Comparative life cycle analysis of environmental and machining performance under sustainable lubrication techniques

Abstract

One of the issues confronting manufacturers is the requirement for establishing sustainable production methods, which poise between economic feasibility and ecological preservation. Alternative sustainable cutting fluid methods must be developed since the traditional lubricants employed in machining operations are unsustainable from the environmental impact point of view. The balance between energy-production demand and quality-productivity is required for sustainable production. In this respect, this research studies the tool life, machining efficiency, energy consumption, and carbon emission under dry, flood machining, and minimum quantity lubrication machining. This study comprises two parts: evaluation of machining characteristics in terms of tool life, machining efficiency, energy consumption, and carbon emission, and the life cycle assessment (LCA) of inventories used during machining experimentation. The outcomes of this novel work revealed an increase of 42% and 61% in tool life at a cutting speed of 185 ​m/min under flood and MQL media than dry machining. At a cutting speed of 185 ​m/min in three different lubricating conditions, the percentage increase in the efficiency was 31%, and 28% for dry, flood, and MQL machining. In MQL machining, due to more uniform lubrication than flood machining, energy usage decreases by 38%, 32%, and 27% at the rate of metal removal of 93.67, 131.68, and 152.36 ​mm3/min. Also, A decrease in CO2 emissions of 16%, 21%, and 18% was attained in MQL machining than flood machining at 185, 215, and 245m/min cutting speeds. Furthermore, this also compares life cycle inventory analysis in dry, flood, and minimum quantity lubrication. Gate-to-gate approach methodology adopted for LCA analysis of system boundaries and functional unit to examine the environmental impression through ReCipe 2016, Endpoint (H) methodology. Sustainable assessment through life cycle analysis determined that dry and mist machining are more sustainable than wet machining.