Adaptive active vibration control for machine tools with highly position-dependent dynamics

The material removal rates of machine tools are often limited by chatter, which is caused by the machine’s most flexible structural modes. Active vibration control systems mitigate chatter vibrations and increase the chatter free axial depth of cut. However, model-based control strategies reach their limit if the machine tool exhibits highly position-dependent dynamics. In this paper, an adaptive control strategy is presented. This strategy uses online system identification to adapt the controller. The adaption algorithm is mainly automated. However, a few parameters still need to be selected. Therefore, a methodology for the determination of the optimal parameters is proposed. The adaptive controller was implemented on a B&R PLC and its suitability was verified experimentally by the observation of notable increases in the chatter-free material removal rates.