Effectiveness of hybrid Al2O3-TiO2 nano cutting fluids application in CNC turning process

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of hybrid Al2O3-TiO2 nano-cutting fluid in the turning process application under the selected significant machining parameters consisting of nano concentration, depth of cut and feed rate. The preparation of aqueous hybrid Al2O3-TiO2 water-based nano-cutting fluids and their application as the cutting fluid in turning operations are undertaken. The Al2O3-TiO2 hybrid nano-cutting fluids were prepared through a one-step method; by dispersing nanoparticles of Al2O3 (average diameter 30 nm) and TiO2 (average diameter 30-50 nm) in CNC coolant based at four different volume concentrations (1%, 2%, 3%, 4%). The effectiveness of turning cutting performance, namely cutting temperature (°C), average surface roughness (Ra), and tool wear (%), were assessed via air-assisted nano cutting fluids impinged through MQL setup in turning of Aluminium Alloy AA7075. The response surface method (RSM) was employed in the design of the experiment (DOE). The lowest cutting temperature, surface roughness, and tool wear of 25.8°C, 0.494 µm, and 0.0107%, are obtained, respectively, when the combinations of hybrid nano cutting fluid concentration of 4%, feed rate value of 0.1 mm/rev, and 0.3 mm depth of cut is used. The result in this paper is based on the experimental study of Al2O3-TiO2 hybrid nano-cutting fluid using CNC turning operation. The process focuses on the finishing process by using a finishing insert. Further work using roughing process may be suggested to observe the better performance of this cutting process using nano-cutting fluid towards reducing the wear rate. The use of Al2O3-TiO2 hybrid nano-cutting fluid coupled with MQL in the CNC turning process is considered a new method. Machining soft and delicate materials such as Aluminium should consider using this combination technique since it lowers the cutting temperature and removes the chips, reducing the adhesive wear. The hybrid nano-cutting fluid can replace the conventional cutting fluid and will perform better if combined with the MQL cooling technique; this new method should be considered by major industry players that require a high-precision finished product such as the product that involves aircraft and aerospace applications.