A Study on the Machinability of Environmentally Friendly Turning of Titanium Grade 2 Alloy

Abstract

This study focuses on environmentally responsible and sustainable manufacturing, where heat removal is critical. Various cooling and lubrication technologies are employed in manufacturing strategies, and although minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) systems are advantageous, they are not widely adopted in the industry. Recently, cutting fluids reinforced with nanoparticles has gained attention. The study investigates the machinability of Ti gr. 2 alloys with different cutting parameters and lubrication/cooling systems. Cutting fluids are essential in heat removal and irregularity prevention, reducing friction in the cutting zone, lowering cutting forces and vibrations, and improving tribological conditions during machining operations. Cutting forces increase with the cut and feed rate depth, resulting in higher energy consumption. With increasing feed rate, surface quality decreases, but MQL and NMQL (nanoparticle-reinforced MQL) perform better than dry machining. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images indicate that cutting tools in dry environments experience more flank wear, whereas MQL and NMQL result in crater wear. High feed rates in MQL/NMQL environments cause sudden and fractured chip formation, which affects worker safety and health. Ti gr. 2 alloys have potential applications in various industrial components, and the NMQL, MQL, and dry systems used in the study are non-hazardous and environmentally friendly.