To reach high surface quality, sculptured surfaces are generally obtained using a high speed milling process. Moreover, the tool trajectory is generated via CAM software which offers various machining strategies depending on the geometry of the surface to be machined. The machined surface quality thus results from the choice of the strategy and the corresponding cutting parameters as the tool inclination, the feed per tooth, the cutting speed and the radial depth of cut [1]. More other phenomena affect the surface topographies as the tool deflection, the tool runout errors and the vibration. Many researchers are focused in these phenomena and study their influence on the surface roughness.
Omar et al. [2] Developed a generic technique for calculating the specific cutting forces and generating a 3D surface topography for side milling operations. The technique takes into account the effects of tool runout, tool deflection, system dynamics, flank face wear, and the tilting of the tool on the surface roughness. Sonawane and Joshi [3] Presented the effect of machining parameters on the surface quality obtained in a single-pass of a ball-end mill with varying chip cross-sectional area. The maximum surface roughness is observed near the tool tip region on the machined surface. The minimum surface roughness is obtained in the stable cutting zone and it increases towards the periphery of the cutter. Arizmendi et al. [4–5] presented the effect of the tool errors on the surface topography when the end mill is held in the spindle. In the case of peripheral milling the study accounts the tool setting errors as cutter parallel axis offset and cutter axis tilt. Arizmendi et al. [6] developed a model for the prediction of heterogeneity bands in the surface topography machined by peripheral milling considering the radial tool runout. Vakondios et al. [7] studied the influence of the milling strategy on the surface roughness. The cutting parameters used are the axial and the radial depth of cut, the feed rate, and the inclination angles of the tool. The strategies considered are the vertical, the push, the pull, the oblique, the oblique push and the oblique pull and for each one the down and the up milling are considered. Ozturk et al. [8] used a combined approach of an empirical and an analytical surface model to simulate the kinematic and the stochastic topography in ball-end milling. Denkena et al. [9] Developed a method for the construction of surface topographies of peripheral milled surfaces based on measured cutting forces. Toh [10] Studied the surface texture produced by various cutter path orientations and tool inclinations. The best cutter path orientation with respect to the best surface texture is the milling in a single direction and in vertical upward orientation. Quinsat et al. [11] Studied the influence of each machining strategy parameter on the surface quality as the machining direction, the transverse step, the longitudinal step and the feed rate. Buj-Corral [12] Developed a geometrical model that predicts topography and surface roughness in ball-end milling. The cutting parameters studied are the feed per tooth, the spindle speed, the radial depth of cut, the axial depth of cut, the number of teeth, the tool teeth radii, the helix angle, the eccentricity and the phase angle between teeth. Zain et al. [13] Presented the effect of the radial rake angle of the tool, combined with the speed and the feed rate cutting conditions in influencing the surface roughness results. Buj-Corral et al. [14] Studied the influence of the feed, the eccentricity and the helix angle on the surface roughness for side milling operations with cylindrical tools. A model was developed to predict surface topography as well as different roughness parameters. Wibowo and Desa [15] Studied the surface roughness in end milling process which is influenced by the machining parameters, the radial rake angle, the speed and the feed rate. Costes and Moreau [16] Predicted the surface topography based on tool displacements and tool center point methodology. From the recorded signals and the machining parameters, the tool deformation is modeled. Then, from the angular deflection and displacements in XY, the 3D surface topography can be predicted. Arizmendi et al. [17] Developed a method to predict the surface topography as a function of the runout the simulation is based on the equation of the cutting-edge trajectories and the envelope equation of the material swept by the tool. Layegh and Lazoglu [18] Presented a model based on the analytical equation of the trocoidal motion of the cutting edge. A finite number of parallel planes are defined perpendicular to the feed vectors. The points of the surface topography are extracted as the minimum height of the intersection points between the edge trajectory and the parallel planes. The model takes into account the tool orientation, federate, step over, depth of cut and runout. Karabulut [19] Investigated the effect of milling parameters on surface roughness with an uncoated carbide insert machining a AA7039/Al2O3 metal matrix composites. These milling tests were performed based on Taguchi method where the effects of the cutting parameters on surface roughness and cutting forces were studied using the analysis of variance method. The results show that the roughness was improved between 196% and 312% in milling of Al2O3 reinforced alloy composite compared to AA7039 alloy.
