Int J Adv Manuf Technot (19%) 11:232-239

1996 Springer-Verlag London Limited

The International Journal of

Rdvanced
manufacturing
Technolo!lu

Spindle Deflections in High-speed Machine Tools - Modelling and

Simulation
Subhajit Chatterjee
Industrial Engineering Department, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA

This research attempts to develop spindle deflection error

models for high-speed machining systems. A model for
determining total spindle deflection at the tool-end is presented.
The model incorporates spindle bearing characteristics, shifts
in ball contact angles, and centrifugal force and gyroscopic
moment effects at high speeds. It uses the transfer matrix
method to determine the total deflections at the tool-end based
upon the point contact deformations at the individual balls of
an angular contact ball-bearing assembly. A simulator is also
developed for simulating spindle end deflections for various
spindle rotational speeds. The results of the simulation show
contact angle variations and peak deflections at particular
spindle rotational speeds. Important research issues are also
presented.

Keywords: High speed machining; Spindle deflection; Spindle

rotation simulation

1. Introduction
High-speed machining (speeds above 5000 r.p.m.) is emerging
as a powerful tool for increasing productivity in finish
machining [1]. Industrial studies in this area have evolved
from early concepts in the 1920s and recent advances in the
development of computer control systems have provided
the capability for accurately controlling high-performance
automatic machines. The evolution of these high-speed
machines has been in parallel with progress in the field of
spindle and machine tool design. However, research in highspeed machine tool design requires attention in many areas;
particularly important are: the thermal growth problem,
positional errors due to deflections from high-speed gyroscopic
moments and centrifugal forces, and the changes in bearing
stiffness characteristics at high speeds.
This paper is the result of preliminary theoretical error
modelling and simulation of high-speed spindle systems and

Correspondenceand offprint requeststo: Subhajit Chatterjee, Industrial

Engineering Department, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville,
TN 37996-1506, USA.

is organised as follows. The next section reviews pertinent

literature in the area of high-speed machining and machine
tool metrology. It is followed by a statement of the objectives
of this study and presentation of a theoretical model relating
spindle deflection to spindle and operational parameters.
Initial results are then presented from simulation runs and
finally potential research areas discussed.

2.

Literature Survey

Various types of machine tools and machining centres exist

and are classified for ease of specification. Some machining
centre classification examples are: horizontal spindle fixed
column; horizontal spindle moving column; vertical spindle
fixed column; vertical column moving column; vertical spindle
fixed bridge; vertical spindle travelling gantry; horizontal
spindle travelling column with tilt rotary table, etc. The major
motion directions are in the Cartesian directions and, additional
degrees of freedom include table rotation and tilt.
The literature survey will focus on research in four areas:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Spindle deflections at high speeds.

Error budgeting in machine tools.
Errors due to thermal effects.
New material possibilities in material structures.

2.1 Spindle Deflections at High Speeds

Preliminary work in bearing nonlinearity and spindle bearing
stiffness analysis has been reported by Shin et al. [2]. They
show analytic and experimental evidence of changes in stability
zones for angular contact ball-bearing supported spindles at
high speeds. According to their study, changes in bearing
stiffness at high speeds resulted in spindle instability. To
corroborate their theoretical study, they performed experimental machining tests at a maximum spindle speed of 8000 r.p.m.
ANSI standard B5.54 refers to CNC machine tool performance evaluation (of which spindle error profile is one aspect).
Researchers have also worked in this area for quite some
time and individual work with respect to machine tool
characterisation has been published [3,4].

