Adaptive control optimization in the finishing process of hardened materials

In traditional machining systems, cutting parameters are usually selected prior to machining according to handbooks or user’s experience and variations during the machining process such as tool wear and dimensional changes are not considered in selecting cutting parameters. This practice will have a negative effect on the performance of machining. Adaptive control systems have been proposed and developed to find optimal cutting parameters by considering ongoing variations during machining process. Optimization of machining process can be done by off-line or on-line methods. The majority of researches in this field have been conducted in off-line mode. In other words, selection of optimal cutting parameters has been done without considering progressive tool wear. In order to investigate the effect of tool wear in selection of optimal cutting parameters, on-line methods for optimization of machining process should be used. In this paper, the gradient method has been proposed to find optimal cutting parameters during hard turning operation. The results of performed simulations showed that by using adaptive control optimization techniques, the performance of machining process improved and material removal rate increased remarkably.