Abstract—A missile is a self-propelled guided weapon system. Support bulk head is a thin walled component used to hold bulk head of a missile. The component requires both inside and outside machining. So it needs a special type of fixture to hold the component rigidly. For this, the component is top clamped. Thus it calls for CNC machining. This component is manufactured on a 4-axis turning machine to get dimensional accuracy of the component, to reduce unit cost and labor work. This project is aimed to predict the stable speed range for machining thin-ribbed bulk head support structure with minimum deflection and high surface finish. Harmonic analysis shall be carried out for the support bulk head model, using which the stable speed range is determined. The cutting forces, which were measured experimentally, are applied as input for finite element analysis. The influence of cutting forces on the deflection of bulk head also has been studied. The support bulk head deflection may be influenced by natural frequency of the spindle, if the operating frequency of the spindle matches with it. In order to overcome this problem, free vibration analysis of the high speed spindle unit is performed to determine the natural frequency and mode shapes. Spindle speeds may be selected such that the operating frequency will not match with the natural frequency of the spindle unit. This project is also aimed at optimizing the manufacturing process of the support bulk head. Two different process plans along with NC programs shall be developed to decrease number of setups, which reduces machining time and the unit cost of the component.

Index Terms—Support bulk head, Mandrel design, 4-axis CNC turning machine, Harmonic analysis

Cite: Paderu Madan Manohar and V Srinivas Reddy, "Determination of Optimum Cutting Speed through FEA and Process Optimization of Support Bulk Head," International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics Research, Vol.3, No.4, pp. 622-631, October 2014.