Investigations of cutting fluid performance using different machining operations

An analysis of cutting fluid performance in different metal cutting operations is presented based on performance criteria, work material and fluid type. Cutting fluid performance was evaluated in turning, drilling, reaming and tapping operations, with respect to tool life, cutting forces and product quality (dimensional accuracy and surface integrity). A number of different work materials were considered, with emphasis on austenitic stainless steel. Three different water-miscible products, all without EP additives and used at 5% concentration, and four different straight oils, were investigated. In the case of austenitic stainless steel as the workpiece material, results using the different operations under different cutting conditions show that the performance of vegetable oil based products is superior or equal to that of mineral oil based products. The hypothesis was investigated that one will get the same performance ranking for different metalworking fluids no matter what machining test is used, when the fluids are of the same type. Results show that this is mostly true for the water-based fluids on austenitic stainless steel while ranking did change depending on the test with straight oils, and this difference was even more pronounced with the other work materials.