Thoroughly modern milling

An engineer at Washington University in St. Louis has helped find a way to "cut the chatter" in high-speed machining of aluminium and titanium aircraft parts.

Chatter in milling is an instability that arises because the cutting tool vibrates, making oscillating patterns on the work piece. The tool goes over the patterns, making the tool vibrate even more, yielding deeper patterns in the work piece, worsening until eventually the chatter destroys the tool or work piece.

Now, researchers including Dr Philip V. Bayly, Washington University Hughes Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and Washington University alumnus Jerry Halley, of Tech Manufacturing, Wright City, Missouri, have developed software that predicts when chatter is going to occur as well as the accuracy of the cut.

The software is based on a technique called time finite element analysis (TFEA).

Avoiding chatter allows much faster machining, makes the tool last longer, and increases the quality of the parts. Lighter, stronger, and more accurate parts lead to faster, more durable, and more affordable aircraft.