ARTICLE IN PRESS

International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 47 (2007) 1342–1350

www.elsevier.com/locate/ijmactool

Modeling of spindle-bearing and machine tool systems for virtual

simulation of milling operations
Yuzhong Cao, Y. Altintas
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, 2054-6250, Applied Science Lane, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4
Received 27 June 2006; received in revised form 26 July 2006; accepted 3 August 2006
Available online 9 October 2006

Abstract

This paper presents a general, integrated model of the spindle bearing and machine tool system, consisting of a rotating shaft, tool
holder, angular contact ball bearings, housing, and the machine tool mounting. The model allows virtual cutting of a work material with
the numerical model of the spindle during the design stage. The proposed model predicts bearing stiffness, mode shapes, frequency
response function (FRF), static and dynamic deflections along the cutter and spindle shaft, as well as contact forces on the bearings with
simulated cutting forces before physically building and testing the spindles. The proposed models are verified experimentally by
conducting comprehensive tests on an instrumented-industrial spindle. The study shows that the accuracy of predicting the performance
of the spindles require integrated modeling of all spindle elements and mounting on the machine tool. The operating conditions of the
spindle, such as bearing preload, spindle speeds, cutting conditions and work material properties affect the frequency and amplitude of
vibrations during machining.
r 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Spindle; Chatter vibration; Finite element method; Milling

1. Introduction (FE) method for modeling of rotor systems. His model

The successful application of high-speed machining
technology is highly dependent on spindles operating free
of chatter vibration without overloading the angular
contact ball bearings. Unless avoided, vibration instability
in the metal-cutting process leads to premature failure of
the spindle bearings [1]. The spindle, tool-holder, and tool
are the main sources of chatter vibrations on high-speed
machines. The objective of the design engineer is to predict
the cutting performance of the spindle during the design
stage by relying on engineering model of the process and
system dynamics.
Early spindle research focused mainly on static and
quasi-static analysis, whereas current research is extended
to optimal design by using dynamic analysis. Ruhl et al. [2]
is one of the earliest researchers to use the finite element
Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 604 822 5622; fax: +1 604 822 2403.
E-mail addresses: yzcao@mech.ubc.ca
(Y. Cao), altintas@mech.ubc.ca (Y. Altintas).
includes translational inertia and bending stiffness but
neglects rotational inertia, gyroscopic moments, shear
deformation, and axial load. Nelson [3] used the
Timoshenko beam theory to establish shape functions
and formulate system matrices, including the effects of
rotary inertia, gyroscopic moments, shear deformation,
and axial load.
In the past, little research has been conducted to model
the coupling of bearings and spindles. The effects of
preload and spindle speeds on bearing stiffness and the
dynamics of the spindle system are seldom studied. Wardle
et al. [4] presented a very simplified model for describing
the dynamics of a spindle-bearing system with a constant
preload. The theoretical maximum operating speed of the
spindle system is increased by maintaining a constant
preload, but Wardle neglected the softening of bearing
stiffness due to rotational speeds. Chen et al. [5] built a
model for determining the response of a spindle-bearing
system at high speeds with an analytical method. His model
considers the spindle as a uniform Euler–Bernoulli beam

