The Sweep-Envelope Differential Equation Algorithm and Its Application to NC Machining Verification

Abstract

A new method, called the sweep-envelope differential equation, for characterizing swept volume boundaries is introduced. This method is used as the theoretical foundation of an algorithm for computing swept volumes using the trajectories of the sweep-envelope differential equation which start at the initial grazing points of the moving object. The major advantages of this algorithm are: (1) the grazing point set need essentially only be computed at the initial position of the object—the remaining grazing points are generated by the flow of the sweep-envelope equation—so the computation complexity is drastically reduced; and (2) it provides automatic connectivity for computed boundary points that facilitates integration with standard algorithms andcad software for visual realization and Boolean operations. Examples are presented that illustrate successful integration of a prototype program (based on the algorithm) with commercial NC verification software.

Department(s)

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Keywords and Phrases

Algorithm; Geometric Modeling; Numerically Controlled (NC) Machining

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

0010-4485

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 1997 Elsevier, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jan 1997

Link to Full Text

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