Mechanistic modelling of 5-axis milling using an adaptive depth buffer
Mechanistic modelling of surface machining with a toroidal end mill is presented in this work for 5-axis machining. A graphical representation of tool movements (using tooth swept sectors or the swept surface of the tool) is rendered using a widely available rendering engine, whereby the in-process chip geometry and tool edge contact length are determined by an adaptive and local depth buffer. Owing to the chip geometry being highly dependent on the feedrate, a detailed derivation of the relative tool-workpiece velocity is presented based on the kinematics of a tilt-rotary table configuration. The mechanistic modelling is verified with experimental results and found to agree to within 7% of the peak-to-peak forces.
Surface swept by a toroidal cutter during 5-axis machining
This paper presents a method of determining the shape of the surface swept by a tool that follows a 5-axis tool path for machining curved surfaces. The method consists of discretising the tool into pseudo-inserts and identifying imprint points using a modified principle of silhouettes. An imprint point exists for each pseudo-insert and the piecewise linear curve connecting them forms an imprint curve for one tool position. A collection of imprint curves is joined to approximate the swept surface. This method is simple to implement and executes rapidly. The method has been verified by comparing predicted results of a 3-axis tool path with analytical results and predicted results of a 5-axis tool path with measurements of a part made with the same tool path.
Experimental investigation of the geotechnical properties and microstructure of lime-stabilized saline soils under freeze-thaw cycling
Abstract The Song-Nen Plain in northeastern China holds one of the three largest expanses of soda saline-alkali soil in the world. Due to its disadvantageous geotechnical properties, the saline soil in this area is unable to meet the needs of construction projects. This study evaluates the stabilizing effect of adding lime to such soils. Specifically, it investigates how the physicochemical and mechanical properties and microstructure of soda saline-alkali soil are altered by lime and how these changes are affected by both freeze-thaw cycling and the duration of curing. The results reveal that adding lime to saline soil transforms clay particles into sand and silt particles and causes the pore size distribution (PSD) to become bimodal, with small-pore and macropore populations. An increase in lime content leads to an increase in the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) but a gradual decrease in both the cation exchange capacity (CEC) and plastic index. Freeze-thaw cycles break up coarse particles and aggregate finer particles, increasing the diameter of macropores and decreasing the USC; however, the effect on specimens with >9% lime is negligible. It is further shown that the geotechnical properties of the soil change immediately after the addition of lime, indicating that the cation exchange reaction takes place very quickly. Furthermore, the pozzolanic reaction leads to an increase in the percentage of sand-sized particles and a decrease in porosity after 28 days of curing. Overall, these results indicate that it is feasible to use lime to improve the engineering properties of soda saline-alkali soil in this area.