Numerical prediction of surface topography and roughness in milling process

Machined surface topography is very critical since it affects directly the surface quality, especially the surface roughness. Based on the trajectory equations of the cutting edge relative to the workpiece, a new method is developed for the prediction of the machined surface topography. This method has the advantage of simplicity and it is a mesh-independent direct computing method over the traditional interpolation scheme. The topography value of any point on the machined surface can be calculated directly and the spindle runout can be taken into account. The validity of the method is demonstrated by several simulation examples of end and ball-end milling processes.