Thermal characteristics of a CNC feed system under varying operating conditions

• Ball-screw preload is the most significant factor to bearing temperature-rise.
• Temperature distribution under multiple bearings and ball-screw nut heat sources is acquired.
• Thermal positioning error is predicted with operating conditions as inputs.

In high-speed and high-precision feed systems, thermal positioning errors are mainly caused by the non-uniform temperature variations and resulting time-varying thermal deformations under different operating conditions. The research presented here ultimately aims to develop a generic method capable of evaluating the thermal characteristics (such as temperature rise of heat sources, thermal positioning error) of the feed system induced by varying operating conditions (feed speed, cutting load and preload of ball screw). The thermal contact resistance between the balls and the inner and outer rings of supporting bearing is calculated using the Hertzian theory and JHM method. Experiments were carried out on a high-speed feed system experimental bench, and the influences of operating conditions on temperature rises of supporting bearings and ball screw nut were analyzed. Based on a WNN-NARMAL2 model, the relationship between temperature rise of supporting bearings and operating conditions was established. Furthermore, with the temperature of the ball screw nut set to be a moving heat source load, the temperature and thermal deformation distributions of the ball screw were simulated. The work described lays a solid foundation for thermal error prediction and compensation of a feed system under varying operating conditions.