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Minimum Quantity Lubrication in Grinding

M.H. Sadeghi1, M. Emami2 and M.J. Haddad3
CAD/CAM Laboratory, Manufacturing Engineering Group, Mechanical Engineering Department, Tarbiat Modares Univeversity, Tehran, Iran Corresponding Author E-mail: m.emami@modares.ac.ir

Abstract
In metal cutting processes, the use of cutting fluids is the most common strategy to improve the tool life, the product surface finish and the size accuracy. Cutting fluids also make chip-breaking and chiptransport easier. The coolants and lubricants used for machining represents 1620% of the manufacturing costs, hence the extravagant use of these fluids should be restricted. Near dry machining is an alternative to the traditional use of cutting fluids. In this paper the performance of the MQL technique in grinding is discussed. Keywords(Arial 10 pt. Bold): Grinding, Minimum Quantity Lubrication(MQL)

1- Introduction Dry machining is ecologically desirable and it will be considered as a necessity for manufacturing enterprises in the near future. Industries will be compelled to consider dry machining to enforce environmental protection laws for occupational safety and health regulations. The advantages of dry machining include: non-pollution of the atmosphere (or water); no residue on the swarf which will be reflected in reduced disposal and cleaning costs; no danger to health; and it is non-injurious to skin and is allergy free. Moreover, it offers cost reduction in machining. Most industries apply cutting fluids/coolants when their use is not necessary. The coolants and lubricants used for machining represents 1620% of the manufacturing costs, hence the extravagant use of these fluids should be restricted. By abandoning conventional cooling lubricants and using the technologies of dry machining or minimum quantity lubrication (MQL), this cost can be reduced significantly. However, it should also be noted that some of the benefits of cutting fluids are not going to be available for dry machining and also dry machining will be acceptable only whenever the part quality and machining times achieved in wet machining are equaled or surpassed. In fact, the cooling lubricant performs several important functions, which, in its absence, must be taken over by other components in the machining process. For instance cooling lubricants reduce the friction, and thus the generation of heat, and dissipate the generated heat. In addition, cooling lubricants are responsible for a variety of secondary functions, like the transport of chips as well as the cleaning of tools, work pieces and fixtures. In addition, cooling lubricants help to provide a uniform temperature field inside the work piece and machine tool and help to meet specified tolerances. Cutting fluid is widely used for reducing the grinding forces and temperature. The growing need for environmentally correct production techniques and the rapidly rising cost involved in the disposal of cutting fluid justify the demand for an alternative to the grinding process with fluid. Therefore, from the environmental and economical points of view, dry machining and minimum quantity lubricant (MQL) machining have caught the attention of researchers in the field of machining as an alternative to traditional fluids [1]. It combines the functionality of cooling with an extremely low consumption of lubricant. This technique has been used successfully in many machining processes like; turning, milling, drilling ,etc. Several investigations reveal that even grinding processes have the potential for significant reductions in the consumption of conventional cooling lubricants [2]. Although dry grinding is one of the most favorable processes from an economical as well as an ecological point of view, it is rather difficult to
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Prof. Manufacturing Engineering Group, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran - M.Sc. Student, Manufacturing Engineering Group, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran 3 - Ph.D. Student, Manufacturing Engineering Group, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

achieve this goal due to the nature of the grinding process. Dry grinding leads to wheel loading, higher temperatures in the process, loss of dimensional and geometrical precision of the workpieces and variations in the machines thermal behavior. Therefore cooling is still essential when strict tolerances and highly exact dimensions and shapes are required, or when the machining of critical difficult-to-cut materials is involved. Minimum quantity lubrication (MQL), in these cases, is an interesting alternative because it combines the functionality of cooling with an extremely low consumption of lubricant (usually 50-500 ml/h). Improved lubrication results when using process liquids in the presence of air.

