Minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) with carbon nanostructured additives in sheet metal forming

Abstract

This work is an experimental study covering minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) in sheet metal forming. Two different lubricants have been studied. Nanosized graphite platelets (GnP) has been tested as additives to the base oils in order to improve the lubricant performance. The experiments have been performed utilizing a laboratory tribotester based on strip drawing. Friction measurements have been used to study the performance of the lubrication systems. The results demonstrate that MQL as a lubrication method can be a substitute for conventional use of lubricants in sheet metal forming and nanosized graphite can be used to further enhance the lubrication.