Cooling ability of cutting fluids and measurement of the chip‐tool interface temperatures

Abstract

Many machining researches are focused on cutting tools mainly due to the wear developed as a result of high temperatures generated that accelerate thermally related wear mechanisms, consequently reducing tool life. Cutting fluids are used in machining operations to minimize cutting temperature although there is no available indicator of their cooling ability. In this study, a method to determine the cooling ability of cutting fluids is proposed. A thermocouple technique was used to verify the chip‐tool interface temperature of various cutting fluids during turning operation. The method consists of measuring the temperature drop from 300°C up to room temperature after heating a standardised AISI 8640 workpiece and fixing it to the chuck of a lathe and with a constant spindle speed of 150 rpm the cutting fluid was applied to a specific point. The temperature was measured and registered by an infrared thermosensor with the aid of an AC/DC data acquisition board and a PC. The convective heat exchange coefficient, h, was determined and used to classify the cooling ability of the cutting fluids. The machining tests showed that the application of the fluid with better cooling ability will not always guarantee lower chip‐tool interface temperature.

Citation

Sales, W.F., Guimarães, G., Machado, Á.R. and Ezugwu, E.O. (2002), "Cooling ability of cutting fluids and measurement of the chip‐tool interface temperatures", Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, Vol. 54 No. 2, pp. 57-68. https://doi.org/10.1108/00368790210424121