Measuring unbalance-induced vibrations in rotating tools

Unbalances in a tool cause vibrations of the spindle and the machine itself and lead to a waviness of the machined workpiece surface. This paper presents an experimental and analytical procedure for optically measuring the unbalance-induced displacements of the tool centre point (TCP). Therefore, a new method is introduced to determine the dynamic vibrations of a tool by comparing the geometrical profile of the tool with the dynamical profile at a high rotational speed. The necessary steps for measuring the signals and calculating the underlying dynamic vibrations of the tool are presented here. Afterwards, the unbalance-induced vibrations of a milling tool are shown as well as their influence on the eccentricity of the rotation axis. With this newly introduced method it is possible to directly link the displacements of the tool under rotation to the waviness of the workpiece surface and the dynamic stiffness of machine tools.