Some Experimental Approaches to the Evolution of Radial Runout Measured on a Cylindrical Workpiece Placed in a Lathe Jaw Chuck

This paper proposes an approach on investigation of the radial runout of a cylindrical workpiece placed in a lathe chuck. This approach is useful for evaluating workpiece clamping quality. A non-contact laser sensor based on triangulation produces the radial runout description signal. The signal is sampled using a numerical oscilloscope and a computer. Several computer-aided signal processing techniques using Matlab are presented and demonstrated, including the fast Fourier transform, extraction of the periodical radial runout pattern by averaging of signal samples selectively, and identification of the analytic description of the dominant component within the radial runout. The advantages of using the extended radial runout pattern in experimental research are discussed. An error source due to the sensor is identified, and a solution to eliminate it is proposed. The proposed signal processing procedures can be applied to many other types of state signals with periodic components.