0890-6955/$ - see front matter r 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.ijmachtools.2006.08.006
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
Y. Cao, Y. Altintas / International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 47 (2007) 1342–1350
Nomenclature
A cross sectional area of the beam
E Young’s modulus of material
G shear modulus of material
I diametral moment of inertia for the beam
J polar moments of inertia for the beam
N number of bearing balls for each bearing
P axial force on the beam
k index of bearing balls
m mass of the bearing ball
O rotational speed of the shaft
r density of material
Dm pitch diameter of the bearing measured from the
ball center
Jb mass moment of inertia for the bearing ball
K i; K o contact constants between bearing balls and
inner rings, outer rings, respectively, depending
on the geometry and the material of the bearing
balls and bearing rings
ks transverse shear form factor, ks is 0.9 for the
circular cross-section beam
supported by a pair of angular contact bearings. Using
Jones’ [6] bearing model, Chen analyzed the dynamic
behavior of the spindle around the trivial equilibrium
configuration with zero end loads. Only the axial preload is
considered in this model. First, the Newton–Raphson
iteration method is used to calculate the bearing stiffness
matrix at a given spindle speed, then the dynamic behavior
is computed at this speed using the obtained bearing
stiffness. Li and Shin [7] presented a coupled spindle-
bearing model that includes thermal effects to predict the
bearing stiffness and natural frequencies of the spindle
system, using DeMul’s bearing model. The bearing
configuration, however, is limited to several cases and the
gyroscopic effect is not included.
All of the above models predict the natural vibration and
frequency response for a specific spindle design, and
consider only the spindle shaft and bearings. The effects
of the machine tool on the spindle dynamics are neglected.
Neither centrifugal force nor gyroscopic effect is included
in modeling the spindle shaft. The contact forces on
bearing balls and the time response of the spindle-bearing
system under dynamic cutting forces have not been
reported in the literature.
In this paper, a general method is presented for modeling
the spindle machine tool system, which consists of the cutter,
tool-holder, spindle shaft, bearings, housing, and the machine
tool. A simplified model, representing the dynamics of the
whole machine tool without the spindle, is developed by
means of experimental modal analysis which needs to be done
only once for every machine tool. The model of the whole
machine tool system is then created by coupling the spindle
model developed by the authors [8,9] with the simplified
1343
my ; mz distributed moments per unit length about axes
y and z, respectively
OE orbital speed of the bearing ball
OB angular speed of the bearing ball about its own
center
ak angle between the vector of the bearing ball’s
angular velocity about its own center and shaft
axis
di ; do normal contact deformations between the cen-
ters of the ball and inner ring, and the ball and
outer ring, respectively
dð1Þ ; dð4Þ displacement vectors of the shaft and housing,
respectively
dð2Þ ; dð3Þ displacement vectors of inner and outer ring,
respectively
dix ; diy ; diz ; giy ; giz displacements of the inner ring
dox ; doy ; doz ; goy ; goz displacements of the outer ring
yi ; yo inner and outer ring contact angles of the
bearing
yy ; yz rotations about axes y and z, respectively
model of the machine tool without the spindle. The assembly
of the spindle unit and spindle head is modeled through
contact springs. The proposed method is validated by
performing frequency response and cutting tests.
2. FE model of spindle-bearing and machine tool system
An instrumented, experimental spindle is mounted on a
vertical machining center. The spindle moves vertically
with the spindle head, which travels on the guideway
attached to the machine column. The spindle head acts like
a cantilever beam elastically supported on the column due
to the contact with the guideway, therefore, the flexibility
of the spindle mounting has to be reflected in the model of
the spindle-machine system.
The spindle has five bearings in overall back-to-back
configuration as shown in Fig. 1. Three rear bearings are
placed in a floating housing, which can be moved by a
hydraulic preload unit. Through a hydraulic pump, the
preload is applied to the rear bearings by the floating
housing. At the same time, the force is transmitted to the
spindle shaft by the nut, and moves towards the rear. As a
result, the force is applied to the front bearings through
step A of the spindle shaft. The spindle housing prevents
the spindle shaft from moving further to the rear by step B
of the spindle housing. The whole spindle is self-balanced
in the axial direction under the preload.
A general FE model of the spindle-bearing and machine
tool system is presented (Fig. 1). The Timoshenko beam is
used to model the spindle shaft and housing. In the FE
model, the black dots represent nodes, and each node has
three translational displacements in the X-, Y-, and Z-axes,
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
1344 Y. Cao, Y. Altintas / International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 47 (2007) 1342–1350

Displacement sensors
Step A Step B Bearing housing Nut
Spindle nose

Preload

Tool Toolholder Housing Shaft Hydraulic Bearing Pulley Clamping

fluid unit

Tool and tool-holder

Shaft Pulley

Inner ring B2 B5
B1 B3 B4
A1 Preload A3 A4
Outer ring A2 A5
Housing

Spindle head

Node Bearing Rigidly connected Movable

Spacer Linear spring Rotation spring

Fig. 1. An experimental spindle and its Finite Element Model.