2- Literature Review Hafenbraedl and Malkin [3] evaluated the near dry lubrication with ester oil based on internal cylindrical grinding tests. These tests were performed when cutting AISI 52100 hardened steel with the oil flow rate of 12 ml/hr mixing with 69 kPa compressed air. The experimental results showed that with the application of near dry lubrication, lower specific cutting energy, better surface finish and higher Gratio were observed when comparing with cutting completely dry or under flood cooling. However, the elevated bulk temperature was observed as well as thermal distortion of the workpiece for near dry grinding. This indicated that the cooling from the mixture of ester oil and cold air was not sufficient. The size accuracy would be a problem due to the thermal distortion. Brinksmeier et. al. [4] applied minimum quantity lubrication in grinding. Two different work materials were used: hardened steel (16MnCr5) and tempered steel (42CrMo4V). The minimum quantity lubrication was implemented under 0.5 ml/min oil flow rate and 6 bar pressurized air. With reference to the grinding tests, the following results were observed: (1) both dry and near dry grinding would cause thermal damage on the hardened material with the creep feed grinding operation; (2) acceptable surface finish was obtained under minimum quantity lubrication if the material removal rate was low; (3) the type of lubricant used in minimum lubrication had a significant influence on the surface finish. The analysis of the cooling effect of cutting fluid for both minimum quantity lubrication and flood cooling was also presented. L. R. Silva [6] evaluated the Behavior of the Minimum Quantity Lubricant MQL Technique Under Different Lubricating and Cooling Conditions When Grinding ABNT 4340 Steel. The tests were carried out with aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and CBN grinding wheels and various types of lubricants. The experimental results showed that with the application of minimum quantity lubrication, the aluminum oxide grinding wheel provided a better surface finish than the CBN grinding. However, the CBN grinding wheel presented lower surface roughness (Ra 0.28m) than the aluminum oxide grinding wheel (Ra = 0.60m) under conventional cooling. The MQL technique reduced the tangential cutting force to a certain extent compared with the conventional cooling condition. The tangential cutting force was decreased with MQL, possibly due to the presence of lubricant around the grinding wheel, providing better slipping of the grain at the piece-tool interface. No significant clogging of the grinding wheel pores was found with the MQL technique. The application of cutting fluid with MQL allowed the cutting edges of the grinding wheel to remain sharp for longer periods before they were renewed.

3- Grinding fluid performance The grinding fluid is generally considered to have two main rolls: cooling and lubrication. Cooling is most efficient with water-based fluids and lubrication with cutting oils. Grinding fluids are commonly referred to as coolants, but their roll as lubricants is often more important. with the notable exception of creep-feed grinding, cooling by grinding fluids appears to be generally ineffective in lowering the peak temperature within the grinding zone. With improved lubrication and reduced wheel dulling, the grinding forces are reduced thereby lowering the grinding zone temperature and the tendency for thermal damage. In actual practice, cutting oils are used much less than water-based fluids, which appears to be contrary to how well they perform. One advantage of water-based fluids as coolants is their superior ability to control the bulk temperature of the workpiece, which can reduce part-to-part size variations associated with thermal deformation of the workpiece, but this seems to be a secondary factor favoring the use of soluble oils. Cutting oils are generally found to be better lubricants than soluble oils, as evidenced by higher G-ratio, lower grinding forces, and better surface quality [5]. Compared with dry grinding in air, the grinding fluids reduce attritious wear of the abrasive grains. The superior performance of cutting oils is related mainly to their ability to reduce attritious wear. The formation of lubricating films, either by chemical or by physical action, can reduce workpiece-material

adhesion and also inhibit those chemical reactions which promote attritious wear. Lubrication by the cutting oil can significantly reduce wear-flat area and this leads to much lower sliding forces. lubricants are also most effective in reducing the chip-formation and plowing energy components, but this effect is much less significant than wear-flat-area reduction in lowering the grinding forces. Commercial grinding fluids typically contain sulfur and/or chlorine as lubrication additives. Sulfur and chlorine react with the metal to form sulfide and chlorine lubricating film and this leads to boundary lubrication of metals. With high-speed grinding, the fluid velocity with a low-pressure system may be insufficient to penetrate the boundary layer of air surrounding the wheel, thereby preventing the fluid from reaching the grinding zone. In addition to their roles as coolants and lubricants, grinding fluids applied at high pressure also mechanically clean the wheel by removing adhered metal. Jet infusion of fluids is particularly effective when grinding high-strength oxidation-resistant alloy which tend to load the wheel.

