Effect of Channel Roughness on Micro-Droplet Distribution in Internal Minimum Quantity Lubrication

This research studied the effect of channel roughness on micro-droplet distributions in internal minimum quantity lubrication for effective machining. Mixtures of different oils and air were flown though internal channels with simulated different roughness: as fabricated, partially threaded, and fully threaded. The airborne droplets were collected, analyzed, and compared with simulated results by computational fluid dynamics. For low-viscous lubricant, the rough channel surface helped to break large droplets in the boundary layer into smaller droplets and reintroduce them into the main downstream flow. The opposite trend was found for the higher viscous lubricant. The study also performed chemical etching to roughen selected surfaces of carbide cutting tools. The synergy of hand and ultrasonic agitation successfully roughened a carbide surface within twelve minutes. Scanning electron microscopy examination showed deep etching that removed all grinding marks on a WC–Co cutting tool surface.