Chinese Journal of Mechanical Engineering

Cutting force is one of the research hotspots in direct sand mould milling because the cutting force directly affects the machining quality and tool wear. Unlike metals, sand mould is a heterogeneous discrete deposition material. There is still a lack of theoretical research on the cutting force. In order to realize the prediction and control of the cutting force in the sand mould milling process, an analytical model of cutting force is proposed based on the unequal division shear zone model of orthogonal cutting. The deformation velocity relations of the chip within the orthogonal cutting shear zone are analyzed first. According to the flow behavior of granular, the unequal division shear zone model of sand mould is presented, in which the governing equations of shear strain rate, strain and velocity are established. The constitutive relationship of quasi-solid–liquid transition is introduced to build the 2D constitutive equation and deduce the cutting stress in the mould shear zone. According to the cutting geometric relations of up milling with straight cutting edge and the transformation relationship between cutting stress and cutting force, the dynamic cutting forces are predicted for different milling conditions. Compared with the experimental results, the predicted results show good agreement, indicating that the predictive model of cutting force in milling sand mould is validated. Therefore, the proposed model can provide the theoretical guidance for cutting force control in high efficiency milling sand mould.

The hardening on surface of complex profiles such as thread and spline manufactured by cold rolling can effectively improve the mechanical properties and surface quality of rolled parts. The distribution of hardness in superficial layer is closely related to the deformation by rolling. To establish the suitable correlation model for describing the relationship between strain and hardness during cold rolling forming process of complex profiles is helpful to the optimization of rolling parameters and improvement of rolling process. In this study, a physical analog experiment reflecting the uneven deformation during complex-profile rolling process has been extracted and designed, and then the large date set (more than 400 data points) of training samples reflecting the local deformation characteristics of complex-profile rolling have been obtained. Several types of polynomials and power functions were adopted in regression analysis, and the regression correlation models of 45# steel were evaluated by the single-pass and multi-pass physical analog experiments and the complex-profile rolling experiment. The results indicated that the predicting accuracy of polynomial regression model is better in the strain range (i.e., $$\varepsilon < 1.2$$ ) of training samples, and the correlation relationship between strain and hardness out strain range (i.e., $$\varepsilon > 1.2$$ ) of training samples can be well described by power regression model; so the correlation relationship between strain and hardness during complex-profile rolling process of 45# steel can be characterized by a segmented function such as third-order polynomial in the range $$\varepsilon < 1.2$$ and power function with a fitting constant in the range $$\varepsilon > 1.2$$ ; and the predicting error of the regression model by segmented function is less than 10%.

The minimum quantity of lubrication (MQL) technique is becoming increasingly more popular due to the safety of environment. Moreover, MQL technique not only leads to economical benefits by way of saving lubricant costs but also presents better machinability. However, the effect of MQL parameters on machining is still not clear, which needs to be overcome. In this paper, the effect of different modes of lubrication, i.e., conventional way using flushing, dry cutting and using the minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) technique on the machinability in end milling of a forged steel (50CrMnMo), is investigated. The influence of MQL parameters on tool wear and surface roughness is also discussed. MQL parameters include nozzle direction in relation to feed direction, nozzle elevation angle, distance from the nozzle tip to the cutting zone, lubricant flow rate and air pressure. The investigation results show that MQL technique lowers the tool wear and surface roughness values compared with that of conventional flood cutting fluid supply and dry cutting conditions. Based on the investigations of chip morphology and color, MQL technique reduces the cutting temperature to some extent. The relative nozzle-feed position at 120°, the angle elevation of 60° and distance from nozzle tip to cutting zone at 20 mm provide the prolonged tool life and reduced surface roughness values. This fact is due to the oil mists can penetrate in the inner zones of the tool edges in a very efficient way. Improvement in tool life and surface finish could be achieved utilizing higher oil flow rate and higher compressed air pressure. Moreover, oil flow rate increased from 43.8 mL/h to 58.4 mL/h leads to a small decrease of flank wear, but it is not very significant. The results obtained in this paper can be used to determine optimal conditions for milling of forged steel under MQL conditions.

Most current biped robots are equipped with two feet arranged in the right and left which inspired by the human body system. Different from the existing configurations, a novel biped robot with inner and outer feet based on a spatial six-bar 4R2C(R and C denote revolute and cylindric joints, respectively) mechanism is proposed. It can move along a line or a curve by three walking modes that are dwell adjustment mode, limit position adjustment mode and any position adjustment mode. Kinematic, gait planning and stability analyses are performed respectively, and a prototype is developed. Lastly, a potential application is considered and two manipulating modes(sphere and cylinder manipulating modes) are carried out. This interesting mechanism feathering its single closed-chain structure and unique work performance is expected to motivate the configuration creation of biped robots.

Given the global lack of effective analysis methods for the impact of design parameter tolerance on performance deviation in the vehicle proof-of-concept stage, it is difficult to decompose performance tolerance to design parameter tolerance. This study proposes a set of consistency analysis methods for vehicle steering performance. The process of consistency analysis and control of automotive performance in the conceptual design phase is proposed for the first time. A vehicle dynamics model is constructed, and the multi-objective optimization software Isight is used to optimize the steering performance of the car. Sensitivity analysis is used to optimize the design performance value. The tolerance interval of the performance is obtained by comparing the original car performance value with the optimized value. With the help of layer-by-layer decomposition theory and interval mathematics, automotive performance tolerance has been decomposed into design parameter tolerance. Through simulation and real vehicle experiments, the validity of the consistency analysis and control method presented in this paper are verified. The decomposition from parameter tolerance to performance tolerance can be achieved at the conceptual design stage.

The sampling auger used in lunar sampling and return mission is to transmit power and convey soil, and its performance is the key factor of the whole mission. However, there is currently a lack of the optimization research on soil conveying volume and power consumption models in auger structure design. To provide the drilled object, the simulation lunar soil, whose physical and mechanical property is the same as the real soil, is made by reducing soil void ratio. The models are formulated to analyze the influence of auger structure parameters on power consumption and soil conveying volume. To obtain the optimized structure parameters of auger, the multi-objective optimization functions of the maximum soil conveying volume and minimum power consumption are developed. To verify the correctness of the models, the performances of different augers drilling simulation soil are tested. The test results demonstrate that the power consumption of optimized auger is the lowest both in theory and test, and the experimental results of soil conveying volume are in agreement with theoretical analysis. Consequently, a new method for designing a lunar sampling auger is proposed which includes the models of soil conveying volume and transportation power consumption, the optimization of structure parameters and the comparison tests. This method provides a reference for sampling auger designing of the Chinese Lunar Sample Mission.