4- Minimum Quantity Lubrication The term MQCL is generally used to refer to the supply of the cooling lubricant in the form of an aerosol. Depending on the type and on the main function of the fluid medium supplied, a distinction can be drawn between minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) and minimum quantity cooling (MQC). When oils are used as the fluid medium, the emphasis is on their good lubrication properties. Their function is to reduce friction and adhesion between the workpiece, the chip and the tool. As a result, the amount of friction heat generated is also reduced. Consequently, the tool and the workpiece are exposed to less heat than they would be if the machining operation was performed completely dry [5]. The direct cooling effect of the oil/air mix is of minor importance due to the low thermal capacity of oil (cp,oil = 1.92 kJ/kgK) and air (cp,air = 1.04 kJ/kgK), and also to the small amount of the medium involved. Given the very slight cooling effect of the oil/air mix, the use of oil as a medium is regarded as a MQL strategy. Emulsions and water are used much less frequently than oil as media in MQCL operations. Generally speaking, they are used only when it is essential to cool the tool or the part more efficiently than is possible using oil. Operations in which emulsion, water or air (cold or liquid air) are used are referred to as minimum quantity cooling (MQC) operations since the emulsion provides a considerably lower level of lubrication than oil, yet more than water and air, which provide no lubrication at all. In contrast to minimum quantity lubrication (MQL), minimum quantity cooling (MQC) has, until now, been a seldom used. Abrasive machining takes place at numerous cutting edges of indeterminate shape and at extremely small areas of real contact. These conditions involve a substantial proportion of rubbing and sticking friction. In addition to acting as a coolant, the presence of air produces valuable lubricating effects. These effects include decreasing the friction coefficient, increasing the abrasive wear compared to adhesive wear, and reducing the tendency for seizure between the couple components. Using only air as a process fluid, it is not usually possible to satisfy all the technical and economic requirements of a modern industrial process. For this reason, most machining processes are conducted with liquid lubrication. Neat oils or water-based fluids avoid many of the problems experienced in dry machining.[3] Improved lubrication results when using process liquids in the presence of air. When using the MQL technique the speed at which the fluid penetrates the cutting region is crucial. When the fluids speed is equal to or higher than the peripheral velocity of the grinding wheel, the fluid tends to penetrate the cutting region at the same velocity as the abrasive grains, so that these grains do not exert any significant interference during the removal of material. The creation of the nozzle allows a compressed air flow close to that of the grinding wheels peripheral velocity. This velocity is required to enable the mixture (lubricant plus compressed air) to penetrate in the region of contact between the tool and the part, favoring their lubrication and cooling The direct cooling effect of the oil/air mix is of minor importance due to the low thermal capacity of oil (cp,oil = 1.92 kJ/kgK) and air (cp,air = 1.04 kJ/kgK), and also to the small amount of the medium involved.

5- Supply Systems

A distinction is drawn in the minimum quantity lubrication technique between external supply via nozzles fitted separately in the machine area and internal supply of the medium via channels built into the tool. Each of these systems has specialized individual areas of application. In applications involving external supply, the aerosol is sprayed onto the tool from outside via one or more nozzles (Figure1). The number and direction of the nozzles in conjunction with the spray pattern, which depends on the nozzle arrangement, play an important role in the quality of the outcome. This technique is used in sawing, end and face milling, and turning operations. An internal supply of the medium via the spindle and tool (Figure2), is beneficial in drilling, reaming, and tapping operations. In deep hole drilling operations, the large l/d ratio makes an internal MQL-supply indispensable. There are additional advantages of an internal MQL-medium supply in that concerns related to nozzle positioning errors are eliminated, and the integration of the MQL-supply within the machine tool means that the machining area is not cluttered by supply pipes. Figure3. depicts a MQL nozzle which is used in generating oil mist.

