Sustainable machining utilizing vegetable oil based nanofluids

Abstract

Machining industry utilizes cutting fluids to increase the performance of the metal cutting process. However, several environmental and health issues limit their usage. Minimum Quantity Lubrication (MQL) with nano cutting fluids is proposed in this paper as a better option for sustainable machining. In the literature, nanofluids are formulated, characterized and tested for their basic properties and performance in different applications. Nanofluids have been found to provide superior thermal and friction reduction qualities depending upon the formulation and application. Combination of vegetable cutting fluids with nanoparticles applied in the form of MQL will provide major environmental benefits without sacrificing the machining performance.