Experimental Investigations of Steel Welded Machine Tool Bodies Filled with Composite Material

摘要

Designing machine tool body elements is a difficult task, therefore manufacturers introduce minor changes of evolutionary rather than revolutionary character. Modern machine tools very often have a structure similar to the bodies of machines of the previous generation. The vast majority of currently manufactured machine tool bodies are made in the form of grey iron castings. However, their relatively high mass, high cost for unit production, and significant limitations in terms of the possibility of modifying the existing structure, force the search for new, more effective solutions. In presented paper new solution consisting in filling the steel welded structure with a composite material is proposed. Steel welded structure ensures the required stiffness, while composite material is improving the damping properties. The paper presents results of experimental modal analysis conducted for three variants of steel welded body filled with composite material with different filling locations. Obtained results were compared and contrast in terms of dynamical behavior and damping abilities.