Spindle Deflections in High-speed Machine Tools

Researchers [5-7] point out the importance of the stiffness

of a machining system and the spindle in particular, to tool life
and process stability. Particularly interesting is the observation
of improved surface finish with an intentional reduction of
tooling stiffness. Enhancement of chatter resistance through a
reduction of stiffness has also been reported [5].
It should be noted that a majority of the reported test
results are not in the high-speed regime. For high-speed
machines, some important requirements are a very high degree
of damping, very high accuracy (low radial and face runonts)
and consideration of spindle and tooling structure deformations
[6]. The effectiveness of tapers at high speeds is also important
as increase in taper diameters at the front lead to changes in
axial position of the spindle, and consequently, the cutting
tool [6]. There is a need for formulating spindle error profiles
and quasi-static deformation of the spindles by considering
centrifugal forces and gyroscopic moments of spindle mounts.
Additionally, the use of wear-resistant bearing types should
also be considered in high-speed spindles.
2.2 Error Budgeting in Machine Tools
Error budgeting is a systems analysis tool used for the
prediction, control, and design of machine tools. An error
budget can be used to control the individual subsystem errors
given the total acceptable system error. The error budgeting
scheme can use error sources and coupling mechanisms in
conjunction with workpiece categories to relate the error
source to workpiece errors [8]. In this study the error source
is the deflection of the spindle and the coupling mechanism
could be spindle properties. It is also important to determine
the proportion of the spindle error in relation to other error
sources such as servo error and displacement error.
There is a significant body of research relating to quasistatic error formulation, detection and measurement, and
compensation for machine tools [9-13]. The three common
methods are:
1. Measurement of the twenty-one positional and angular
error terms independently and compensation through
interpolation.
2. Correlational models built on coordinate data and trigonometric relationships.
3. Formulation of error envelopes using rigid body kinematics.
The rigid body kinematics technique uses rotation and translation
of the links and joints of the machine tool to formulate the
error envelope. Compensation for each error source is then
accomplished by determining the rotational and translational
coefficients through measurement and then predicting errors
from known positions. However, all of the reviewed work in
this area addresses the quasi-static errors; therefore, there is
still a need to investigate error envelopes for dynamic errors
due to spindle rotation and positioning at high speeds.
2.3

Errors due to Thermal Effects

The thermal error problem has been recognised for a long

time and experts view this error as the largest single source

233

of dimensional errors [14]. There are six sources of thermal

errors:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Heat generated from the cutting process.

Heat generated by the machine.
Heating or cooling provided by the cooling systems.
Air-conditioning effects.
People effects.
Thermal memories from a previous environment.

It has been shown that the heat produced by spindle bearing

friction in machine tools has a very serious effect and this
effect has been investigated by many researchers [14]. Analytic
and finite-element techniques have been used to formulate
thermal effects and optimise machine tool structures for
minimising thermal effects [15,16]. It is important to extend
these concepts to high-speed machining and to examine
temperature rises and resulting deformations at these conditions. Additionally, the wear of bearings at these high
speeds and elevated temperatures should also be considered
in these studies.
2.4 New Material Possibilities in Material Structures
Advances in material development have prompted research
efforts in examining their potential use in machine tools.
Rahman et al. [17] showed that cementitious composites when
used as lathe bed material exhibited significantly higher
damping ratios and higher first natural frequencies than their
conventional counterparts. Another study by Lee et al. [18]
demonstrated the successful use of graphite epoxy composite
as a spindle material in machine tools. Their analysis of the
spindle bearing system showed about a 20% increase in
damping of a graphite spindle system with the consequent
higher natural frequencies (and delayed chatter) as compared
to a conventional one. They also examined thermal stability
of the spindle system and found that spindle expansion was
almost negligible because of the almost zero coefficient of
thermal expansion of the composite material. This is also
advantageous because the bearing preload characteristics can
be better maintained when the thermal expansion is negligible.
However, the experimental work in both the above studies was
conducted at cutting speeds less than 1500 r.p.m. Therefore, it
is important to investigate new bearing spindle materials at
high speeds. Figure 1 shows the highly interrelated overall

l[

ERROR

GEOMETRIC

MACHINETOOLVIBRATION

STATICLOADING

CHATTER

THERMALEFFECTS

SPINDLE
VIBRATION
8E.ARING& SPINDLEDEFLECTION
THERMALEFFECTS

Fig. 1. Overall part error sources and error hierarchy.

234

S. Chatterjee

part error sources and the error hierarchy. The scope of this
work is limited to dynamic error modelling of spindle end
deflection arising from bearing deflections at the ball contact
points.

3. Modelling of the Spindle System

The study was undertaken with two initial objectives:
1. Formulation of the error analysis and deflection model for
high speed spindle systems.
2. Examination through simulation, of the effect of different
bearing preloads on high-speed spindle deflection.

