Minimal Quantity Lubrication with MoS2 Cutting Fluid for the Machining of Aisi316 Stainless Steel

Abstract

There has been a dramatic uptick in the creation of cutting-edge materials for high-performance uses during the last decade. While these materials address several technical concerns, their poor machinability features make them difficult to machine. There are a plethora of plans available. However, the minimal quantity lubrication (MQL) approach is one of the environmentally friendly machining methods that has received a lot of attention recently. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is well-known as a solid lubricant, but its potential as an effective medium in MQL, especially in turning operation, has not yet been investigated. This study compared the effectiveness of paraffin oil (a mineral oil) as a base fluid for turning AISI 316L grade austenitic stainless steel to conventional water-soluble oil (WSO) using a response surface methodology (RSM)-based experimental design. The findings showed that MoS2's micro-particles had superior heat transmission capabilities, which helped lower the cutting temperature. The same powder was also effective in reducing cutting power and thinning chips while enhancing the quality of the finished product's finish. It was shown that conventional cutting fluid blended with MoS2 produced better machining results than the fluid used alone. Grey relational analysis (GRA)-based multi-objective optimisation was also attempted to find the best cutting condition. The machining of the AISI316L grade stainless steel with MoS2 solid lubricant combined with an appropriate base fluid under an MQL environment has therefore been shown to have considerable potential.