and two rotations about the Y- and Z-axes. The pulley is are also used between the spindle housing and spindle head,
modeled as a rigid disk, the bearing spacer as a bar whose stiffness is obtained experimentally. The modeling of
element, and the nut and sleeve as a lumped mass. The each part is described as follows.
spindle has two front bearings (nos.1 and 2) in tandem and
three bearings (nos. 3–5) in tandem at the rear. The preload 2.1. Equations of motion for the spindle shaft with rotating
is applied on the outer ring defined as node A3, which can effects
move along the spindle housing with nodes A4 and A5.
The forces are transmitted to inner rings B3–B5 through The equations of motion for the spindle shaft with
bearing balls, then to the spindle shaft through inner ring centrifugal force and gyroscpic moment due to the rotating
B5, which is fixed to the spindle shaft. Finally, the forces are as follows [8]:
are transferred to the front bearings by inner ring B1,
which is also fixed to the spindle shaft, then to the housing d2 u q2 u
rA  EA  qx ¼ 0,
by outer ring A2, which is fixed to the housing. An initial dt2 qx2
   
preload is applied during the assembly, and can be adjusted d2 v q qv qv
rA 2  ks AG  yz  P  qy
later through the hydraulic unit. The inner ring and outer dt qx qx qx
ring of the bearing are related by nonlinear bearing O2 rAv ¼ 0,
equations, from which bearing stiffness is obtained by    
solving equations of the spindle machine tool system. d2w q qw qw
rA 2  ks AG þ yy  P  qz
The tool is assumed to be rigidly connected to the tool dt qx qx qx
holder which is fixed to the spindle shaft rigidly or through O2 rAw ¼ 0
translational and rotational springs. An equivalent cylinder is  
d2 yy dyz q2 yy qw
used to represent the spindle head. First, the modal rI 2 þ OrJ  EI 2 þ ks AG þ yy
parameters are identified for the spindle head before the dt dt qx qx
spindle is installed. Then, two dominant modes from my ¼ 0,
experimental modal analysis are used to configure a simplified 2  
d yz dyy q2 yz qv
model for the spindle head by using springs and the mass of rI  OrJ  EI  k s AG  y z
dt2 dt qx2 qx
the spindle head. The spring constants are estimated through
the mass and natural frequencies of the spindle head. Springs mz ¼ 0. ð1Þ
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
Y. Cao, Y. Altintas / International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 47 (2007) 1342–1350 1345

  
Eq. (1) is also suitable for the spindle housing by setting 2 OB OE
M g ¼ J bO sin a. (5)
spindle speed to zero. O O
The following equations of the spindle shaft and housing
The force acting on the bearing ring is
in matrix forms can be obtained by using the FE method:
 X
N  
€  ObG b cfqg
bM b cfqg _ þ bK b c þ bK b cP F¼ f di ; do ; dð2Þ ; dð3Þ ; yi ; yo ; Qi ; Qo ; F c ; M g . (6)

O2 bM b cC fqg ¼ fF b g, ð2Þ k¼1

The derivative of force with respect to the displacement is

where bMbc is the mass matrix, bMbcC is the mass matrix
used for computing the centrifugal forces, bGbc is the
gyroscopic matrix which is skew-symmetric, bKbc is the
stiffness matrix, bKbcP is the stiffness matrix due to the
axial force, and {Fb} is the force vector, including
distributed and concentrated forces. The superscript b
represents the spindle shaft and housing. The details of the
matrices are shown in our earlier publication [8]. The
damping matrix is not included here, and is estimated from
experimentally identified modal damping, which is mostly
constant for each spindle-bearing family developed by the
manufacturers.
The bar element takes only the axial stiffness of the beam
element, and the rigid disk is treated as a short beam with a
large diameter by setting the Young’s modulus to zero.
2.2. Nonlinear bearing model
Jones’ bearing model, which considers the bearing balls
and rings as elastic parts, is used in this paper, see Fig. 2.
The Hertzian contact theory is used to calculate the contact
force and displacement. Contact forces between the bearing
ball and bearing rings:
3=2
Q i ¼ K i di ; Qo ¼ K o d3=2
o .
Centrifugal force (Fc) and gyroscopic moment (Mg) are [6]:
 2
1 2 OE
F c ¼ mDm O , (4)
2 O
the bearing stiffness matrix as follows [8]:
" #
KI KI
½KB  ¼ , (7)
Ko Ko
where KI and Ko are 5  5 matrices. The bearing stiffness
matrix depends on the displacements which are in turn
affected by the stiffness of the bearing.
2.3. Modeling of machine tool without the spindle
In order to avoid complex modeling of the whole
machine tool, a simplified model is used to simulate the
dominant vibration of the machine tool without the spindle
system. The spindle head is a casting which connects the
spindle to the machine tool (Fig. 3); therefore, it is used to
represent the dynamics of the whole machine tool for the
purpose of structural assembly of the spindle. The
dynamics is different in the X- and Y-directions because
of the asymmetry of the spindle head and machine column.
The experimental modal analysis in the X-direction is
presented here; however, the same method is applied in the
Y-direction.
An equivalent cylinder is used to represent the spindle
head. Both translational and rotational stiffness of the
(3)
springs supporting the spindle head is estimated by using
two dominant modes from the modal analysis. The same
equivalent cylinder is used for both X- and Y-directions,
but the stiffness of the springs is different. The simulated
and measured FRF at node 1 are illustrated in Fig. 3,