Figure1.External supply of cutting fluid in MQL

Figure2.Internal supply of cutting fluid in MQL

Figure3. MQL nozzle (concentric oil/air flow) 6- Surface roughness Surface finish can significantly affect the mechanical strength of components when they are subjected to fatigue cycles. Comparison of two modes of fluid supply: the conventional way of supplying and the

MQL technique, indicates that the application of cutting fluid by MQL technique leads to a result superior to that of the conventional system due to the more efficient penetration of the fluid into the cutting region. The MQL technique leads to lower roughness values, probably because of the more effective lubrication and cooling of the abrasive grains at the work-tool interface. Efficient lubrication allows the chips to slide more easily over the tools surface, resulting in a better surface finish. Effects of MQL on grinding performance is illustrated in figure5[6].

Fig5. Roughness after 90 cycles with the Al2O3 grinding wheel

(vs =30m/s; vf =1mm/min; ts =10 s; a = 100 m)[6].

7- Residual stress Residual compressive stresses are considered beneficial for the mechanical properties of materials, increasing their fatigue strength and the service life of components. On the other hand, residual tensile stresses are harmful regarding mechanical strength, corrosion and wear. The MQL technique produces higher residual compressive stresses than did the conventional cooling system. Compared with dry grinding, there is a significant increase in the residual compressive stress values under both MQL and conventional conditions. The dry condition leads to higher temperatures in the cutting region which in turn all portion of heat nearly goes into the workpiece followed by a slow cooling, and probably altering the microstructure near the workpiece surface. The best performance obtained by MQL is mainly because of the lubricity of the utilized fluid, turning out the decrease of the wheelworkpiece friction coefficient and thus preserving the grinding wheel sharpness.In Figure6. Comparative results of residual stress at a depth of approximately 10 mm below the surface after 90 cycles (vs =30m/s; vf = 1mm/min; a = 100 m and ts = 10 s) is illustrated[6].

Fig. 6. Comparative results of residual stress at a depth of approximately 10 mm below the surface after 90 cycles (vs =30m/s; vf = 1mm/min; a = 100 m and ts = 10 s)[6].

8- Summary

The reduction of cooling lubricants in the modern cutting technologies of dry machining and MQL has led to significant advancements in machining technology. Today, many machining processes and workpiece materials are produced by applying modern cutting tools and coatings, adapted tool designs and machining strategies, as well as optimized machine tools. These high-performance system components ensure economic and highly productive processes, slightly reducing the production times of wet machining processes and improving the workpiece quality significantly. Dry machining operations, mainly applied in high-volume, large-scale industries, like automotive manufacturing, still require special solutions. However, it is envisioned that the increasing number of industrial applications and the ongoing research activities in the field of dry machining and MQL will support and ultimately result in the expansion of these modern high-performance technologies to small and medium-sized manufacturers.

References [1] Leonardo Roberto.,Analysis of surface integrity for minimum quantity lubricat-MQL in grinding, International Journal of Machine Tools& Manufacture 47(2007) 412-418. [2] Tnshoff, H. K., Karpuschewski, B., Glatzel T., 1997, Particle Emission and Immission in Dry Grinding, Annals of the CIRP, 46/2: 693. [3] Hafenbraedl, D. and Malkin, S., 2000, "Environmentally-Conscious Minimum Quantity Lubrication (MQL) for Internal Cylindrical Grinding," NAMRC XXVIII, Lexington, Kuntucky. [4] Brinksmeier, E., Walter, A., and Brockhoff, T., 1997, "Minimum Quantity Lubrication in Grinding," 2nd International Machining & Grinding Conference, Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Dearborn, Michigan, pp. MR97-230. [5] S. Malkin: Grinding technology, theory and applications of machining with abrasives (1989). [6] Leonardo Roberto da Silva, Analysis of surface integrity for minimum quantity lubricantMQL in grinding. International Journal of Machine Tools& Manufacture.