Experimental and Numerical Dynamic Identification of an Aerostatic Electro-Spindle

This paper proposes a method to experimentally identify the main modal parameters, i.e., natural frequencies and damping ratios, of an aerostatic spindle for printed board circuit drilling. A variety of methods is applied to the impulse-response function of the spindle in the presence of zero rotational speed and different supply pressures. Moreover, the paper describes the non-linear numerical model of the spindle, which consists of a four-degree-of-freedom (DOF) rigid and unsymmetrical rotor supported by two aerostatic bearings. The main goal of the work is to validate the developed non-linear numerical model through the proposed identification procedure and the performed experimental tests. The comparison proves satisfactory, and the possible sources of uncertainty are conjectured.

Rotation Accuracy Analysis of Aerostatic Spindle Considering Shaft’s Roundness and Cylindricity

The rotation accuracy of the aerostatic spindle can easily be affected by shaft shape errors due to the small gas film clearance. Thus, the main shaft shape errors with the largest scale—that is, the roundness and cylindricity errors—are studied in this paper, and a dynamic mathematical model is established with the consideration of the roundness, cylindricity errors, and spindle speed. In order to construct the shaft model, the discrete coefficient index of the shaft radius based on roundness measurement data are proposed. Then, the simulation calculations are conducted based on the measured cylindricity data and the constructed shaft model. The calculation results are compared with the spindle rotation accuracy measured using the spindle error analyzer. The results show that the shaft with a low discrete coefficient is subjected to less unbalanced force and smaller rotation errors, as obtained by the experiment.

A Two-Round Optimization Design Method for Aerostatic Spindles Considering the Fluid–Structure Interaction Effect

The fluid–structure interaction (FSI) effect has a significant impact on the static and dynamic performance of aerostatic spindles, which should be fully considered when developing a new product. To enhance the overall performance of aerostatic spindles, a two-round optimization design method for aerostatic spindles considering the FSI effect is proposed in this article. An aerostatic spindle is optimized to elaborate the design procedure of the proposed method. In the first-round design, the geometrical parameters of the aerostatic bearing were optimized to improve its stiffness. Then, the key structural dimension of the aerostatic spindle is optimized in the second-round design to improve the natural frequency of the spindle. Finally, optimal design parameters are acquired and experimentally verified. This research guides the optimal design of aerostatic spindles considering the FSI effect.

Multi-Field Coupling Dynamics Modeling of Aerostatic Spindle

The aerostatic spindle in the ultra-precision machine tool shows the complex multi-field coupling dynamics behavior under working condition. The numerical investigation helps to better understand the dynamic characteristics of the aerostatic spindle and improve its structure and performance with low cost. A multi-field coupling 5-DOF dynamics model for the aerostatic spindle is proposed in this paper, which considers the interaction between the air film, spindle shaft and the motor. The restoring force method is employed to deal with the times varying air film force, the transient Reynolds equation of the aerostatic journal bearing and the aerostatic thrust bearing is solved using ADI method and Thomas method. The transient air film pressure of aerostatic bearings is obtained which clearly presents the influence induced by the tilt motion of the spindle shaft. The motion trajectory of the spindle shaft is obtained which shows different stability of the shaft under different external forces. The dynamics model shows good performance on simulating the multi-field coupling behavior of the aerostatic spindle under external force. which is quite meaningful and useful for the further research on the dynamic characteristics of the aerostatic spindle.

Frequency Domain Analysis and Precision Realization in Deterministic Figuring of Ultra-Precision Shaft Parts

An aerostatic spindle is a core component in ultra-precision machine tools. The rotor of the spindle has extremely high manufacturing accuracy, which cannot be directly achieved via traditional machining, but always via manual grinding. The deterministic figuring theory is introduced into the machining of shaft parts, which overcomes many shortcomings of manual grinding. The manufacturing error of the shaft’s surface contains different frequency components, which have different effects on its working performance and the figuring process. Because the deterministic figuring method can only correct the error within a limited frequency range, in order to ensure high efficiency and high precision of the figuring process, we need to use reasonable filtering parameters to filter out the error with unnecessary frequencies. In this paper, the influence of contour error with different frequencies and amplitudes on the air film are analyzed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software, and the amplitude–frequency analysis as a function of the power spectral density (PSD) characteristic curve is used to study the filtering parameters of the measured data. After the figuring experiment using the filtering parameters obtained from the analysis, the average roundness of the shaft converged from 0.419 μm to 0.101 μm, and the cylindricity converged from 0.76 μm to 0.35 μm. The precision reached the level of manual grinding, which proves the rationality of the analysis using filtering parameters in a shaft’s deterministic figuring.

The static performance of the high-speed aerostatic spindles with modified discharge coefficients

With the demand of the larger cutting forces and the more precise prediction of the performance of the spindle, the angular stiffness of the ultra-high-speed spindle should be taken into consideration. In this article, a 5-degree-of-freedom model of the aerostatic spindle is established by considering the one set of the thrust bearing and journal bearing together with the modified discharge coefficients in high-speed condition. Furthermore, static characteristics including angular stiffness of the high-speed aerostatic spindle are obtained in terms of different angular displacements and different operational parameters. The angular displacement effects are revealed and the optimum air film thickness for both thrust gas bearings and journal gas bearings is given for ultra-high aerostatic spindle design.

Dynamic Modeling of Aerostatic Spindle With Shaft Tilt Deformation

This paper presents a new dynamic model of aerostatic spindle including the journal and thrust bearings. Reynolds equations are used to model the dynamics of a 4-degree-of-freedom (DOF) aerostatic journal bearing and a 3-DOF aerostatic thrust bearing. Finite element model of the spindle shaft is developed based on the Timoshenko beam theory considering the centrifugal and gyroscopic effects and is coupled with the bearing to construct the dynamic model of the whole aerostatic spindle. The effect of shaft tilt motion due to elastic deformation on the dynamic characteristics of the aerostatic bearing is considered for the first time. The finite difference method is used to determine the load capacity and moments provided by the bearings with changing air film thickness due to shaft vibration, and Newmark-β method is used to obtain the dynamic response of the spindle shaft. The simulated natural frequencies of the aerostatic spindle are verified through impact experiments under static and rotating conditions. Based on the developed model, the effects of tool overhang length, rotating speed, air film thickness, and supply air pressure on the frequency response function of the spindle are investigated comprehensively. The proposed dynamic model of the aerostatic spindle is able to provide useful guidance for structure design and process planning for micro-machining.

Influence of microscale effect on the radial rotation error of aerostatic spindle

This paper presents the influence of the microscale effect on the radial rotation error of aerostatic spindle, which is determined by the corresponding stiffness, damping, and unbalance mass. A microscale gas film flow model is used to simulate the static performance of the aerostatic bearing by introducing the microscale effect factor Q in this paper. Firstly, the radial stiffness and damping coefficients of aerostatic bearing were calculated considering microscale effect factor Q, therefore, the position of the rotating shaft in radial plane was deduced, and the corresponding rotation error was obtained. Finally, the simulation results of the stiffness and radial rotation error were verified by the experiment on the shaft test table, and the motion orbit was measured by a displace sensor with a high precision standard ball. The experimental results indicated that the simulated result considering the microscale effect factor Q was more consistent with the actual experimental value, which provided a reference for the design and optimization of the aerostatic spindle.