Stone B.

Metal cutting operations are prone to vibration with a consequential reduction in surface finish quality and the generation of excessive noise. This is particularly true of the unstable vibration commonly called chatter. Various models of the vibration in machining have been developed, however, the number that have led to practical solutions is limited. This paper describes some animation programs that have been written to give students and production engineers a good understanding of chatter. Also the simplest analysis of chatter, that is realistic and allows practical solutions, is presented. With these two aids it is then possible to discuss methods of vibration suppression and how they work. As chatter is an instability it is not just a question of reducing the vibration amplitude by a desired percentage, it is possible to eliminate chatter if the machining process can be made stable.