Experimental Evaluation of Flexible Fixture Stiffness for Steering Knuckles When Loading a Milling Machine Tool

In the conditions of the increase in the range of products in the automobile and aircraft industry, there is a tendency to increase the scope of application of flexible fixtures. Thus, in the current article, it was proposed to consider a new concept of a flexible fixture for location parts of a complex shape. The stress and deflection of the steering knuckle elements were calculated using finite element modeling. During the experiment on the static loading, the deflection of the steering knuckle elements was measured, and the results of finite element modeling were validated. It was determined that the stiffness of the proposed flexible fixture ensures compliance with the tolerances of the mutual location of the surfaces of the part, making it reasonable for feature research the novel flexible fixture design during milling.