Experimental characterization of toolholder-main spindle contact

Abstract A non-destructive method is proposed for the evaluation of mechanical contacts to monitor the correct assembly of frequently exchanged machine parts. Constant current is led through the contact area and voltages are determined between the bodies at several point-pairs along the contact perimeter. The contact conductivity distribution—which is in monotonous relationship with the pressure distribution—is determined by a neural network trained by a large set of finite element simulations. The applicability of this procedure is checked numerically and experimentally for the characterization of the toolholder-main spindle connection to ensure their repeatable fixing. The method can be used to analyze a wide range of contacts, e.g., the proper clamping of the workpieces during cutting.