Tribological and machining characteristics of a minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) technology using GO/SiO2 hybrid nanoparticle water-based lubricants as cutting fluids

• Published in: International journal of advanced manufacturing technology Vol. 96; no. 5-8; pp. 2931 - 2942
• Main Authors: Lv, Tao, Huang, Shuiquan, Hu, Xiaodong, Ma, Yaliang, Xu, Xuefeng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Springer London 01.05.2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Additives; CAE) and Design; Coefficient of friction; Computer-Aided Engineering (CAD; Cutting fluids; Engineering; Friction reduction; Graphene; Industrial and Production Engineering; Lubricants; Lubricants & lubrication; Lubrication; Mechanical Engineering; Media Management; Milling (machining); Nanoparticles; Original Article; Product design; Protective coatings; Rubbing; Self lubrication; Silicon dioxide; Tribology; Vegetable oils; Vegetables; Minimum quantity lubrication; Water-based lubricant; hybrid nanoparticle; Machining performance; Tribological performance; GO/SiO
• ISSN: 0268-3768; 1433-3015
• DOI: 10.1007/s00170-018-1725-3

Minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) technologies using vegetable oil lubricants as cutting fluids have attracted much attention as they have excellent machining performance and are environmentally friendly. Nevertheless, oil-based MQL tends to produce high cutting temperatures owning to the low cooling capability of oil lubricants. In this work, an MQL technology that utilizes graphene oxide/silicon dioxide (GO/SiO 2 ) hybrid nanoparticle water-based lubricants as cutting fluids was developed, and its tribological and machining characteristics were comparatively investigated using four-ball and milling testing units. The mass ratio of GO to SiO 2 was also varied to achieve optimal performance. The results showed that GO/SiO 2 water-based MQL reduced coefficient of friction (COF) and worn scar diameter (WSD) significantly, and improved machining performance compared with individual GO and SiO 2 water-based MQLs, as well as showed a comparative performance with traditional vegetable oil-based MQL. The superior performance of GO/SiO 2 water-based MQL was attributed to the fact that GO/SiO 2 hybrid nanoparticle additives entered the rubbing interface and formed a composite protecting film consisting of a self-lubrication layer of GO and a tribo-thin layer of SiO 2 , which prevented the interface from direct contact and smoothened asperities.