J=s

The present study attempts to model the spindle bearing

system for deflections at the bearing surfaces by taking into
account spindle and bearing material characteristics, rotational
speeds, bearing ball centre migration, centrifugal forces and
gyroscopic moments at high speeds. The deflections and
evolved forces are then considered as input conditions in
determining, by the transfer matrix method (TMM), the total
spindle displacement at the spindle end (tool end). The
spindle-bearing system will be analysed first and will be
followed by the analysis of the TMM.
Fig. 2. Angular position of rolling elements.

3.1 Analysis of the Spindle System

i
,

In this work, angular contact ball-bearings are used in the

spindle-bearing system. In the modelling of the deflection at
the ball-spindle interface, centrifugal forces and gyroscopic
moments are considered in determining the ball centre
migration, and consequently, the contact deformations. It has
been shown that because of bearing preloading and high
rotational speeds, a shift occurs in the radius of curvature of
the inner race while the outer race is fixed [19,20]. Figure 2
shows the positions of the ball centre and raceways for a
particular angular position of the ball. From this figure it is
evident that a shift occurs in the inner raceway groove centre
resulting in a change in the contact angles as shown in Fig.
3. Such changes in raceway contact angles lead to variation
in load distributions on the balls. At high speeds, it has been
shown that the outer contact angles are less than the nominal
contact angle and the inner raceway contact angle is greater
than the nominal contact angle [20]. Therefore, it is necessary
to determine the instantaneous contact angles at each ball
position for given rotational speeds. Once these angles are
known the traditional force-deflection equations for pointcontact deformation can be used to determine the total
deflection deformation of the ball-spindle interface and the
forces evolved.
The following equations, developed from Fig. 2, are used
in determining the instantaneous contact angles and are based
on the works in [19,20].
W z + V2 - ((FO (AF -

W) 2 +

(RF -

0.5) D + ~o)2 = 0
V) 2 -

( ( F I - 0.5) D +

(1)

AF

<

tI

-~q

a.0.oo.
Ball ~ n t ~ r ,

Outerraeewa

Final ~ i f i o ~
a n e r r eway
gr oov~ curvature eenladr

.!/,

. . . . . . . .

r ~e

Fig. 3. Positions of ball centre and raceway groove curvatures at

angular position ~, with and without applied load.
Ko~ao.s W
0.5) D + 8o

?to M V / D (FO +

KiSl s ( A F - W ) - hi M ( R F - V ) / D
(FI -

0.5) D + 8i

= 0

(3)

ko M V / D + KoS~os V
( F O - 0.5) D + 8o
k~M ( A F 0.5) D + 81

Ki~I 5 ( R F - V ) +
(FI -

802 = 0
(2)

- -

cos(13o) =

V/((FO -

W)/D

0.5) D + 8i)

CF=O

(4)
(5)

Spindle Deflections in High-speed Machine Tools

cos(13i) = R F - W ( ( F I - 0.5) D + ~i)

(6)

sin(13o) = W/((FO - 0.5) D + ~i)

(7)

sin(13i) = A F - W / ( ( F I - 0.5) D + ~i)

(8)

CF = 2.095 (D/2) 3 p PW2262/1000

(9)

M = J(W1/o0 (W2Ao) 2 o~z sin(F)

Fa

Mq

elastic modulus, the length, and the moment of inertia of the

structure and the rotational speed. The following is a
representation of the transfer matrix for deflections in the ydirections as used in this study:

llii '

(10)

The subscripts i and o refer to the outer and inner raceways.

The first two equations are Pythagorean relationships between
the instantaneous bal~ centre position and deflections of the
inner and outer raceways. The third and fourth equations
represent the sum of forces in two perpendicular directions
(x and y). The solutions of the first four equations are used
to provide the inner and outer contact angles found using
equations (5)-(8). It is to be noted that these equations are
nonlinear and the values of gyroscopic M, and the centrifugal
force CF depend on the particular value of the variables.
Also, A F and R F depend on axial misalignment of the spindle
(if any), and the relative axial and radial displacement of the
two bearing races set by bearing preload and assembly. These
three parameters, along with initial guesses for the primary
variables w, v, ~i, ~o are used as inputs for solving the system.
This system of equations is to be solved for each of the ball
positions to determine the deflection at the contact points
and deflection stresses. Once this is done, force and moment
equations shown below are applied, in conjunction with the
contact deflections, to the entire spindle for determining more
accurately the axial and radial displacements (initially input
as guesses) for the applied preloads:

235

My

Vy

l/E!

