Elliptical model for surface topography prediction in five-axis flank milling

Abstract In five-axis flank milling operations, the intersecting surfaces of different cutting edges create roughness on the milled surfaces that cannot be ignored in situations with strict requirements, especially in aeronautical manufacturing. To focus on motion problems in milling operations, this paper presents a new model that utilizes elliptical paths as cutting edge trajectories on 3D surface topography machined by peripheral milling. First, the cutter parallel axis offset and location angle are considered, which change the location of the ellipse center and intersection point of the cutting edges. Then, through the proposed model, the predicted surface topography is obtained, and the factors that affect the development tendency of roughness are analyzed. Next, the effects of the cutter location position (CLP) geometric parameters, cutter parallel axis offset and curvature on the roughness are evaluated by a numerical simulation. Finally, machining tests are carried out to validate the model predictions, and the results show that the surface topography predictions correspond well with the experimental results.