A

Seminar Report on

STUDY OF CUTTING FLUID

ABSTRACT
This topic covers study of cutting fluid. In this topic we discussed brief idea
about the functions, characteristic, properties, benefits, & selection of the
cutting fluid. And also we discussed about the effect of cutting fluid on chip
concentration, cutting speed and tool life. And also we discussed about the
factors affecting the selection of cutting fluid, maintenance and application of
the cutting fluid.

INDEX
SR.
NO.

TOPIC

PAGE NO.

INTRODUCTION

SOURCES OF HEAT IN METAL CUTTING

FUNCTIONS OF CUTTING FLUID

PROPERTIES OF CUTTING FLUID

7-8

HEAT GENERATED DURING MACHINING

CUTTING FLUID WITH MAIN FUNCTIONS

CHARACTERISTICS OF CUTTING FLUID

10

TYPES OF CUTTING FLUID

10-11-12

FACTORES AFFECTING THE SELECTION OF CUTTING FLUID

13-14

10

CUTTING FLUID PENETRATION

15

11

BENEFITS OF CUTTING FLUID

16

12

EFFECT OF CUTTING FLUID ON CUTTING SPEED & TOOL LIFE

16

13

MAINTENANCE OF CUTTING FLUID

17

14

EFFECT OF CUTTING FLUID ON CHIP CONCENTRATION

18

15

SELECTION OF CUTTING FLUID

19

16

APPLICATION OF CUTTING FLUID

19-20

INTRODUCTION
During metal cutting heat is generated as a result of work done. Heat is carried away from
the tool & work by means of cutting fluids which at the same time reduce the friction
between tool & work & also chip formation. Cutting, fluids usually in the form of a liquid
are applied to the chip formation zone to improve the cutting conditions compared to dry
cutting conditions. If sufficient quantity of cutting fluid is properly applied heat can be
removed almost as fast as it is generated & the temperature of tool, work piece & chip
can be kept within limit. Cutting fluid is one of the important aids to improve production
efficiency.

SOURCES OF HEAT IN METAL CUTTING

1. Cutting speed too high.
2. Poor surface finish on the cutting face of the tool.
3. Worn or incorrectly ground cutting tool.
4. Formation of a built up edge on cutting face of the tool.
5. Friction between tool & work-piece.

FUNCTIONS OF CUTTING FLUID

During metal cutting heat & wear are inevitably produced due to friction & shearing
action that takes place as the chip is being formed. Both heat & wear are undesirably in
order to obtain a reasonable tool life & good surface finish. The various functions of a
cutting fluid are as follows:
1. It cools the cutting tool & work piece. The heat produced is carried away by the
fluid by supplying adequate quantity of cutting fluid. This makes possible more
accurate production & measurement.
2. It lubricates the cutting tool & thus reduces the coefficient of friction between the
chip & tool. This increases the tool life.
3. The use of a cutting fluid result in better surface finish.
4. As friction gets reduced, the tool forces are also reduced & therefore the power
consumption during cutting is also reduced.

5. It causes the chips to break up into small pieces.

6. It washes away the chips from the tool.
7. It prevents corrosion of work & machine.
8. Removal of heat from the cutting zone also reduces thermal distortion of the work
& permits improved dimensional control.

PROPERTIES OF CUTTING FLUIDS

A cutting fluid should possess the following properties:
1. It should have a high specific heat, high heat conductivity.
2. It should possess good lubricating properties to reduce frictional forces & to
decrease the power consumption.
3. It should be odorless.
4. It should be non-corrosive to work & machine.
5. It should be non-toxic.
6. It should have low viscosity to permit free flow of the fluid.
7. It should be stable in use & storage.
8. It should permit clear view of work which is especially desirable in precision
work.
9. It should be safe particularly with regards to fire & accident hazards.
10. Low evaporation rate
11. Chemically inactive so as not to react.

HEAT GENERATED DURING MACHINING

Heat finds its way into one of the three places1. Work piece

2. Tool
3. chip

 CUTTING FLUID WITH MAIN FUNCTIONS:

AS
COOLANT

AS LUBRICANT

1. To cool the
cutting tool,
chip, job. To
reduce
distortion,
etc.,
in
cutting.

To easy movement
of tool on job,
reduce
cutting
forces.

