Sustainable lubrication/cooling systems for efficient turning operations of Y-TiAl parts from the aeronautic industry

Abstract

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This paper presents the study of the finishing, repair, and maintenance turning operations of gamma titanium aluminide (γ-TiAl) parts from the aeronautic industry, with the aim to evaluate different sustainable lubrication/cooling environments, including a newly developed synthetic ester water-based metalworking fluid (EcoMWF) to replace mineral-based MWF (MWF). The systems considered in this work are dry, cold-compressed air, minimum quantity lubrication (MQL), cryogenic, and flood on turning of a new and relatively low explored titanium alloy, γ-TiAl. Therefore, the influence of machining parameters and insert type on tool wear, surface roughness, roundness, and cutting temperature have been investigated for each environment. Results detailed in this study showed a significant influence of the lubrication/cooling systems on the machinability of γ-TiAl. The study also revealed that the sustainability of turning γ-TiAl could be improved under the cryogenic system and the new EcoMWF, keeping the same machining performance as common mineral-based MWF.