International Journal of Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineering IJMME-IJENS Vol:14 No:06 99

Simulation of Temperature Distributions of

CNC Lathe Headstock Assembly
1
S.Ramesh Babu, 2S.Dhamotharan
1
Associate Prof., Dept. of Mechanical Engg.,
Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan College of Engineering, Coimbatore
E-mail: rathesh_28@yahoo.com
2
Asst. Prof., Dept. of Mechanical Engg.,
Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan College of Engineering, Coimbatore

Abstract-- This paper mainly analyses the issues of the
temperature distributions of the headstock assembly of a CNC
lathe incorporating contact behavior. The thermal deformation is
due to the heat generation in the bearings, chucking cylinder and
motor. Experiments were carried out on a slant bed 2 axis CNC
lathe for a period of 14 hours under a specified load cycle. Since
heat generated in the machine tool cannot be measured, the
temperatures at certain points on the machine structure are
usually measured and correlated with thermal errors. A finite
element model of the headstock assembly of a CNC lathe was
developed without much structural simplification to obtain the
designed accuracy of the simulation results. The effect of
individual heat generation elements over the machine structure is
studied and analyzed. The results show that the simulation
results are satisfactory to replace the experimental results for
further studies.
Index Term-- Thermal behavior, finite element method,
transient thermal analysis
1. INTRODUCTION
CNC machine tools are becoming increasingly more
popular because of their ability to machine geometrically
complex work-pieces efficiently and with higher dimensional
accuracy.
Improvement of the CNC machine tool accuracy is all
the time the most important pursuit for researchers in
precision manufacturing field. Errors that affect the machine
tool accuracy can be classified as (1) geometric errors, (2)
thermal errors and (3) cutting force-induced errors. Among
these errors, thermal errors account for 70 percent of the total
errors [1]. Spindle is the core component of a CNC machine
tool, and also the important contributor to the total thermal
errors due to the large amounts of heat from its high-speed
revolution. Hence, the studies on thermal deformations of the
spindle are indispensable for reducing the total thermal
errors.
Building a robust thermal error model is the first step for
correcting the thermal errors. The mechanism causing the
machine tool deformations is so complex that it is impractical
to theoretically derive an analytical expression as the thermal
error model by use of all initial conditions and operating
conditions for a machine tool. As far as most modeling
methods are concerned, the thermal error models are all
obtained by finding the best mapping relations between the
thermal errors and some thermal temperature changes at key
points. For example, the neural networks technologies map
the temperature data to the thermal error to predict the
thermal errors [24] and successive regression analysis [5] is
used to solve the coefficients of a polynomial thermal errors
model. Ref. [6] revises the multivariable regression analysis
by replacing the traditional optimization objective function
with a new one to build a robust thermal error model. In all
the modeling methods above, without single exception, the
temperature and thermal error data used are obtained from a
lot of experiments, which are inevitably involved in the
studies of all kinds of advanced measurement technologies in
order to make these collected data as accurate as possible. As
a consequence, the laser ball bar [7], non contact laser
technique [8] and hemispherical ball bar [9] have been
developed to meet these increasing demands. Numerical
computation is another important branch on studying machine
tools thermal deformations.
It is such a hard work involving high costs to collect data
from experiments that the studies on replacing an experiment
with a simulation have become more and more significant in
this field. However, it has almost not been seen to simulate
the thermal deformation without structural simplifications
that can make simulation results unreliable. This paper
considers a CNC lathe headstock assembly as an example and
explains how to simulate its thermal behavior as accurate as
possible incorporating contact behaviors. The simulation
results are verified by experiments on the same CNC lathe.
2. OBJECTIVE AND METHODOLOGY
2.1 Objective
The present work aims at developing a thermal model
of the headstock assembly so as to evaluate the temperature
distribution, which will be used in future for the prediction of
thermal deformation. The objectives are as follows,:
To develop a finite element model of a CNC lathe
headstock assembly.
To determine the transient temperature distribution in
headstock assembly and validate the same by conducting
experiments.
2.2 Methodology
A CNC lathe headstock assembly with angular contact
ball bearings 234416TN9 with inner diameter(ID) 80mm,
outer diameter(OD) 125mm, double groove roller bearings
NN3016KTN with ID 80mm, OD 115mm and NN3014KTN
with ID 70mm, OD 110mm is considered for the study. The