θo δ = (δx, δy, δz, γy, γz)

outer ring housing

Qo δ(4)

δ(3) outer ring

Fc
ball
Mg
δ(2) inner ring

δy
Qi δ(1) γy
inner ring
γz δx
shaft
θi δz

Fig. 2. Elastic model of the bearing.

 ARTICLE IN PRESS
1346 Y. Cao, Y. Altintas / International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 47 (2007) 1342–1350

where [K]is tangential stiffness matrix, tþDt fxg € ðiÞ , tþDt fxg
_ ðiÞ ,
tþDt ði1Þ ðiÞ
and fxg þ fDxg are the approximations of the
accelerations, velocities, and displacements obtained in the
ith iteration, respectively. fDxgðiÞ is the displacement
increment at the ith iteration, tþDt fF ðtÞg is the force at the
4 time t+Dt, tþDt fRgði1Þ is the internal force corresponding
3 to the displacement tþDt fxgði1Þ .
2
1
3. Experimental verification of the model
Z Y
Experiments and simulations were conducted on the
X spindle before it was installed on the machine tool. The
axial displacement at the spindle nose under different
x 10-8
5 preload, acceleration response under impact force, fre-
Measurement quency response function under free–free boundary condi-
Simulation tions, and the influence of bearing preload on FRF are
4
simulated and experimentally verified [8]. Simulations and
Magnitude [m/N]

measurements conducted when the spindle is mounted on

3
the machine are presented here.
2
3.1. FRF at the spindle nose and tool tip
1
The magnitudes of simulated and measured FRFs are
shown in Fig. 4, demonstrating that the proposed method
0 can correctly predict the influence of the machine tool
200 400 600 800 1000
Frequency [Hz]
mounting on the dynamics of the spindle system. Fig. 5
demonstrates the importance of including machine tool
Fig. 3. The head without the spindle and its identified FRF at node 1. interface dynamics in assessing the dynamics of the
spindles. If the dynamics of the machine tool is not
included in the model, the lower frequencies of the
spindle–machine tool system cannot be captured, and the
which shows that the simplified model can reasonably high natural frequencies are over estimated.
represent the dynamics of the whole machine tool without
the spindle on it. x 10-8 FRF at spindle nose in the X direction
4
By assembling the equations of the disk representing the Measurement
Magnitude [m/N]

pulley, spindle shaft/housing, bearings, and spindle head, 3 Simulation

the following general non-linear dynamic equation for the
machine tool system is established: 2
 
½M fx€ g þ ½C fx_ g þ RðxÞ ¼ F ðtÞ , (8) 1

where [M] is mass matrix, [C] is equivalent damping matrix 0

including structural damping and gyroscopic effects, {F(t)} 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500
is the external force acting on the spindle, and {R(x)} is the
x 10-8 FRF at spindle nose in the Y direction
internal force of the system, which depends on displace- 4
ment {x}. The equivalent stiffness term implicitly included
Magnitude [m/N]

in the term {R(x)} and depends on displacement {x}, which 3

is in turn affected by stiffness. The dependency of the
stiffness matrix contained in {R(x)} on displacement is the 2
root cause of the nonlinearity in the spindle system.
1
The Newton–Raphson method is used to solve Eq. (8).
The incremental FE equilibrium equation is obtained as
0
follows: 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500
tþDt ðiÞ tþDt ðiÞ ðiÞ Frequency [Hz]
½M  fx€ g þ ½C  fx_ g þ ½K fDxg
tþDt
 Fig. 4. FRF at spindle nose in the X- and Y-directions of the spindle
¼ F ðtÞ tþDt fRgði1Þ , ð9Þ machine tool system.
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
Y. Cao, Y. Altintas / International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 47 (2007) 1342–1350 1347

x 10-8 FRF at spindle nose in the X direction 10

4 From measured FRF
Measurement
3.5 Simulation (with the influence of the machine tool) 8 From simulated FRF
Simulation (without the influence of the machine tool)

Depth of cut [mm]

3
6
Magnitude [m/N]

2.5

2 4

1.5
2
1 No chatter
Chatter
0.5 0
2000 4000 6000 8000 10000
0 Spindle speed [rpm]
500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500
Frequency [Hz] Fig. 7. Predicted stability lobes from measured and simulated FRF.

