Surface modeling and load distribution analysis of ball screw formed by whirling milling

Due to the processing mechanism difference, the raceway topography of the screw processed by whirling milling and by the traditional method is very different, which has a great impact on the load distribution. Based on the homogeneous coordinate transformation, a novel model is established to calculate the raceway surface topography of the whirling milling ball screw. The validity of the raceway model is proved by comparing the result with Liu’s theoretical and experimental results. Then, the influence of the machining parameters on the raceway profile is studied. On this basis, the load distribution of the whirling milling ball screw under different axial forces and processing parameters is studied by considering the raceway topography as raceway error. The findings indicate that the tool ring’s rotational speed, the workpiece’s rotational speed, the number of tools, and eccentricity all affect the raceway form. The load distribution of whirling milling ball screws is highly dependent on the raceway’s surface topography.