Experimental investigations to evaluate the effects of palm oil-based cutting fluid in turning operation of AISI 1040 steel.

Among the various machining processes, turning is one of the most common and essential process. This process generates a high temperature due to the frictional interaction of tool with the workpiece material. To reduce this temperature, cutting fluids based on mineral oil are extensively utilized as a lubricant and coolant. However, these cutting fluids have an adverse effect on human health as well as on the ecosystem. So, to accomplish sustainable machining, researchers are forced to pay attention to the development of environmentally friendly cutting fluids, which could also result in a significant improvement in machining performance. This paper describes an experimental investigation executed during the turning operation of AISI 1040 steel using palm oil as a cutting fluid, and the results are compared with dry cutting and mineral oil-based cutting fluid. The effectiveness of palm oil was evaluated by considering tool wear, chip morphology, and surface roughness. Results showed that palm oil as a cutting fluid would have a 55 percent lesser reduction in tool wear compared to dry cutting and 25 percent less compared to mineral oil-based cutting fluid. Palm oil as a lubricant also showed better heat carrying capacity from the cutting zone, which reduces the surface roughness and extends the tool life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]