Machining grade 4 titanium alloy by minimum quantity lubrication for enhanced sustainable manufacturing

Abstract Machining is a widely used class of industrial manufacturing operation, wherein cutting fluids play a vital role in terms of machining accurate dimensional quality objects due to their cooling, lubricant, and chip removal abilities. Although certain advanced cutting fluids have changed the manufacturing industry for the better, there are some environmental concerns associated with some of these fluids. The use and disposal of cutting fluids may be costly and subjected to stringent government laws. Hence, the ever-growing research conducted on environmentally friendly cutting fluids may lead to enhanced sustainable manufacturing. The aim of this investigation is therefore to investigate the viability of minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) during machining of titanium alloys with specific focus on the commercially pure grades (grade 4). A comparative study was conducted in order to establish the effects of different modes of lubrication, i.e., dry, wet, and MQL machining on titanium.