Design and Simulation of Magneto-Rheological (MR) Fluid Damper and Experimental Study of its Effect on Tool Vibrations in Cut-off Operation

Chatter vibration is one of the undesirable phenomena in machining processes. The chatter in metal cutting typically causes severe noise, reduced workpiece surface quality, reduced tool life, and a significant reduction in machining efficiency. Therefore, developing suitable methods that increase stability and improve cutting performance is necessary to control tool vibrations in machining processes. Magneto-Rheological (MR) fluid damper is among the equipment developed to dissipate vibration energy in various industries and has the potential to be used in machining processes. In this study, an MR fluid damper containing Fe2O3 nanoparticles is designed and fabricated to dampen the chatter vibrations during the cut-off turning process. The fabricated damper is then experimentally tested in the cut-off turning operation of steel work samples. In the empirical experiments of this research, the tool vibration in damped and non-damped modes is evaluated and compared through measuring the tool acceleration signals. The obtained results show that by using the MR fluid damper, the tool vibrations are significantly reduced, especially in the case of chatter occurrence.