F/2EI
1

o~2m loj2m FoJ2m/2EI (13o~3m/6EI) + 1

MY i-1

v,
A similar matrix may be constructed for the deflections in
the z-direction.
Thus, by knowing conditions at the previous (i - 1) segment
of the structure, the conditions at the next segment may be
determined. It is assumed here that the spindle may deflect
(bend) in the x, y and y, z planes leading to deflections along
the y and z directions. The z-direction is vertical while the
y-direction is along the axis of the spindle. The x-direction is
perpendicular to the y and z directions.
In summary, the inner and outer contact angles and the
resulting deflections determined at each of the ball positions
for the given material and operational conditions form input
boundary conditions to the TMM for determining the total
deflection at the spindle end. The next section presents initial
results of the simulation.

X~v (Qq sinaij - h 0 - ~ cosaj) = 0

F~ - "Z~ (Qq cosetij + hq

t~j) = 0

Mj

M - X u ((Qq sinaq - xij-~-) cosaq)Ri + hqMj)cost~j = 0

Here, the first two equations sum the forces for all the ball
positions in the vertical and horizontal directions for the
entire spindle whereas the third equation is the sum of the
moments.
The total deflection at the bearing is then given by:
10-5
{5 __FR
= 2.53 D-TCOS[3

\ Z cosl3 + P

where P = K~ = contact deformation force and FR is the

bearing preload and the deformation values are obtained by
the solution of the above equations. These deflections form
the input boundary conditions for the TMM method.

3.2 Analysis of the Deflection at the Spindle End

The TMM technique was used to determine the total deflection
at the spindle end [21]. The TMM technique divides a
structure into separate segments and from boundary conditions
of the forces and deflections, the net deflection and forces at
the free end are determined. The TMM technique requires
as an input a matrix of coefficients whose elements are the

4.

Results

A computer program, based on the Hooke-Jeeves Search

Technique (HJST) [22] was used to determine the optimum
inner and outer contact angle values for given input conditions
and axial deflections at the bearing end. The input conditions
were the initial guesses for the contact deformations at the
inner and outer races, the final ball centre position, the
relative axial and radial deflection of the bearing, and the
bearing misalignment (referred to in Fig. 3). The HJST
searches the function space for the minimum function value
based on initial guesses for the decision variables. In this
case, the function value was the squared sum of equations
(1)-(4) and was minimised to zero to yield corresponding
values of inner and outer race deformations and ball centre
migrations. These values were then used to determine the
inner and outer race contact angles and the total tool end
deflections for a given spindle system. The bearing and spindle
system specifications used for the simulations are given below.
Number of balls in bearing = 16
Nominal contact angle = 40 degrees
Ball diameter = 22.23 mm
Inner raceway diameter = 102.79 mm
Outer raceway diameter = 147.73 mm
Inner groove radius = 11.63 mm

236

S. Chatterjee
60|

LLI

+ - ,~,

.+___..4___+

CO 60-

51-

50. ~ _ _ _ ~

,-~

..,

45-

4o1--.. ~

}~

~.

~.-t~..

~::-~"

~ : ~

....

40 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
~5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

~ i ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................
b 25" --~-'-~--'~---~-.~-:~-"-FE--~'-_E---~F-~"--~Z-- ~--~Z--~y"-'.~-'-~F
2 0 ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................
2 0 ......................................................................................................................................................

1 5 - ---~,,,

8
22.5

67.5

OKN, INA

10KN, O T A

L [] IOKN, INA

20KN, OTA - ~ - 20KN, INA

40'

~4

~ ~ - '

[]

)<

..'."

.~I

fL~-~-`L~`.--~ L - - L - ~ . ` L - ~

~ ~-~),(-.-~

."<~

20KN, O T A
1 0 K N , INA

35,

o<

2 5 ~ - " --- - - - - '

~.

;-I"

20.
...............................

