Minimum Zone Evaluation of Cylindricity Error Based on the Improved Whale Optimization Algorithm

The shape error of shaft-type mechanical components directly influences the quality, fitting precision and lifespan of the components. Among these, cylindricity error is a critical indicator for evaluating the precision of shaft-type components. Based on the new generation geometric product specifications & verification (GPS), this paper researched GPS inspection operation operators, determined extraction and fitting schemes, and constructed a mathematical model for cylindricity error evaluation. Consequently, a method for cylindricity error evaluation based on an improved whale optimization algorithm was proposed. The proposed algorithm introduced chaotic mapping and nonlinear parameters during population initialization to enhance solution quality. Subsequently, adaptive weighting coefficients were incorporated during spiral position updates to improve the algorithm's local search capability. Finally, Levy flight strategies were introduced during random search to enhance the algorithm's global search capability. This study conducted experimental validation and analysis by performing numerous comparative experiments on different extraction point numbers, cross-section numbers, evaluation criteria, and algorithms. The experimental results indicated that the proposed method for cylindricity error evaluation demonstrated significant improvements in both accuracy and efficiency compared to genetic algorithms, least squares methods, and others.