APPLYING HIGH-SPEED MACHINING TECHNIQUES ON ROTOR GRIP CONFIGURATIONS

The main purpose of this paper is to show the results of a test that compared the application of high-speed machining techniques against conventional machining techniques on aluminum clevis type configurations to gain machining run times that were 3 to 4 times faster with no loss of accuracy or quality. The high-speed techniques were conducted by using special high-speed machine equipment, carbide end mills, and frequency analysis software that would predict the best machining parameters for stable cutting in a rotor-like aluminum workpiece. The intent of this test is to demonstrate that significantly higher manufacturing productivity gains can be made on these types of rotorcraft parts by using this technology. A secondary purpose is to provide an overview of the general concepts of high-speed machining and how machining parameters of this type of process can be implemented.