O
67.5
45

112.5

90

157.5
202.5
247.5
292.5
337.5
135
180
225
270
815
360
B A L L LOCATION ANGLE, DEGREES

OTA==3UT~RRACE ~tNGLE
(NA=INNERRACE ANGLE
FRELOAO IN KN
-.m-- 0 K N , O T A

10KN,INA

'~"

OKN,INA

:~

;'. - - - : ~ . -

180

225

270

315

360

~" 20KN, tNA

10KN, OTA

5KN, OTA

5 K N , INA

~ 0 .............................................................................................................................

10KN,OTA

- - x - - 2 0 K N , O T A --~1~-- 2 0 K N , I N A

Fig. 5. Contact angle variation at 10000 r.p.m.

-"

---''

-'

90

-'

-'- - - - - '

'

- +'

-'

'

-J~-------'--'~-

135
180
225
270
B A L L POSITION, D E G R E E S

OTA= OUTER CONTACT ANGLE

INA=INNER CONTACT ANGLE
PRELOAD IN KN

mE 0 K N , O T A
0KN,INA

~" 1 0 K N , O T A +

IOKN,INA

315

360

20KN,OTA
.A

20KN,INA

Fig. 7. Contact angle variation at 30000 r.p.m.

18o-r
z

-0.5

160 .{i-4~
]
_;~
,..................
_+___:. ...~.__
' - : - - - +~. ~ ;
, ...,l~=__
,, ~L._.~_.......~
;
.t,. 4-- ~t,, ~,--->~.---~
t,, i
~ 0.4
140 .........................................................................................................................................................................................
'-

12o I .....................................................................................................................................................................
=
LL 1004....................................................................................................................................................................................
03 z
[
.I

8 0 ..................................................................................................................................................................................

LL

5 0 ~....................................................................................................................................................................................
0.2 "'~O
40 ...............................................................................................................................................................................................
20 .............................................................................................................................................................................................
0.1

0
-20
_ ,
, -,
,
,
. . . . . . . . .
-0
22.5
67.5
112.5
157,5
202.5
247.5
292.5
337.5
M=MOMENT
45
90
185_
180
225
270
315
860
CF=CENTRIFUGALFORCE
BALL LOCATION, DEGREES
PRELOADIN KN [ ~ _

22.5

BALL ~,-',o,~,r.,,,.~r_~o,.,~,DEG REEB

-~-

45

~L....~.......~o..

`---~e--~.L--~.~-~-

2 5 ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................

~.~-~`~:~.~-~-~-~'~-~-~-~'~--~.~::

o 152~.5 . 67.
. 5 . . 112.5
.
15~'.5' 20~.5' 24~.5' 292.5' 8a7.5~-

<

15.

_ ~ , 5 ' 2 0 ~_. 5 ' ~ 4 k_5_' ~ 0 ~ - ~ ' ~ '_, ~_'

135

z
~
<
F--

~4

20 ...................................................................................................................................................

O3 60~

40 ...........................................................................................................

The results of this simulation study are now presented. It

is seen from Figs 4 - 7 that the ball contact angle at a
circumferential position varies with rotational speeds. The
inner and outer contact angles vary, from the mean contact
angle of 40 degrees, the inner race contact angle being higher
and the outer race contact angle being lower than the mean
contact angle. The patterns of ball excursions are very similar
at different preloads although at lower preloads the contact
angle variations at the races are larger than at higher preloads.
With increasing speeds the contact angles tend to exhibit
higher excursions from the nominal. This can be seen by
comparing Figs 4 and 7 for spindle speeds of 5000 and
30000 r.p.m.

5 o , L ~ - - . ~ - . . . . ~ - - - - -~ILl
c-', 45 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Spindle diameter = 29.27 m m

Assumed shaft assembly misalignment = 0.001 radian

~.

CO 60" [3_ ~--.E~--.-.E~,~I:3 - u

LJ ~
~ "-'~' [::3' ~
CZ'--'--~ ~
55 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Spindle length = 304.8 mm

Elasticity modulus = 200000 N / m m 2
Moment of inertia of shaft = 39612.55 m m 4

~-~*-~:

'~k5'~5_
90

:<

Fig. 6. Contact angle variation at 15000 r.p.m.