Fig. 5. Comparison of the influence of the machine tool on spindle

dynamics.
3.2. Prediction of stability lobes and chatter test

x 10-7 The predicted stability of the system was experimentally

FRF at tool tip in the X direction (preload =1200 N ) evaluated by milling Aluminium 7050. The chatter stability
6 theory of Budak et al. [10] is used to predict the stability
Measurement
Magnitude [m/N]

Simulation lobes by considering both simulated and measured FRF at

4 the tool tip. The results are shown and verified by cutting
tests conducted under the cutting conditions marked with
2 boxes or circles in Fig. 7. It is shown that the simulated
FRF, which was obtained from the proposed FE model
0 of the spindle, can correctly predict the stability lobes.
500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500
It must be noted here that the inclusion of machine
x 10-7 tool–spindle connection dynamics is important to achieve
FRF at tool tip in the Y direction (preload = 1200 N ) such accuracy.
6
The measured cutting forces and the machined surfaces
Magnitude [m/N]

for both stable and unstable depths of cut are shown

4
in Figs. 8 and 9. The process was stable in Fig. 8, where
the depth of cut was 2 mm. Although the depth of cut was
2
only doubled in Fig. 9, the process was unstable and the
cutting forces increased more than 500% due to chatter
0
500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 vibrations. The dominant frequency of the cutting forces
Frequency [Hz] at the depth of cut of 2 mm is the tooth passing frequency
of 400 Hz, while chatter occurs at the spindle mode of
Fig. 6. FRF at the tool tip for rigid connection of the tool-holder.
1028 Hz at 4 mm.
The measured and simulated displacements at the tool-
holder for both depths of cut are shown in Figs. 10 and 11.
In order to predict stability lobes in the frequency The simulated displacements are very close to the measured
domain, the FRF at the tool tip in both X- and Y- displacements although the distribution is a little different.
directions needs to be evaluated. A CAT40 (i.e., However, the spectrum of displacements from both
CV40TT20M400) shrink-fit tool-holder and a four-fluted simulation and measurement match very well.
carbide end mill with a diameter of 20 mm and a stick-out The simulated radial stiffness of bearings nos. 1 and 5
of 50 mm were used in all experiments and simulations for the two cutting tests is illustrated in Fig. 12.
presented in the paper. Both tool and holder are assumed The stiffness of the first bearing is affected more than
to be connected rigidly to the spindle shaft. the fifth bearing. The bearing stiffness can even reach
The magnitudes of FRF at the tool tip in both X- and zero during chatter. All forces are treated as dynamic
Y-directions for the rigid tool-holder–spindle connection forces in simulation. The preload is applied to the
are shown in Fig. 6, where the bearing preload is 1200N. bearings first, and the cutting forces are applied to the
The simulation matches measurements very well at lower tool tip after the transient vibrations due to the preload
frequencies, but the errors increase at higher frequencies. diminish.
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
1348 Y. Cao, Y. Altintas / International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 47 (2007) 1342–1350

-50 0

Displacement [μm]
-100
-2
X direction
-150
0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 -4
Cutting force [N]

250 Measurement
-6
200 0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05
Y direction
150
0

Displacement [μm]
0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05
0
-2
-50
Z direction
-100 -4
0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 Simulation
(a) Time [s] -6
0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05
Time [s]

Fig. 10. The measured and simulated displacements in the X-direction at

the tool-holder. Spindle speed: 6000 rpm, depth of cut: 2 mm, feed rate:
(b) 0.1 mm/flute, no chatter.

