Helical Broach Cutting Layout for Accurate Gullet Profiles

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Solution Overview

Problem

Helical broaches experience excessive cutting and forming errors due to chip interference, leading to inaccurate tooth profiles and increased broach body length and weight, which complicates handling.

Innovation Solution

A broach design with a high-feed cutting section having a cutting depth of 0.15 mm to 0.30 mm per cutting edge, reducing chip-flowing angle and preventing excessive cutting, combined with a low-feed cutting section at the front to avoid shock loads, allowing for a shorter and lighter broach body.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If the number of cutting edges in the roughing edge is increased to achieve desired gullet depth, then the cutting depth per cutting edge can be reduced, but the length and weight of the broach body increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegullet depth accuracyVSAvoidbroach body weight
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the cutting depth parameter from the conventional 0.07-0.08mm to a larger value of 0.15-0.30mm in the high-feed cutting section. This parameter change allows achieving the desired gullet depth with fewer cutting edges, reducing the broach body length from approximately 2m to a shorter length, thereby reducing weight and improving ease of handling while maintaining cutting precision through the optimized chip flow control

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Ease of operation

If the cutting depth per cutting edge is increased to reduce the number of cutting edges, then the broach body length and weight are reduced, but chip interference causes excessive cutting and forming errors

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of handlingVSAvoidtooth profile accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different cutting depth parameters to different sections of the broach. The front side uses conventional small cutting depth (0.07-0.08mm) to avoid shock loads, while the rear side uses large cutting depth (0.15-0.30mm) to reduce the number of cutting edges. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by allowing large cutting depth benefits while mitigating chip interference issues through section-specific optimization

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The broach is divided into two distinct sections: a front side with conventional cutting depth for stable initial cutting, and a rear side with high-feed cutting section for efficient material removal. This segmentation allows each section to optimize its cutting parameters, preventing chip clogging in the high-feed section while maintaining overall tooth profile accuracy

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Manufacturing precision

If conventional small cutting depth is used to avoid chip interference, then tooth profile accuracy is maintained, but the broach body length must be increased to achieve desired gullet depth

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetooth flank accuracyVSAvoidbroach body length
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLength of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a parameter change strategy by increasing the cutting depth from conventional 0.07-0.08mm to 0.15-0.30mm in the high-feed cutting section. This parameter change reduces the number of cutting edges needed from approximately 2m worth to a shorter configuration, achieving the desired gullet depth with reduced broach body length while controlling chip flow to maintain accuracy

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP3456454B1broach
Publication Date: 2023.05.03 TOYOTA MOTOR HOKKAIDO INC
  • EP3456454B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3456454B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3456454B1 patent drawingFigure 4(a)~4(d)

AI summary

This broach includes a broach body (1) having a shaft shape and a cutting edge section (4) in which cutting edges (5) protrude and are arranged in a longitudinal direction on an outer circumference of the broach body (1). The cutting edge section (4) includes, in the order from a front side of the broach body (1), an circumference cutting section (6) in which an outer diameter of each of the cutting edges (5) sequentially increases rearward, and a tooth thickness cutting section (7) in which a thickness of each of the cutting edges (5) sequentially increases from the cutting edges (5) at a rear end of the circumference cutting section (6) toward the rear side. At least a rear end portion of the circumference cutting section (6) is a high-feed cutting section (6A) in which the cutting depth per cutting edge is set in a range of 0.15 mm or more and 0.30 mm or less, since an outer diameter of each of the cutting edges (5) sequentially increases toward the rear side. Accordingly, highly accurate broaching can be performed by preventing tooth profile accuracy degradation of gullets formed in a workpiece, and improvement of ease of handling and power saving of a broaching machine can be achieved by shortening of the broach body.