Experimental investigations into sustainable machining of Hastelloy C-276 under different lubricating strategies

Abstract

Hastelloy C-276 is nickel-chromium-based which owes a low machinability index and stringent characteristics which pose several challenges during its machining. In the present study, a novel sustainable machining technique has been developed, and its machining and sustainability performance has been compared with the previously existing machining strategies. Ultrasonically atomized cutting fluid (UAF) process has been found to have the potential to provide sufficient lubrication and cooling action at the contact surfaces as well as it fits the requirement of near dry machining by providing tiny atomized droplets. The results of the machining experiments showed that the UAF process provided better machining performance. There has been a reduction of 8.8%, 11.7%, and 10.8% in main cutting force, feed force, and radial force, respectively, as compared to dry machining. The average surface roughness has also been improved by 20% than dry machining and 17.4% than flood cooling techniques. Besides this, the coefficient of friction has been reduced by 19.1% in the UAF process as compared to dry machining. Apart from this, sustainability assessment has been conducted using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tool using Simapro 8.1 software. It has been found that MQL and UAF processes provide better sustainability than flood cooling techniques and are at par with dry machining with better machining performance.