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 International Journal of Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineering IJMME-IJENS Vol:14 No:06
cross-sectional details of headstock assembly are shown in
Fig.1.
Fig. 1. Headstock assembly of the CNC lathe
In the present work, the headstock assembly with a
portion of the bed is considered for analysis. The transient
thermal behavior of CNC lathe headstock assembly is
predicted for free air cutting for a specified load cycle. The
transient temperature variation of the assembly, when it is
subjected to a load cycle of operation and subsequently the fall
in temperature is investigated. The temperature distribution of
the entire assembly is measured for the complete load cycle.
The distribution patterns at different speeds are then compared
with the experimental results for validation.
3. LOAD CYCLE OF OPERATION OF SPINDLE
The load cycle considered is based on the different
operations performed on the machine tool. The spindle is
operated at the given load cycle for about 14 hours as shown
in Fig. 2.
Fig. 2. Load cycle of spindle
The load cycle chosen is of fluctuating type and the speed
of the spindle varies between 0 and 2800rpm. The spindle is to
run at a maximum speed of 2800rpm for 4hrs until the error at
spindle nose reaches steady state, that is, there is no change in
error subsequently. The spindle is stopped from 4th hour to 6th
hour and from 10hr30min to 14th hour. This is to study the
temperature variation in the machine structure due to
intermittent operation.
4. TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT
Fig.3 shows the headstock assembly with a portion of the
bed showing the location of thermal sensors which are
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100
mounted on machine structure. The temperature sensors
PT100 are attached to the machine structure by heat flow paste
and are insulated from the environment by foam. The details
of the positions where sensors are fixed are as follows,
T1 = Chucking cylinder of the spindle
T2 = Chucking cylinder oil box
T3 = Housing of the spindle motor
T4 = Bearing of the spindle, back
T5 = Bearing of the spindle, front
T6 = Lubricant cover of the spindle
T7 = Headstock
T8 = Bed underneath the spindle
T9 = Oil box, machine side
T10 = Coolant input close to the spindle
T11 = Bed close to the transformer
T12 = Bracket of the transformer
T13 = Bearing of the spindle motor
Fig. 3. Headstock assembly showing location of temperature sensors
The temperature sensor T2 is not shown in the diagram
because it represents the oil box of the chucking cylinder
which is placed outside the machine structure. The sensor
points were selected by accounting for all the heat sources in
the headstock assembly which include motor for driving the
spindle and bearings which support the spindle. The
temperature of machine tool bed which supports the entire
headstock assembly is also measured to study the propagation
of heat into the bed.
The transient temperature distribution is plotted in Fig. 4
running the spindle motor at the specified load cycle for a
period of 14 hours and measuring the temperatures at various
places. In this case, both the motors of Z-axis and the X-axis
were switched off, so that the effect of heat sources in the
headstock assembly over the machine structure could be
improved.
From Fig. 4, it is found that the temperatures recorded
using the sensors 1, 2, 3 and 13 reach a maximum when the
spindle runs at 2800 rpm. This is because of their location
closer to heat generation sources such as bearings and motor.
The sensor placed housing of the chucking cylinder recorded a
maximum temperature of 70 C whereas the measured
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 International Journal of Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineering IJMME-IJENS Vol:14 No:06
temperatures in the spindle bearings were found to be 45C
and 40C respectively. This is because of the higher heat
generation in the chucking cylinder due to high pressure of oil
inside. The temperature at the front bearing is greater than that
of the rear bearing
because the diameter is larger at the front than at the rear
end. It is also found that the temperature rise directly depends
on rotational speed of the spindle. But they are non-linearly
related. When the spindle is stopped for 2 hours as shown in
the load cycle,
Fig. 4. Temperatures at different sensor points
the temperature decreases significantly showing the
sensitivity of the machine tool for internal heat generation.
5. NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF TEMPERATURE FIELD
It is very difficult to get the analytical solution of the
temperature field because the heat flows towards all directions
in which the temperature is lower inside the assembly. So the
finite element method is used to obtain the numerical solution
for temperature distribution. The numerical solution can
approximate the analytical solution very well as long as the
structure is correctly and finely meshed. The reliability of the
simulation results also depends on whether the boundary
conditions such as the power of heat sources and heat transfer
coefficients are well defined.
5.1 Heat generation
The major heat generation of the system is caused by
the cutting process and the friction between the balls and races
of the bearings [10]. Assuming that the majority of cutting
heat is taken away by coolant and chips, the heat generated by
bearings is the dominant cause of temperature change. The
heat generated by a bearing can be computed using
Hf = 1.047 10-4 nM
where Hf is the heat generated power (W), n is the rotating
speed of the bearing (rpm), M is the total frictional torque of
the bearing (N mm). The total frictional torque M consists of
two parts, one is the torque M1 due to applied load and the
other one is the torque M2 due to viscosity of lubricant. That is
M= M1 +M2, ------ (1)
where M1= f 1p1dm, ------ (2)
where f1 is a factor related to the bearing type and load, p1 is
the bearing preload (N), dm is the mean diameter of the bearing
(mm).
M2 = 10-7 f 0 (von)2/3dm3 if von2000 ------ (3)
M2 = 16010-7f 0 dm3 if von<2000 ------ (4)
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101
where f0 is a factor related to bearing type and lubrication
method, v0 is the kinematic viscosity of the lubricant (mm2/s).
The heat generated from the chucking cylinder ball
bearings (CC-B) and the heat generated due to the oil pressure
inside the chucking cylinder is evaluated. With the help of
empirical equations, heat generations in spindle front ball
bearing (FB-B), front roller bearing (FR-B) and spindle rear
roller bearing (RB-R) were estimated and shown in Fig.5.
Fig. 5. Heat generation rate of the bearings with speed
From the above graph, it is clear that the maximum heat
generation is at chucking cylinder and the lowest at spindle
rear bearing, whereas the heat generation at spindle front
bearings are lesser than the chucking cylinder.
5.2 Heat transfer coefficient
The heat transfer coefficient for convection is
investigated in [11, 12]. It is defined as
h = (Nu x kfluid) / d
(5)
where kfluid is the thermal conductivity of the ambient air, Nu is
the Nusselt number. When convection occurs at outer surfaces
of a long cylinder, such as a shaft,d represents the diameter
of the cylinder.
Fig. 6. Variation of Convective heat transfer coefficient with speed
The Nusselt number Nu is computed from the Reynolds
number, Re, and the Prandtl number, Pr, based on different
convection conditions. For the present work, the following
equation is used [13] :
Nu=0.133 x Re2/3 x Pr1/3, ...(6)
where Re = ufluid / fluid & Pr = cfluid fluid / k fluid
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where ufluid is the velocity, vfluid is the kinematic viscosity, cfluid
is the specific heat capacitance and fluid is the dynamic
viscosity of air.
This equation is valid for Re<4.3105, 0.7<Pr<670.
For free convection around stationary surfaces, h=9.7W/m2C
is used. Thermal loads and the coefficient of convection heat
transfer can be computed by the equations mentioned above.
When the spindle stops rotating, the convection form becomes
natural convection and the coefficient of convective heat
transfer is assumed to be 10W/(m2C) based on practical
experiences. Fig. 8. Temperature distribution of the headstock assembly with a portion of
bed
6. FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS
A comparison of temperature at RB-R, FB-B, FB-R and CC-B
The finite element method (FEM) is used to develop
bearings between the experimental and FEM results is made
a transient thermal model of the same to investigate the
for the complete load cycle and shown in Fig. 9, 10 & 11
transient temperature distribution of a CNC lathe headstock
respectively corresponding to the load cycle shown in Fig. 2.
assembly.
The model is discretised using 20-node hexahedron
thermal solid element (SOLID 187) with a single degree of
freedom, namely temperature, at each node. The 20-node
elements have compatible temperature shapes and are well
suited to model curved boundaries. The 20-node thermal
element is applicable to a 3-D, steady-state or transient
thermal analysis. It has tetrahedral, pyramid, prism options to
be used on critical corners during mesh generation.

