An active system of reduction of vibrations in a centerless grinding machine using piezoelectric actuators

Centerless grinding has been extensively used in production engineering to produce accurate cylindrical parts together with high productivities. On the other hand, regenerative chatter vibrations are one of the major problems that limit the ability to produce round workpieces. This constraint can be solved selecting proper machine setup conditions, which still largely relies on a trial and error method, and sometimes this approach is not optimum in a productivity sense. This paper shows a novel method to reduce chatter vibrations in a centerless grinding machine using actively controlled piezoelectric actuators. A simplified model of the machine is used to simulate the behavior of several commercially available piezoelectric actuators in two different locations of the machine. Based on these simulations, a selection of proper actuators and their optimal location is obtained and the control system is implemented experimentally. Experimental results show that the control strategy provides a stabilizing effect on chatter. Thus, the viability of using piezoelectric actuators as active components is demonstrated, providing an important advance in the knowledge of chatter control in centerless grinding machines. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.