Hilbert-Huang Transform Analysis of Machining Stability in Ball-Nose End-Milling of Curved Surface

This paper investigates the machining stability in ball-end-milling of curved surface in which the inclination of tool continuously changes. Initially, the influence of inclination angle is geometrically investigated on the parameters such as immersion angle and cutting velocity. Then, the paper presents the stability lobe diagrams of the process. Curved surface milling is simulated by slot milling on a cylindrical workpiece using a ball-end-mill to obtain the cutting force and vibration, which are used for fast-Fourier transform and Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) analyses. Experimental results show that the cutting force increases, and the stability becomes worse with the inclination angle, while the machining errors decrease with the inclination. The vibration analysis showed that the HHT can detect the transition from stable to unstable during milling of curved surface in the time-frequency plots.