2. Less
tool
wear, longerss friction, less
tool life.
generation etc.
3. Air,
etc.

Le
heat

AS
BOTH
COOLANT
&
LUBRICANT
-

AS
FLASHING
ACTION
To wash-off chips.

Better
surface finish, high feed
rate.
-

water,
Mineral
oil, vegetable
oil,Emulsion of water & oil,
mixed oil, compounded
animal oil, etc.
oil, etc. At various
proportion depending on
job
materials,
operational type, cutting
conditions.

 CHARACTERISTICS OF CUTTING FLUIDS:

1. Good Cooling Capacity.
2. Good Lubricating Qualities.
3. Relatively Low Viscosity.
4. Stability (Long Life).
5. Rust Resistance.
6. Non Toxic.
7. Transparent.
8. Non Inflammable.

TYPES OF CUTTING FLUID

One way of improving the metal cutting operation is by using a cutting fluid. Cutting
fluids mainly required to carry away heat & swarf are generally based on water. The
addition of oils & emulsifying agents serves primarily to inhibit rusting although when
the oil concentration is raised some lubrication effects are achieved. a cutting fluid
mainly serves three functions:
1. Cooling
2. Lubrication
3. Anti welding

Cooling- It is achieved by supplying an adequate volume of cutting fluid to carry

away the heat generated during cutting.
Lubrication- Lubricating the cutting tool reduces the coefficient of friction between
chip & tool. & make cutting process becomes more economical.
Antiwelding- the cutting fluid prevents intimate contact between the surface the
chip & tool face. In spite of the lubricating & cooling action of cutting fluid there
always some metal to metal contact between the tool & the chip & temperature high
enough to weld the contacting asperities of the metal. It is prevented by adding

compounds of sulphar, chlorine etc. to the cutting fluids. These compounds generate a
soapy film which prevents particles of metal from welding.

TYPES OF CUTTING FLUID

1) Water based cutting fluids
2) Straight or neat oil based cutting fluid

1. Water based cutting fluids

Early attempts to improve cooling & lubricating properties of water included the
addition of soft soap but there are now oils which have the desired effect & from
emulsion & water. These oils are known as soluble oils. Water based cutting fluids
are quite commonly used, the most popular being soluble oil (suds or slurry).
Soluble oil (1 to 5%) is mixed with water to form an emulsion. This has excellent
cooling properties at low cost & there is also some lubricating effect between tool &
chip which reduces tool wear. Modern soluble oil contains corrosion inhibitor & a
biocide to keep down the growth of bacteria that would otherwise become a health
hazard. Less frequently used forms of water based cutting fluids are based on
chemical solutions. Soda solutions are often used on grinding operations as it has
good flushing action & cooling effect. Water itself is seldom used as it coolant as it
causes rust & corrosion.
When water based cutting fluids are used in conjunction with carbide
tipped tools a sufficient stream of cutting fluid should be maintained otherwise the
tool may be unevenly cooled & the carbide inserts may fall soon by a thermally
induced fatigue. Care should be taken that a sufficient flow of fluid is applied at all

points of high speed carbide cutters to prevent the temperature at a given point on
the cutter from fluctuating appreciably.

2. Straight or neat oil based cutting fluid

The term straight when applied to lubricants & coolants means undiluted. However
most of the oils are not used straight but are mixtures of oils or oil with chemicals
such as sulphar & chlorine added to them. Straight or neat oils are classified into
following subgroups.
i. Mineral oils
ii. Straight fatty oils
iii. Compounded or blended oils
iv. Sulphrised oils
v. Chlorinated oils

I. Mineral oils. It is composed of different structures & molecular weights.

These oils are normally used for light machining operations such as turret &
capstan lathes & single spindle automatics where free cutting brasses &
steels are being machined.
II. Straight fatty oils. The most important variety of straight fatty oil is lard
oil. These oils are not stable & rapidly lose their lubricating properties.
Neither are they satisfactorily coolants as have a high viscosity. Lard oil is
mainly used during thread cutting with taps & dies. These oils are more
expensive & less plentiful than mineral oils.
III. Compounded oils. These are mixtures of mineral & fatty oils. The film
strength of fatty oils is retained even when diluted with 75% mineral oil. As
a result they are much cheaper & more fluid than neat fatty oils. These are
suitable for heavier duty operations such as threading on capstan & turret
lathes, thread milling & medium capacity automatic lathes.