Pitch diameter of ball circle = 125 mm

Bearing stiffness = 375350 N / m m ~~
Mass moment of ball = 2.21163 kg/mm e

50
45-

:.4

IN,k=iNNERGONTA~TAN~LE
PRELOADINK-,N

Fig. 4. Contact angle variation at 5000 r.p.m.

rr

'.....e75'

OTA = OUTER CONTAGT ANGLE

~o~z~,

~4

45

112.5.
157.5
202.5
247.5
292.5
337.5
90
185
180
225
270
315
860
BALL LOCATION ANGLE, DEGREES

45
0TA=0UTER R~,CANGLE
INA=Ii'~ERRACE ANGLE
P~LOA~ IN KN
I~
OKN, OTA

OF, 0KN

--E~-- M, 0KN

CF, 1oKN- - - ~ - CF, 20KN 1

--x-- M, 10KN ~

M, 20KN

Fig. 8. Centrifugal force and gyroscopic moment variations at

5000 r.p.m.
The variations of centrifugal forces and moments are shown
in Figs 8 and 9. Both the parameters vary with ball location
and gyroscopic moments are noted to be similar at 5000 and
30000 r.p.m.
The deflections at the bearings are shown in Figs 10-12. It
is seen that the deformation is maximum at certain preloads.

Spindle Deflections in High-speed Machine Tools

237

0,11L6
0 5000
0

4000 i

~o
......................................................................................................................................

.........................................................................................................................

2000
E::
,~ 1000
Z
LU
0 "" =
0

,$

0.1.

--0.2

0,~

LO.4 5"

0,08

L-o.6 Lu

0.07'

...............................................................................................................................

-,.0.8 0

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

-1000-

22.5

.....
.

67,5

45
PRELOADIN KN
CF=CENTRIFUGALFORCE
M=MOMENT

[--~

90

'

112.5 157.5 202,5 247.5 292.5 ,337.5

135
180
225
270
815
360
BALL LOCATION, DEGREES

CF, OKN +

--~"- M, 0KN

0.06

0.05

~r~,-.-1

0.04

'-1.2

lb

2b

PRELOAD, KN

CF, 10KN --~4-- CF, 20KN

z~DELFECTION -'+-- Y-DEFLECTION

--x-- M, 10KN * - i - M, 20KN

Fig. 12. Deflection at bearing end at 15000 r.p.m.

Fig. 9. Centrifugal force and gyroscopic moment variations at

30000 r.p.m.

0.45
0.4

0,06[
}

,51 ..........................................................................
00,1 .............................................................
0.o`31 .............................................

0,3

..................................................

..................................
......................

0021 ...........................
'1I ..................

......................
..................................

0135

10

(3 0.25
0
uJ
LU
a

0.2

o.15
0.1

0,05

PRELOAD, KN

20

PRELOAD, KN
I~

Z-DEFLECTION - - + - Y-DEFLECTION

Z DEFLECTION - + - - Y DEFLECTION ]

Fig. 13. Deflection at spindle end at 5000 r.p.m.

Fig. 10. D e f l e c t i o n at b e a r i n g end at 5000 r.p.m.
1.3-

&Off
0,06-

1.21,1"
1-

i 0.05"
O
0.04-

O 0.9FO 0,8uJ

0.08-

uJ
3 0.6-

0.07-

0.02.

0,7-

0.5.
0.4

0,010

-m--Z

5000
10000
PRELOAD, KN

D E F L E C T I O N ' - + - Y DEFLECTION

20000

ib

2'0

PRELOAD, KN

l+

Z-DEFLECTION ~

Y-DEFLECTION 1

Fig. 14. Deflection at spindle end at 15 000 r,p.m,

Fig. 11. Deflection at bearing end at 10000 r.p.m.

The deformation is for two directions perpendicular to the
shaft centre-line. The reasons for the peaking of the deflection
at particular preloads cannot yet be determined. The total
deflections at the spindle end, obtained by the TMM, are
shown in Figs 13 and 14 and are slightly higher than those at
the bearing end. The deflections increase with rotational
speeds for the simulated conditions.
In this study the bearing stiffness was assumed to be
constant. This, however, may not be the case as observed by
others [2]; changes in bearing stiffness can be taken into
consideration in the process.

