motorized machine tool spindles during very high speed rotation

High speed machining (HSM) is a promising technology for drastically increasing productivity and reducing production costs. Development of high-speed spindle technology is strategically critical to the implementation of HSM. Compared to conventional spindles, motorized spindles are equipped with built-in motors for better power transmission and balancing to achieve high-speed operation. However, the built-in motor introduces a great amount of heat into the spindle system as well as additional mass to the spindle shaft, thus complicating its thermo-mechanical-dynamic behaviors. This paper presents an integrated model with experimental validation and sensitivity analysis for studying various thermo-mechanical-dynamic spindle behaviors at high speeds. Specifically, the following effects are investigated: the bearing preload effects on bearing stiffness, and subsequently on overall spindle dynamics; high-speed rotational effects, including centrifugal forces and gyroscopic moments on the spindle shaft and, subsequently, on overall spindle dynamics; and the spindle dynamics on the cutting point receptance. The proposed integrated model is a useful tool for differentiating quantitatively different effects on the spindle behaviors. The results show that a motorized spindle softens at high speeds mainly due to the centrifugal effect on the spindle shaft. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.