IV. Sulphurised oils. When sulphar (about 5%) is mixed in lard oil it is called
sulphurised cutting oils. It is used for heavy duty lathe work, gear cutting &
thread grinding.
Extreme pressure (E.P) cutting oils are mineral oils containing
extreme pressure additives like sulphar. Depending on the form in which
sulphar is added there are mainly three types of sulphurised E.P. oils:
i. Those containing combined sulphar
ii. Those containing free sulphar.
iii. Those containing both combined are free sulphar.
V. Chlorinated oils. When chlorine (about 3%) is added in mineral oils it is
called chlorinated cutting oil. When both chlorine & sulphar (up to 5%) are
present in mineral oil they give the oil & extreme pressure property & are
suitable for severe cutting operations on strong & tough materials such as
stainless steel & nickel alloy. In broaching operation also these oils are quite
commonly used.

 FACTORS AFFECTING THE SELECTION OF CUTTING FLUID

The cutting fluid should be carefully chosen. It is observed that each metal being
machined & even each type of machining has its optimum cutting fluid. The selection of
a particular type of cutting fluid depends on factors listed below:

1. Cutting speed - cutting speed can be defined as the speed at which the cutting
edge of the tool or cutter passes over the material. It is expressed in meters per
minute.
2. Feed rate it is the distance that tool travels along the work or work travels
along the tool for each revolution of the work or the tool. Feed is generally
expressed in mm per revolution.
3. Depth of cut an intentional advancement of the tool or cutter into the work
piece or thickness of the chips removed from during a cut called depth of cut. It
is generally expressed in mm.
4. Cutting tool material
5. Work piece material
6. Velocity of cutting fluid
7. Expected cutting tool life
8. Cost of cutting fluid
9. The life of cutting fluid & loss of cutting fluid during operation.
Low speed & shallow cuts require little cooling & lubrication. A lubricant of
considerable oiliness is required while machining tough metals at low speeds & heavy cuts.
Shallow cuts at high speeds require coolants therefore emulsions of soluble & sulphar base
cutting oils are frequently employed. A lubricant that excels as a coolant as well as a lubricant
is used for heavy cuts without the use of a lubricant although emulsions of soluble oil in
water are sometimes used.
Cutting lubricants may be applied by hand from a can, by a gravity feed drops system or
by some medium of forced circulation such as centrifugal pump. While using pump care
should be taken to filter effectively the lubricant that is returned order to prevent the chips
from damaging the pump.

Table shows the cutting fluid used during machining for some of work piece material

MATERIAL

TURNING

TAPPING

CAST IRON

Machined dry

Alloy steel

25% sulphar base oil+ 30% lard

75% mineral oil
mineral oil

DRILLING

Machined dry or 25% Machined dry

lard oil + 75% mineral
oil
Tool and low carbon 25% to 70% lard oil 20 to 40% lard oil + Soluble oil with 95%
steels
mineral oil
mineral oil
water

copper
Aluminum

oil+70% Soluble oil with 80%

water

Soluble oil with 90 to 95 % water

Mineral oil with 10% Lard oil
soluble oil

Soluble oil with 75 to

90% water

Cutting lubricants may be applied by hand from a can, by gravity feed drops system or
by some medium of forced circulation such as centrifugal pump. While using pump care
should be taken to filter effectively the lubricant that is returned order to prevent the chips
from damaging the pump.
During metal cutting friction must be kept as low as possible to reduce the heat generated.
Where the cutting operation is severe & the lubricant can not remove the heat rapidly
enough, water soluble oils may be used. When mixed with a high concentration of water, the
cooling effect is greatly increased with some lubricating properties retained. These mixtures
do not corrode the steel parts with which they come into contact.
Generally following coolants & lubricants may be used for machining different metals.
i. For steels & wrought iron: the water soluble oils or sulphar based & mineral oils
may be used.

ii. For aluminum: the mineral oils & fatty oils or soluble oils may be used.
iii. For brass, copper, bronze monel metal & malleable iron: it is machined dry.
iv. Cast iron: it is machined dry.

Lubricating oils are chiefly used to reduce friction & water soluble oils are used chiefly as
coolants.

CUTTING FLUID PENETRATION

The various properties of a cutting fluid which are considered to be essential for the
penetration into the capillaries between the chip & tool are as follows:
i. Wetting and spreading
ii. Surface tension
iii. Small fat molecules

The molecules of the fluid should be more attracted to the surface than to each other so
that cutting fluid spreads over the surface & wets the surface.