Fig. 9. Comparison of temperature at rear bearing set

It is observed from Fig. 9 that a maximum temperature of

40C is obtained in the rear bearing. The pattern of variation
of temperature predicted using FEM is found to be in close
agreement to that of experimental results. Temperature
distribution for the front bearing is shown in Fig. 10.

Fig. 7. Finite element model of headstock assembly

The finite element mesh for the entire headstock assembly of
CNC lathe with the contact behavioral property at the bearings
is as shown in Fig.7
6.1 Transient Thermal Analysis
Transient thermal analysis for the specified load cycle is
carried out on the headstock assembly. Fig.8 shows the
temperature distributions of the assembly with a portion of the
bed.

Fig. 10. Comparison of temperature at front bearing set

The maximum temperature at the front bearing is 46C which
is greater than the temperature at rear because the diameter of
the bearing is greater than the rear bearing. Fig. 11 shows the
temperatures at chucking cylinder.

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 International Journal of Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineering IJMME-IJENS Vol:14 No:06 103
[9] Seung-Han Yang, Ki-Hoon Kim, Yong Kuk Park, Measurement of
spindle thermal errors in machine tool using hemispherical ball bar
test, International Journal of Machine Tools and Manufacture 44
(2004) 333340.
[10] T.A. Harris, Rolling Bearing Analysis. Wiley Sons, New York,
1991, pp. 540560
[11] B. Bossmanns, J.F. Tu, A thermal model for high speed motorized
spindles, International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture
39(1999) 13451366
[12] H. Li, Y.C. Shin, Integrated dynamic thermo-mechanical modeling
of high speed spindles, Part1: model development, transactions of
the ASME, Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering 126
(2004) 148158.
[13] J.K. Choi, D.G. Lee, Thermal characteristics of the spindle bearing
system with a gear located on the bearing span, International
Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 38 (1998) 10171030.
Fig. 11. Comparison of temperature at chucking cylinder bearings

It is found that the maximum temperature of 70C is

reached at the chucking cylinder, due to high pressure of the
oil used for holding the work rigidly.
7. CONCLUSION
The experiments were carried out on CNC lathe
under idle running and temperature at various sensible
positions on the headstock assembly is measured using PT100
sensors for the loadcycle. A finite element model for the
headstock assembly of a CNC lathe was built without much
structural simplification for the accuracy of the simulation
results. The temperature distribution of the same is obtained
by transient thermal analysis, using ANSYS. The temperature
rise of the assembly deflects the spindle nose away from the
tool center point. The maximum percentage error in
temperature predicted in rear bearing, front bearing and
chucking cylinder bearings are found to be 7.5%, 8.24% and
9% respectively. As the percentage of error lies in an
acceptable range the model would be used for the further
studies in determining the thermal deformation characteristics
and for compensations.

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