Performance evaluation of hybrid biodegradable oils as a lubricant during cylindrical turning of AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel

In the engineering sector, machining plays a significant role. The ability of the cutting zone to dissipate heat has grown in importance for the machining industry’s sustainability. Government legislation is pushing the industry to use fewer conventional lubricants as concerns about the effects on the environment and human health grow. This shifts attention to Minimum Quantity Lubrication (MQL) and biodegradable oils. The purpose of this study is to show how well two vegetable oils, in their raw forms, perform as cutting fluids during the MQL turning process of AISI 304 stainless steel. Each vegetable oil’s physiochemical and lubricating qualities were examined separately. After that, the two oils that comprised the hybrid vegetable oil were blended at a ratio of 0.5:0.5. During machining with an external threading tool, the hybrid vegetable oil was compared to its equivalent mineral-based oil in terms of cutting temperature and surface roughness. The Taguchi L9 orthogonal array was used in the study. According to the data, the cutting temperature was lowest when cutting with mineral oil, and highest when cutting with a hybrid mixture. In general, the mineral oil produced a reduced surface roughness compared to the vegetable oil mixture by about 68.6%. The combo of palm kernel and yellow orleander oil marginally outperformed mineral by about 2.3% when it came to cutting temperature. The significance of this study is to develop a more sustainable and environmentally friendly lubricants for industrial applications.