Design analysis ;

£Machine Tool Structure Functions

Function of column of drilling machine ;
A crucial part of the drilling machine is the column. It supports the drill machine and all
of its other components, including the table, arm, spindle, and electric motor for power
transfer, among others. A sliding table is mounted on the column so that the table can
have up and down motion according to the need.

£Machine Tool Structure Requirement

Column requirement of drilling machine
The principal design requirements of columns are high static and dynamic stiffness.
These properties are achieved by proper selection of the column material and its cross
section. the columns are made with thin-walled circular. The number and size of holes
and openings is kept as small as possible and the section is strengthened by means of
stiffeners.
 Column should be machined with a high degree of accuracy to provide the desired
geometrical accuracy.
  structures should be machined with a high degree of accuracy to provide the
desired geometrical accuracy.
 The column should also ensure that working stresses and deformations do not
exceed specific limits. It should be noted that the stress and deformations are due
to mechanical as well as well as thermal loading.
Commonly used sections of machine tool columns and their application are Circular
section with vertical stiffeners; used when the load is small and it is necessary to provide
for rotation of the column, e.g., in bench and radial drilling machines.

Generally, the area of the column section gradually increases as we move from the top
towards the base where the bending moment is maximum. From the point of view of
torsional stiffness, it is desirable that, as we move away from the base, the section should
progressively change from a thin-walled rectangle to a thin-walled square.

£Machine Tool Structure Materials:

The selection of material for machine tool structure
The column is made of cast iron or steel, as the strength operation is needed so as to carry
the load of the arm as well as the drill head.
Material Properties The material properties of relevance for the column are:
(i) Steel has higher strength under static and dynamic loading.
(ii) The unit rigidity of steel under tensile, torsional and bending loads is higher.
(iii) Cast iron has higher inherent damping properties; damping in steel structures occurs
mainly in welds; if welded joints are properly designed, the damping of steel structure
may approach that of cast iron.
(iv) Cast iron has better sliding properties. As sliding head table is mounted on the
column so that the table can have up and down motion as required.
Manufacturing Problems ; problems of manufacturing that are associated with the use of
steel or cast iron structures:
 Wall thickness: For a given weight of the structure, high strength and stiffness can be
achieved by using large overall dimensions and small wall thickness. Thus, walls of
minimum possible thickness should be employed. Generally, reduction of wall
thickness in cast iron structures is restricted by process capability and depends upon
the size of the casting.

Table :Recommended minimum wall thickness for cast iron structures

Size factor N is determined from the relationship,

where L, B and H are length, breadth and height of the structure.

Machining allowances for cast structures are generally larger than for weld steel
structures; this is essential to remove the hardened skin of casting and also to account for
casting defects, such as inclusions, scales, drops, etc., that result due to falling of sand
into the mould cavity.
Economy
The final selection of cast iron or steel as the structure material will rest upon which one
of them provide for a lower cost of the structure.
Economy of metal; the weight of the finished steel structure may be low ,the actual metal
consumption may be high. This due to holes in castings are obtained with the help of
cores, those welded structures have to be machined so Cost of machining. .This results
not only in scrap but also in additional labour cost.so it is convinent using actual metal.
Machine Tool Structure Design Criteria:
The forces acting on machine tool structure