ABSTRACT
Cutting forces and temperatures severely affect the quality of the machined product, the life of the cutting tool, and the cost of the product. Traditionally, cutting fluids were applied in large quantities to lubricate and cool the machining zone. However, with the increasing environmental concerns on the cost, ecological, and human health issues, the usage of cutting fluids in large quantities is often discouraged. As an alternative, minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) is used. In MQL, very small quantities of the fluids, typically 40–60 mL/hr are used, thus reducing the adverse effects significantly. Since a small quantity of lubricant is applied, it is important to improve the performance of the fluids by either adding some additives to the fluid or supplying the fluids effectively to lubricate the tool/chip interface. In order to supply the fluids effectively, different pieces of equipment are used in the industry. This chapter discusses the MQL technique in detail and the equipment that is required for MQL. This chapter also provides details about the characterization of the aerosol particles through properties like wettability, size of the aerosol particles, and surface tension. These properties help to estimate the efficacy of the fluids in MQL. A brief explanation of the equipment used to measure these properties is presented in this chapter.
