Recent advances on high performance machining of aerospace materials and composites using vegetable oil-based metal working fluids

Abstract

A comprehensive analysis of the archival literature on sustainable (i.e., socioeconomic, and environmental friendly) machining of advanced aerospace materials and composites has been performed. Specifically, the paper focuses on the techniques to improve the machinability of difficult to cut materials (Steel alloys, Ni-based super alloys, Ti-based alloys, and composites) frequently consume in aerospace manufacturing industry. The current industrial requirement on high-performance sustainable machining of advanced super alloys and composites have been addressed for the machining process optimization to gain reasonable profit margin. Here, the specific interest areas are formulation of high-performance vegetable oil-based metalworking fluid (MWF), health and environmental conscious machining of difficult to cut materials and future perspectives on biodegradable MWFs on machining advanced aerospace materials and composites. The proposed approaches of the sustainable and cleaner production for the above-mentioned areas involves the occupational health and safety, minimum waste (i.e., effluent) generation, elimination of the environment pollution (i.e., MWF usage and disposal phases) and high-performance machining. Additionally, the influence of tribological properties of vegetable oil based MWFs on thermophysical characteristics of difficult to cut materials have been critically reviewed. The study presented in the paper is timely valuable due to the rapid increment of the demand on sustainable machining requirement in difficult to cut materials. Moreover, the presented comprehensive analysis, proposed suggestions and recommendations will help the next generation scientists to find the recent advances as well as future avenues of research on high performance sustainable machining of advanced aerospace materials and composites (i.e., category of difficult to cut materials) to ensure process optimization and industrial sustainability.