Abstract

Investigations have been carried out to using unconventional cutting fluids to prevent both health and environmental hazard caused by liquid cutting fluids. The use of liquid cutting fluids (emulsion, minerals oil, etc) during cutting process may be effective at reducing component cutting forces, improve the machined surface quality, and the tool life, but it pollutes the environment and poses health hazard to machine operators because of their sulphur and phosphorus content. Another important point is that of the liquid cutting fluids recycling problem i.e. they require expensive and special equipment for their recycling. Thus it makes them to be economically ineffective. Therefore ionized gaseous medium (IGM) was used to eliminate or reduce the negative effects of liquid cutting fluids (CF) during turning operations. The results of the research study indicated that IGM is not only ecologically “pure”, but is more effective than liquid cutting fluids in terms of tool life improvement, the machined surface quality and tool property. The obtained results show that IGM increased the coated hard alloy inserts life by 1.5 times compared to liquid CF and 2.5 times compared to dry cutting process. The machined surface quality was increased by 15 and 11% using IGM in comparison with dry and liquid CF turning, respectively. The environmental pollution was reduced 2 times by IGM in comparison with liquid (CF).

Key words: Ionized gaseous medium, liquid cutting fluid, tool wear, coating, dry turning, compressed air turning, corona discharged current.