Feature recognition by volume decomposition using half-space partitioning

A volume decomposition method called minimum convex decomposition by half space partitioning has been developed to recognize machining features from the boundary representation of the solid model. First, the total volume to be removed by machining is obtained by subtracting the part from the stock. This volume is decomposed into minimum convex cells by half space partitioning at every concave edge. A method called maximum convex cell composition is developed to generate all alternative volume decompositions. The composing sub volumes are classified based on degree of freedom analysis. This paper focuses on the first part of our system, i.e., the volume decomposition. The other part of the work will be submitted for publication at a later date.