For efficient cooling it is necessary that the cutting fluid penetrates as much as
possible to the chip tool interface. Surface tension forces in the fluid & the action of
pressure difference of one atmosphere due to tendency to form a vacuous cavity as the
tool penetrates the work piece, will cause the fluid to flow between the capillaries and
reach the tool point against the adverse motion of the chip. It would appear unlikely
that the fluid can be in the form of a liquid as it penetrates the very fine labyrinth of
capillaries. The material is probably carried to a point close to the tool point in the
liquid state by capillary forces & is then converted to a vapor upon absorption of the
heat generated by the cutting process. The vapor could then penetrate the capillaries,
physically absorbing on the freshly cut nascent metal as it goes.

The penetration of the cutting fluid to the tool chip interface becomes difficult at high
cutting speeds because of high relative velocity of chip over the cutting face of the
tool. This tends to retard the motion of the fluid. In order that a cutting fluid works

effectively at higher cutting speed at high velocity stream of fluid is used. Nozzles of
3.3 mm to 0.375 mm diameter are used to obtain high velocity stream of cutting fluid.
A fluid of smaller particle size and lower surface tension can enter the voids between
tools and chip more readily than a fluid of larger particle size and higher surface
tension.
The fluid that finds its way into asperities between chip & tool in the vicinity
of the tool point is subjected to the following unique combination of conditions.
1) High local temperature
2) High local pressure approaching the hardness of the metal cut.
3) Smooth surface produced.
4) Highly stressed metal

During cutting under above conditions the chip may be made to react with the fluid
to form a low shear strength solid lubricant. The thin layer of solid so formed
prevents the formation of a weld between the chip & tool this helps in reducing the
coefficient of friction between the chip and tool.

BENEFITS ACHIEVED WITH THE USE OF CUTTING FLUID

1. Increased tool life. By the use of cutting fluids the cutting temp. is reduced &
therefore, tool life gets increased.
2.

Better surface finish. By using cutting fluids better surface finish can be
obtained.

3. Lower tool forces. By using cutting fluids, the coefficient of friction between
chip & tool face is reduced & this reduces the tool forces.
4. Finished surfaces are protected from corrosion.
5. Better dimensional stability of work piece is obtained.

EFFECT OF CUTTING FLUID ON CUTTING SPEED & TOOL LIFE

Cutting fluid also affect the cutting speed permitted by the cutting tool. The cutting
speed can be increased by about 40% in comparison to machining dry if the emulsion

cutting fluid is cooled to +2 C before used. Lower the temperature of the cutting fluid
& the further the curve is from the line representing dry machining the higher cutting
speed permitted by the tool for the same tool life.

The increase in tool life is about 50% in case of carbon tool steel when using
cutting the fluid as compared to dry machining. Whereas the increase in tool life is
25% in case of high speed steel tools & 5 to 10% in case of carbide tools.

Tests made by earnst & merachant on a variety of cutting fluids shows that use of
cutting fluids generally increases the chip thickness ratio (cutting ratio) but that the
effect within the normal cutting speed range falls as the cutting speed is increased. A
relationship between cutting ratio & cutting speed & various cutting fluids. It is
observed from these results that the depth of penetration of cutting fluid into the area
of contact where friction occurs falls with the increase in cutting fluid.

MAINTENANCE OF THE CUTTING FLUID

One of the important aspect of cutting fluid is its maintenance which is often
neglected. From the point of view of both production efficiency & hygienic working
conditions it is essential to pay due attention to the quality of water used, preparation
of emulsion, concentration control of emulsion, filtration, prevention of tramp oil etc.
poor maintenance of cutting fluids leads to bad odor & bacterial growth thereby
spoiling the working environments. For effective & easy maintenance of the cutting
fluids centralized coolant systems are now finding wider acceptance. It is advisable to
exercise greater care on control in disposing of used cutting fluids to preserve the
ecology & water resources. Neat oils can be recycled & reused. Emulsions must be
split into water & oil before they are disposed off.

CUTTING FLUID EFFECT ON CUTTING TOOL ACTION

1. Lowers heat created by plastic deformation of metal
2. Friction at chip-tool interface decreased
3. Less power is required for machining because of reduced friction
4. Prevents built-up edge from forming
5. Surface finish of work greatly improved

 SELECTION OF CUTTING FLUID

Selection of cutting fluid mainly depending on job materials & type of operation
performed. However, the following cutting fluid may be used for the respective job
materials for most of the operation.

