Influence of tool posture variations and SIM method application on surface topography in 5-axis ball-end milling

Surface topography serves as a critical determinant of fatigue strength and tribological performance in five-axis ball-end milling of complex curved workpieces, where residual height and texture geometry are significantly influenced by variations in tool posture. To investigate the evolution of surface topography with kinematic parameters in five-axis ball-end milling, this study proposed an innovative Sweep-Inerpolate-Map (SIM) model for the prediction of three-dimensional surface topography. The experimental measurements and simulated predictions of surface topography demonstrated strong consistency through multivariate cutting experiments conducted under three critical parameters: feedrate ranging 0.2–0.5 mm/rev, B-axis angle (θ_b) ranging 0°∼10°, and C-axis angle (θ_c) ranging 0°∼360°. Detailed analysis revealed two key mechanisms: (1) The Texture Unit Inclination Angle (TUIA) exhibits sinusoidal periodicity with respect to θ_b and θ_c, TUIA reaches extremum values in clockwise/counterclockwise directions when θ_b>0° with θ_c at 90° or 270°, respectively; (2) The Peak Line Residual Height (PLRH) is primarily governed by θ_b, showing significant positive correlation between its amplitude/fluctuation range and θ_b. PLRH demonstrates minimal sensitivity to rotational angles and feed directions with θ_b ranging 0°∼20°. Through systematic simulations and experimental validation, this study constructed a rigorous quantitative mapping framework between kinematic parameters and surface texture characteristics in ball-end milling, thereby providing a solid theoretical foundation for optimizing cutting parameters and achieving active control over texture shape.