Cutting Fluids and Corrosion: EFFECTS OF SOLUBLE CUTTING OILS ON MACHINE TOOL SURFACES

Valuable information on the corrosion of drilling, turning, milling and grinding machine surfaces by soluble cutting oils was brought to light by tests carried out by the Production Engineering Research Association. Eleven soluble oils were analysed and subjected to a simple test, described in this article, which users of such oils can carry out for themselves. The eleven oils varied considerably in their corrosive effects, pointing the need for careful selection. The way in which the oils have been mixed; whether metal chips have been left on the machine tool surfaces; whether the surfaces have been greased; these and other factors have an important bearing on the corrosive effect of soluble oils. In this article, the tests carried out by the P.E.R.A. are described and the data obtained, together with the conclusions and recommendations of the investigators, are presented.