Contact mechanics applied to the machining of thin rings

Precision machining of thin rings is of key importance in the performance of many mechanical components such as bearings, rings, turbines, etc. An important factor to take into account is to know the influence of the clamping forces values at different angular positions of the workpiece in the geometrical tolerances after machining. The lower the clamping force, better tolerances will be achieved, but with the disadvantage of reducing friction force and, therefore, increasing the risk of slipping. Therefore, achieving a minimum but safe clamping force is a key factor to control the process. This paper presents some contributions of contact mechanics to the determination of an optimum clamping force. A subsequent methodology is applied that takes into account model of bulk deformation and local contact stresses and experimental data with the object of obtain the optimum torque applied to the chuck.