Analysis of Droplet Spreading on a Rotating Surface and the Prediction of Cooling and Lubrication Performance of an Atomization Based Cutting Fluid System

Abstract

Droplet spreading on a rotating surface has been modeled with an aim to design an efficient atomizationbased cutting fluid (ACF) system for micromachining processes. To this end, singledroplet impingement experiments are conducted on a rotating surface to capture the 3D shape of a droplet upon impingement. A parameterization scheme is then developed to mathematically define the 3D shape of droplet upon impingement. The shape information is used to develop an energybased model for droplet spreading. The droplet spreading model captures the experimental results within 10% accuracy. The spreading model is then used to predict the cooling and lubrication for an ACFbased microturning process. The model captures the cooling and lubrication trends observed in microturning experiments. A parametric study is conducted to identify the significant factors affecting the performance of an ACF system. Droplet speed is found to have a dominant effect on both cooling and lubrication performance, particularly, with a low surface tension fluid for cooling and a low surface tension and high viscosity fluid for lubrication.