Metalworking fluids (MWFs) can greatly improve the machinability of materials and increase cutting tool life. There are a range of MWF products available on the market, however there are very few reliable low cost machining based fluid screening tests which can help select the most suitable candidate. This study developed a novel and rigorous single point milling (SPM) procedure carried out under controlled conditions, which would provide fluid performance differentiation for a range of typical aerospace alloys. The use of a single insert with a controlled geometry reduced machining variance and ensured performance repeatability. Tool life curves were used to determine optimum machining surface speeds for Inconel 718 (In718) of 80 m/min and Ti-6Al-4V (Ti64) of 160 m/min. Carrying out trials using five different cutting fluid products within a controlled tool life window clearly demonstrated that the SPM machining test was able to differentiate performance on both In718 and Ti64 material. Overall a 65% and 53% performance difference in tool life behaviour was observed between the best and worst performing fluids for In718 and Ti64, respectively.
Metalworking fluids have the ability to extend cutting tool life and improve the machinability of materials. There is a need for the development of reliable machining tests which can be used to screen fluids with high confidence to allow for ranking in terms of performance. This study developed a novel methodology utilizing single-point milling to evaluate fluid performance in terms of tool wear and cutting forces across various aerospace alloys. The repeatability of the procedure was assessed and demonstrated by using standard deviation. The study showed alternative cutting fluid compositions could influence tool life performance across all the aerospace material variants. Inconel 718 was shown to be the hardest material to machine followed by Titanium Ti-5Al-5Mo-5V-3Cr and Titanium Ti-6Al-4V. However, with each material, there was a differentiation in fluid performance with up to 11% difference in average tool life between different fluids.
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