5.

Discussion

This simulation has shown variations in the contact angles

owing to high rotational speeds resulting in subsequent
deflections at the bearing and the spindle ends. A t low speeds
the contact angles are close to the nominal; however the
variations increase with rotational speeds. A n increase in the
preload seems to limit the angular excursions somewhat, but
variations are still significant. Deflections at the spindle end
are more than those at the bearing end for the spindle system
simulated. It is therefore necessary to simulate different

238

S. Chatterjee

spindle and bearing systems that impart more rigidity to the

system and examine the robustness of the simulator.
A t this stage one of the primary concerns is to establish
the validity of this modelling process and the simulator
with experimental data. Efforts are presently underway for
obtaining industrial data and/or designing the experimental
set-up. Specially built motor-integrated spindles are necessary
at speeds of 10000r.p.m. and above. Additionally, the
sensitivity of the model output with respect to the input
conditions is also currently being examined.
The variation of the contact angles and the subsequent
contact deformations and deflections are important for highspeed machining. Specifically, the spindle deflection errors
can be compared with other error sources (servo errors,
thermal errors, etc.) and used in the development of machine
tool error budgets.
Another important factor is the effect of the variability of
the dimension of each ball on the overall spindle deflection
at high speeds. This may have an effect on the overall process
capability. The effect on total deflection, through simulation,
of ball material differences on contact deformation and
alternative materials, such as composites, by incorporating
the material properties in the simulation needs to be examined.
The present model does not incorporate bearing heat
effects. It is intended in the future to include heat effects in
the model.

6.

Conclusions

This research has attempted to model spindle error profiles

for high rotational speeds. Bearing contact angle variations,
variations in centrifugal forces and moments, total tool end
deflections have been modelled. Based on the research some
important further research areas in high-speed machining are:
1. Consideration of alternative materials in spindle structures.
2. Examination of the effect of variations in ball dimensions
on the deflections.
3. Development of error budget processes in machine tools.
4. Examination of the effects of various spindle tapers on
deflection at high speeds.
5. Examination of effects of stiffer bearing materials on
deflections.
It is hoped that such investigations will lead to a better
understanding of the high-speed machining process and better
design of machine tools.

Acknowledgement
The financial support provided by the Office of Research
Administration, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN,
is gratefully acknowledged.

References
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Chapman and Hall, New York, pp. 1-26, 1985.

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a high speed spindle system", Transactions of the NAMRI/SME,
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3. Y. C. Shin, H. Chin and M. J. Brink, "Characterization of CNC
machining centers", Journal of Manufacturing Systems, 10(5),
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the CIRP, 39(2), pp. 645-656, 1990.
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Annals of the CIRP, 37(1), pp. 373-376, 1988.
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Nomenclature

AF
RF
W
V
D
ro
r~
M

final position, inner raceway groove centre

initial position, inner raceway groove centre
final position of ball centre
initial position of ball centre
ball diameter, mm
inner raceway groove radius, mm
inner raceway groove radius, mm
gyroscopic moment, N-mm

FO
t71

ro/D
ri/o

P
Ko

bearing pitch diameter, mm

outer race load-deflection constant, N/ram 1.5

Spindle Deflections in High-speed Machine Tools

K~
CF
J
l
E
I
Y
Z

M
V
m
P

8o

inner race load-deflection constant, N/mm 1'5

centrifugal force, N
mass moment of inertia, N.mm 2
length of spindle, mm
modulus of elasticity, N/mm 2
moment of inertia of spindle, mm 4
deflection of spindle along y-direction, mm
deflection of spindle along z-direction, mm
moment at spindle end, N.mm
shear force at spindle end, N
spindle mass, kg
material density
outer race contact angle

~o
F
W1
W2

239

inner race contact angle

nominal contact angle
inner race deformation
outer race deformation
angle between ball centre of rotation and the horizontal
mis-alignment (in degrees) of shaft assembly measured in a
plane perpendicular to shaft axis (x-direction)
ball and raceway angular raceway velocity ratio for outer
raceway control
ball orbital and angular raceway velocity ratio for rotating
inner raceway and outer raceway control
circumferential ball position
raceway control parameter