CUTTING
FLUID
WATER

Cast iron, Brass

: Dry (means air blow)

Hard steel, bronze

: mineral lard oil

Copper

: Turpentine

Aluminum

: Kerosene

Soft steel

: Cutting oil or cutting compound

AS COOIANT
Better

AS
LUBRICANT
Very poor

RUST
INHIBITOR
No, but can be
improved
by
using
rust
inhibitor.
Yes,
if
its
emulsion
is
perfect.

SOLUBLE
Good
OILS
(WATER+OIL+
SOAP)

Good

MINERAL OIL Good

Good

Yes

FATTY OIL OR Better

VEGETABLE
OIL

Better

Yes

USE

REMARK

Where
Very low cost
coolant only
necessary
In most of the
machining
operation in
lathe, drilling,
milling etc.

Clean
atmosphere,
less
costly,
percentage of
oil varies with
operation.
Where more Risk of cancer,
contact
cost moderate.
between jobtool
like
screw cutting,
automatic
machine,etc.
do
Risk of cancer,
cost more.

CHEMICAL
Chloride
ADDITIVE
base
OIL
WITH
MIXED
OIL/STRAIGH
T OIL

Sulphar
base

Better

Better

Yes

Better

Better

Yes

Machining
alloy steel

Generally
used at cutting
point for easy
movement of
the
cutting
tool
Grinding
Life
better
operation
than soluble
oil,
clean
atmosphere,
may be toxic,
moderate cost.
do
Risk of skin
cancer,
cost
most.
In most of the
automatic
machine.

Solid
lubricant(wax,
soap, etc.

Less

Better

Yes

Synthetic
coolant

Better

Poor

Possible

ANIMAL OIL

Best

Best

Yes

MIXED
OR
COMPOUNDE
D
OIL
(MINERAL
OIL + FATTY
OIL
OR
MINERAL OIL
+
ANIMAL
OIL)

Excellent both for coolant & Yes

lubricant at reasonable price.
Percentage of different oil in the
mixture varies with the type of
operation.

APPLICATION OF CUTTING FLUID

Anti-weld
characteristic,
cost
reasonable.

Tough
&
stringy
material,
machining
cost
reasonable.
Cost cheap

Most of the larger machine tools have an adequate coolant system usually enclosed
within the body of the machine itself. The cutting fluid should be well filtered & stored
in a cool area from where It is pumped through a piping system to the area of tool
work contact. A continuous supply should be maintained at chip tool interface where
heat & wear produced. A intermittent supply of cutting fluid is not desirable because
when heat & wear are produced. & when the supply stops the temperature of the tool
quickly rises & when the supply is maintained again it cools the tool which may lead
to cracks at the cutting edge. It is preferable to direct a jet of cutting fluid to the cutting
area. The stream of cutting fluid should be directed on the point of chip removal &
delivered in sufficient quantity (8 to 12 & at high speeds up to 20 liters/min.). a high
lubricating & cooling effect is obtained if the cutting liquid is mixed with compressed
air at a pressure of about 1.5 to 2 kg/cm and supplied through a nozzle, directed at the
tool flank. The liquid delivered thus in the atomized state not only reduces friction and
facilitates chip formation but removes heat more intensively.

1. In most of the machining operation like in lathe machine, in drilling machine,

in milling machine, in grinding operation .
2. It is used where more contact between job-tool like screw cutting, automatic
machines, etc.
3. It is generally used at cutting point for easy movement of the cutting tool.

 CONCLUSION
We concluded that in most of the machine like automatic machine, mixed oil or
compounded oil (mineral oil + fatty oil or mineral oil + animal oil or fatty oil + animal
oil) are used. Because of excellent performance as both coolant & lubricant at reasonable
price, chemical additive oil, solid lubricant (wax, soap, etc.) & synthetic coolant are used.
in most of the machines. And water is the very poor for the lubricant so that it is used
where coolant only is necessary.
Thus, by using cutting fluid we increase the tool life, improve the surface finish, &
prevents the corrosion of the work piece & the tool.

REFERNCES
1) TOOL ENGG. BY G.R.NAGPAL
2) MACHINE TOOLS (WORKSHOP TECHNOLOGY)
BY R.N.DATTA