Design and Characterization of Piezoceramic Thick Film Sensor for Measuring Cutting Forces in Turning Processes

Cutting forces in turning processes usually correlate with tool conditions. For this reason, the acquisition of force signals is of key importance for monitoring purposes. Despite the robustness of current piezoelectric measuring platforms, their large weight ratio relative to standalone tool-holder systems limits their effective usable bandwidth for analyzing force signals. Further limitations include high costs and lack of flexibility for general purpose turning operations. Due to this, such systems fail to find acceptance in practical applications and are mainly limited to research activities. To improve these aspects, this work investigates the use of an alternative integration concept using a piezoceramic thick film sensor for performing near-process cutting force measurements at the tool-holder. The charge output of the sensor was estimated using a coupled structural-piezoelectric simulation for its design. The modelled prototype was assembled and characterized by means of a static calibration and an impact hammer test. Following these, a first implementation of the system under dry cutting conditions took place.