Fig. 8. The measured cutting forces and machined surface during a stable
cut. Spindle speed: 6000 rpm, depth of cut: 2 mm, feed rate: 0.1 mm/flute.
40
Displacement [μm]

Measurement
20
0
200
0 -20
-200 X direction -40
-400 0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05
0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05
Cutting force [N]

40
Displacement [μm]

Simulation
500 20
Y direction
0 0
0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 -20
200
-40
0 0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05
-200 Z direction Time [s]
-400
0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05
Fig. 11. The measured and simulated displacements in the X-direction at
(a) Time [s] the tool-holder. Spindle speed: 6000 rpm, depth of cut: 4 mm, feed rate:
0.1 mm/flute, chatter.

3.3. Effects of preload and speed on the dynamics of spindle

machine tool systems
(b)

Fig. 9. The measured cutting forces and machined surface. Spindle speed:
6000 rpm, depth of cut: 4 mm, feed rate: 0.1 mm/flute, chatter frequency
1028 Hz.
Contact forces on bearings nos. 1 and 5 are shown in
Fig. 13. Similar to the case of bearing stiffness, the first
bearing experiences higher contact forces than the fifth
bearing. Bearing stiffness and contact forces cannot be
measured directly. The correct prediction of the FRF and
displacement response, however, indirectly proves the
validity of their simulation since bearing stiffness is closely
related to the contact forces.
In general, the natural frequencies of all modes
increase with preload due to increased bearing stiffness,
but decrease with spindle speed due to centrifugal
forces. In order to compare the simulation and
measurement more clearly, the influence of the preload
and spindle speed on the second dominant natural
frequency is plotted separately in Fig. 14, by fixing
either the spindle speed or preload. The frequency
increases from 1068 to 1142 Hz when preload is
increased from 600 to 1800 N. However, the frequency
drops from 1140 to 1090 Hz when the speed is increased
from stationary to 10,000 rpm. It is shown that the
proposed model can correctly predict the effects of the
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Y. Cao, Y. Altintas / International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 47 (2007) 1342–1350 1349

Contact force [N]

x 108 200
4 Bearing No.1
Stiffness [N/m]

Preload
Bearing No.1 period Cutting period
100
2
Preload
period Cutting period 0
0 0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05
0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05

Contact force [N]

200
x 108 Bearing No.5
Stiffness [N/m]

4
Bearing No.5 100
2
0
0 0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05
0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 (a) Time [s]
(a) Time [s]

Contact force [N]

600
x 108 Cutting period Bearing No.1
4 400
Stiffness [N/m]

Preload Preload
Bearing No.1
period Cutting period period
200
2
0
0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05
0
0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 Contact force [N] 200
Bearing No.5
x 108
Stiffness [N/m]

4 100
Bearing No.5
2 0
0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05
0 (b) Time [s]
0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05
(b) Time [s] Fig. 13. Simulated bearing contact forces under cutting (spindle speed:
6000 rpm, feed rate: 0.1 mm/flute).
Fig. 12. Radial bearing stiffness under cutting forces (spindle speed:
6000 rpm, feed rate: 0.1 mm/flute).
The second dominant frequency (spindle speed = 0 rpm)
preload and spindle speed on the dynamics of spindle 1150
Frequency [Hz]

machine tool systems.

1100 Measurement
4. Conclusions Simulation

The numerical model of the spindle machine tool system 1050

600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800
is developed to simulate the virtual cutting performance of
Preload [N]
the machine–spindle system. It is shown that the reliability
of virtual cutting with the spindles require integrated The second dominant frequency (preload = 1200N)
modeling of bearings, spindle shafts, tool and holders, 1150
Frequency [Hz]

Measurement
bearing preload, connection between the spindle and Simulation
machine tool housing, speed and machining process. The 1100
study also demonstrates that the modeling of spindle alone
does not lead to correct prediction of its dynamics on the
machine tool, unless its mounting joints are included in the 1050
mathematical models. 0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000
Spindle speed [rpm]
The experimentally verified mathematical model predicts
that the preload can increase the bearing stiffness, leading Fig. 14. The influence of the preload and spindle speed on the second
to increased natural frequencies, which shifts the stability natural frequency.
lobes to the right towards higher speeds. However, higher
preload reduces the damping, which decreases the dynamic Acknowledgment
stiffness at the tool tip hence reduces the chatter free, depth
of cuts. The preload cannot efficiently improve the stability This research is jointly sponsored by NSERC, Pratt &
lobes, but it can enhance the static stiffness and reduce the Whitney, Canada, Boeing Commercial Plane, and Weiss
forced vibrations. Spindle Technology.
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