Role of Cryogenic Cooling on Cutting Temperature in Turning Steel

Abstract

Application of conventional cutting fluids do not serve the purposes effectively particularly under high cutting velocity and feed. Besides, such cutting fluids pollute the environment in high production machining and grinding. Cryogenic cooling seemed to be quite effective in reducing the high cutting temperature which impairs product quality and reduces tool life. The present work deals with investigating the role of cryogenic cooling by liquid nitrogen jet on cutting temperature in turning plain carbon steel (C-40) under varying cutting velocity and feed. The experimental and computational results indicate that such cryogenic cooling enables substantial reduction in the cutting temperature depending upon the levels of the cutting velocity and feed and the cutting tool geometry. It was also noted that the chip formation and chip-tool interaction become more favorable and the cutting forces decreased to some extent when liquid nitrogen jet was employed. Therefore, it appears that cryogenic cooling, if properly employed, not only provides environment friendliness but can also improve the machinability characteristics.