In recent studies, Bo et al. [20] Proposed a geometrical simulation of a milled surface based on the skin model of the workpiece. The workpiece and the machine tool were supposed as rigid elements. They included in this study the effects of the machine tool errors, the workpiece clamping error and the cutter behavior in order to have a more accurate topography. The machined surface was evaluated and characterized using the modal parameters and the effect of cutting parameters were remarked. The predicted model was validated with experimental tests where a good agreement was found. Zhang et al. [21] Developed a surface topography model in ball-end milling using the relative motion between the tool and the workpiece. The surface roughness was optimized as a function of the feed per tooth and radial depth of cut. The proposed model was validated by experiments and a good agreement was found in the range of cutting parameters used for milling the AISI H13 steel. Chen and Wang [22] Proposed a biharmonic spline interpolation BSI model to have a more accurate topography eliminating problems related to the determining of discrete points in the most of the used topography models. The tool vibrations were taken into account in the kinematic model of the tool. The proposed model allows the prediction of free form machined surfaces using the BSI method. They proved the limits of other methods related to the instability of the resolution of the nonlinear equations and to the discretization are avoided using this modeling where the results were improved by 7.9% and the time of execution were decreased. A set of experiments was carried out under various conditions and a good agreement was found with a maximum error 15.5% for the arithmetic surface roughness. Wojciechowski et al. [23] Established the relations between the instantaneous tool displacements and surface roughness in ball end milling of inclined surfaces. The machined surface roughness was measured with optical profile meters. The results show the effect of the tool overhang on the surface roughness in finishing operations. For rigid set-up with free length l = 35mm, the surface roughness correlates with geometric model considering machining errors. On the other side, in case of milling with the slender tool with a free length l = 85 mm, the surface roughness is mainly affected by the tool dynamic deflections caused by milling forces. Shujuan et al. [24] Used the Z-MAP modeling of the surface topography of machined surface in ball end milling. They improved the previous Z-MAP models based on the tool motion equation and its intersection with the workpiece by combining the angle summation technique and servo rectangular encirclement to get the instantaneous swept points of the workpiece. The height of the swept point was calculated using the Newton iterative method. The surface roughness was analyzed including the effect of the feed per tooth, the tool position and the initial phase angle and the proposed model was validated with experiments where the improved program gives results close to measured surfaces and takes less time than the previous algorithm with the same machining conditions. Nguyen [25] presented a method to optimize machining factors for decreasing specific cutting energy with a simultaneous improve of the material removal rate while the roughness properties were defined as constraints. The results show that a set of optimal solutions can be determined to observe a low specific cutting energy coupled with a better surface and high material removal rate.
Corner motion is a common and important case in contouring applications. A sharp corner is formed by two consecutive contours with discontinues in their first derivatives. In general, these two linear contours are fed into the acceleration and deceleration processor one after the other. Two modes are used in contouring applications the first is the Exact-Stop mode which the machine stop in the end of each block, the velocity reached zero and after that start the next block and the second is the continuous mode which the machine starts to execute the second command before the first one is completed executed. The second mode uses a Look-Ahead algorithm; this method was developed in many researches in terms of optimizing the machining time in rough milling.
From the literature review, it can be concluded that the current researches was mainly focused on process parameters optimization and tool path planning algorithms. For analyzing the surface topography, all methods are limited to constant feed rate. But the dynamic behavior of the machine and the acceleration and deceleration process modifies the feed value which presents the important parameter influencing the surface topography and the roughness profiles. The impact of these phenomena on the surface topography is not studied. In this paper, an experimental study was conducted in order to analyze the surface profiles in ball end milling. We study the variation of the surface topography and the roughness profiles along the tool path. The study concern Normal-block which started by a zero velocity, accelerate to reach the stationary feed rate, decelerate at the end of the block to reach a zero velocity. The tool path used is divided into three zones. The first region is the acceleration zone, the second is the stationary zone and the third is the deceleration zone. The surface topography is studied in high speed milling with a ball end tool in finishing conditions. The machining errors considered in this study are the tool runout, the tool bending and the tool vibrations. The kinematic behavior of the machine tool is studied where its effect on the acceleration and the deceleration zones was detailed. It is remarked that the surface topography is better in the stationary zone compared to the acceleration and deceleration zones. This is due to the stable behavior of this zone and the irregular behavior of the path bounding.