Abstract: An on-line piezoelectric measuring system for triaxial cutting force of individual tooth in whirling process is developed, in order to monitor cutter status, study cutting mechanism, and accomplishes high performance hard whirling. Performance requirement of measuring system is discussed, and the dynamometer construction based on whirling machine tool is expressed. Construction reasonableness of the dynamometer is identified by FEM. Main performance parameters of the dynamometer are brought out by static calibration of steady load test and dynamic identification of plus test. The dynamometer is tested in operating whirling conditions. A cutting force prediction model of thread whirling process with double-arc ball track normal cross-section, based on shearing and ploughing effect, is developed in order to validate the testing data, and there is a good agreement between experimental and predicted cutting force trends. It is found that the measuring system is well qualified to monitoring cutting force of individual tooth in thread whirling process, which offers an essential technical means for cutting mechanism study of hard whirling process.

Key words: cutting force, dynamometer, predictive model, whirling process