Cutting fluid is a type of coolant and lubricant designed specifically for metalworking

processes, such as machining and stamping.

Various functions of cutting fluids are

1. Cutting fluid cools the work piece and tool by carrying away the heat
generated during machining.
2. It acts as lubricant at the friction zones, hence tool life increases.
3. As friction get reduced, the forces and electricity power consumption
decreases.
4. Using cutting fluids produces better surface finish to the work piece.
5. It causes to break the chips into small pieces.
6. It washes away the chips from the tool.
7. It prevents the corrosion of chips and machine.
8. Improves dimensional accuracy and control on the work piece.
9. It permits maximum cutting speed hence the time for machining reduce and
cost of manufacturing increases.
Properties to be possessed by the cutting fluids are
1. Cutting fluids should have low viscosity to permit free flow of the liquid.
2. It should posses good lubricating properties.
3. It should have high specific heat, high heat conductivity and high heat
transfer coefficient.
4. It should be non-corrosive to work and machine.
5. It should be non-toxic to operating person.
6. It should be odourless.
7. It should stable in use and storage.
8. It should be safe.
9. It should permit clear view of the work operation.
Most commonly used cutting fluids are
1. Cast Iron: No cutting fluids are used.
2. Steels: Lord oil with mineral oil is used.
3. Alloy steel: Sulphur brass oil with mineral oil is used.
4. Copper: Soluble oil with 90 to 95% of water is used.
5. Aluminium: Mineral oil with soluble oil cutting fluids are used as cutting
fluids.

Introduction
Cutting fluid(coolant

) is any liquid or gas that is applied to the chip and/or cutting tool to improve
cutting performance. A very few cutting operations are performed dry, i.e., without
the application of
cutting fluids. Generally, it is essential that cutting fluids be applied to all machining
operations.
Cutting fluids serve three principle functions:
to remove heatin cutting: the effective cooling action of the cutting fluid depends
on the method of application, type of the cutting fluid, the fluid flow rate and
pressure. The
most effective cooling is provided by mist applicationcombined with flooding.
Application of
fluids to the tool flank, especially under pressure, ensures better cooling that typical
application
to the chip but is less convenient.
to lubricatethe chip-tool interface: cutting fluids penetrate the tool-chip interface
improving lubrication between the chip and tool and reducing the friction forces and
tempera
tures.
to wash away chips: this action is applicable to small, discontinuous chips only.
Spe
cial devices are subsequently needed to separate chips from cutting fluids.

Cutting Fluid Functions

The main functions of cutting fluids are:

Lubrication at low cutting speeds;

Cooling at high cutting speeds;

And less important:

To help the chip removal of the cutting zone;

To protect the machine tool and workpiece against corrosion.

At low cutting speeds, cooling is not very important, while lubrication is

important to reduce friction and avoid the formation of built-up-edge. In this
case, an oil based fluid must be used. At high cutting speeds, the conditions
are not favorable to fluid penetration, to reach the interface and work as a
lubricant. In these conditions cooling becomes more important and a water
based fluid must be used.
As lubricant, the cutting fluid works to reduce the contact area between chip
and tool and its efficiency depends on the ability of penetrating in the chiptool interface and to create a thin layer in the short available time. This layer
is created by either chemical reaction or physical adsorption and must have
a shearing resistance lower than the resistance of the material in the
interface. In this way it will also act indirectly as a coolant because it
reduces heat generation and therefore cutting temperature.
It is neither completely clear how cutting fluid reaches this interface, nor
how deep it can go. Trent (1967, 1991) says that the lubricant have no
access to the seizure zone on the tool rake face. Childs and Rowe (1973)
also affirms this theory and comments that further studies must be done in
the chip-tool interface besides the difficulties encountered to access the
seizure zone. Postinikov (1967) suggested that the lubricant penetrates
against the metal flow, reaching the tool nose, through a capillary action,
assuming that the contact in the interface is not total (sliding conditions).
Williams (1977) supports this point of view. Some experiments with
transparent sapphire tools (Horne, et al., 1978), demonstrated that the
cutting fluid flow reaches the interface by the lateral parts of the contact,
instead of moving against the chip flow. No matter the penetration method,
cutting fluid, once in the interface, must form the lubricant layer with
shearing resistance lower than the material resistance. It may also restrict
the chip welding on the tool rake face, if suitable additives are used. The

lubrication efficiency will depend on the fluid properties, such as: wettability
characteristics, viscosity and layer resistance. These properties may be
obtained with a suitable mixture of additives.
As coolers, cutting fluids decrease cutting temperature through the heat
dissipation (cooling) When water based fluids are used cooling is more
important than lubrication. It was experimentally proved (Shaw, et al., 1951)
that the cutting fluid efficiency in reducing temperature decreases with the
increase of cutting speed and depth of cut.
The cutting fluid ability of sweeping the chips away from the cutting zone
depends on its viscosity and its volume flow, besides, of course, the kind of
machining operation and chip type formed. In some machining operations
such as drilling and sawing, this function is very important, because it may
avoid chip obstruction and, consequently, tool breakage.

Choosing the right metalworking fluid for your operation can be

confusing and time consuming. To select a fluid for your application,
advantages and disadvantages of metalworking fluid products should
be compared through review of product literature, supplier information,
and usage history. Product performance information shared by other
machine shops is another means of narrowing choices. Ultimately, the
best indicator of fluid performance is through actual use.
In addition to the fluid properties discussed earlier , the following
factors should be considered when selecting a fluid:
Cost and life expectancy
Fluid compatibility with work materials and machine
components
Speed, feed and depth of the cutting operation

Type, hardness and microstructure of the metal being machined

Ease of fluid maintenance and quality control
Ability to separate fluid from the work and cuttings
The products applicable temperature operating range
Optimal concentration and pH ranges
Storage practices
Ease of fluid recycling or disposal

One thing must be remembered when choosing fluids you generally

get what you pay for. Dont choose a fluid just on its initial cost but on
the cost per gallon divided by its life expectancy. Although purchase of
a premium product is initially more expensive, the long-term cost of
the fluid will likely be lower than products of inferior quality because of
its superior fluid life.
During fluid selection, the benefits of a fluids versatility should be
weighed against its performance in each metalworking application .
Because of significant improvements in fluid formulations, todays
fluids are capable of handling a wide variety of machining
applications . Machine shops that once required several types of fluids
may now find that one or two fluid types meet their needs.
Consolidating the number of fluids used in the shop simplifies fluid
management.