Interconnected Cutting Tool Arms for High Stiffness-to-Weight
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rotary cutting tools, such as reamers and milling cutters, often lack sufficient stiffness to prevent unwanted movement during operations, necessitating a solution that enhances stiffness while minimizing weight.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an interconnected relationship between leading and trailing arms, along with a support member, to increase axial, radial, and tangential stiffness of the cutting tool, thereby enhancing the stiffness-to-weight ratio.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional cutting tool structures are used, then the tool can maintain simplicity and ease of manufacture, but the stiffness is insufficient to prevent unwanted movement during cutting operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple arms (leading arms and trailing arms) into an interconnected structure where arms are rigidly connected to each other and to the cutting head, forming a unified stiff framework that prevents unwanted movement while maintaining structural efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces radial extension of arms from the rotational axis, creating a multi-dimensional interconnected structure that provides stiffness in multiple directions (axial, radial, and tangential) rather than relying on a single-dimensional support structure
2Strength
If heavier tooling structures are used to increase stiffness, then unwanted movement is reduced, but the weight increases beyond machine and application limits
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies material and structural optimization locally at critical stress points in the arms and their interconnections, providing enhanced stiffness where needed while using lighterweight construction in non-critical areas, achieving high stiffness-to-weight ratio
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material construction in the arms and cutting head assembly, combining materials with high strength-to-weight ratios to achieve increased stiffness without proportionally increasing weight, meeting machine and application weight limits
Data Source
AI summary
A cutting tool with interconnected arms that increases the stiffness to weight ratio of the cutting tool is described. The principles of the invention can be applied to any cutting tool, such as a reamer, a milling cutter, a slotting cutter, and the like. In one example, a cutting ring includes a cutting head assembly with a leading arm, a trailing arm, and a cutting head supported by the leading arm and the trailing arm. The trailing arm interconnects with the leading arm of an adjacent cutting head assembly, and the leading arm interconnects with a trailing arm of another adjacent cutting head assembly. As a result of this interconnection of arms, the axial, radial and tangential stiffness to weight ratio of the cutting tool is increased. A support member may be included to further increase the stiffness to weight ratio.