Minimum Quantity Lubrication in Sustainable Machining: Effects on Tool Wear, Surface Integrity, and Cutting Temperature

Abstract

The large volumes of cutting fluid used in conventional flood machining raiseenvironmental, health, and cost concerns, motivating the search for moresustainable cooling and lubrication strategies. Minimum quantity lubrication,in which a fine mist of lubricant is delivered directly to the cutting zone, hasemerged as a leading alternative. This paper investigates the effect ofminimum quantity lubrication on tool wear, surface integrity, and cuttingtemperature during the turning of an alloy steel, in comparison with dry andflood conditions. Flank wear was monitored over the cutting time, surfaceroughness was measured, and cutting-zone temperature was recorded for each strategy. The results show that minimum quantity lubrication reduced flank wear and cutting temperature substantially relative to dry machining, and performed comparably to or better than flood cooling while using only a small fraction of the fluid. Surface roughness was likewise improved. The study confirms that minimum quantity lubrication offers an effective andenvironmentally responsible compromise between dry and flood machining,and identifies the conditions under which its benefits are greatest. KEYWORDS: Minimum Quantity Lubrication, Sustainable Machining, ToolWear, Surface Integrity, Cutting Temperature, Green Manufacturing, CuttingFluids