Investigation on Tool Path Planning Algorithm of Propeller Blade Double-Sided Collaborative Machining

The concomitant vibration and deformation produced by propeller blades in single-sided machining seriously affect the surface machining precision. Double-sided symmetrical machining can improve system rigidity through mutual shoring on both sides which abates the concomitant vibration and deformation. However, the actual double-sided symmetrical machining cannot be applied to blade machining due to its shape complexity. The double-sided collaborative machining method combining symmetrical machining and staggered machining is devised in this paper, and its tool path planning algorithm is investigated. Firstly, the algorithm achieves smooth fitting and correspondence of bilateral cutter position points through double-curve interpolation and position data alignment. Secondly, the blade surface is divided into four regions by two partition parameters: tip region, internal region, variable region, and edge region. Then, the conversion between symmetrical machining and staggered machining is completed through the Sigmoid deformation curve in the variable region. Finally, the feasibility and superiority of double-sided collaborative machining are verified through machining experiments.