Abstract
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF CASTOR OIL AND NEEM OIL AS CUTTING FLUIDS APPLIED IN DRILLING OPERATION OF MILD STEEL
Eze Onyebuchi Charles*, Owuama Kennedy Chinedu and Okafor Obiora Clement
ABSTRACT
This study was based on the performance evaluation of oil extracts from castor seed and neem seed as cutting fluids in drilling operation of mild steel using high speed Steel (HSS) cutting tool at varying spindle speeds, feed rate and constant dept of cut. The growing demand for biodegradable materials has opened an avenue for using vegetable oils such as castor seed and neem seed as an alternative to conventional cutting fluids (soluble oils). The oil was extracted mechanically and also by the application of solvent extraction method. The oil obtained was investigated for physiochemical parameters and fatty acids. A commercially available convectional mineral oil was used as standard for comparative analysis. Cutting fluid was introduced to the machining zone using Minimum Quantity Lubrication method (MQLS) following the experimental design. The experimental procedure was designed using Minitab software 21.1. The independent factors considered were: spindle speed, feed rate and type of cutting fluid. Surface roughness/ finish was used as the response variable in evaluating the performance of the cutting fluids. The response was optimized using response surface methodology tool in quest of getting a cutting fluid with minimized surface roughness value. The thickness of the chips produced during the drilling operation for each cutting fluid applied was measured with micrometer screw gauge. The optimization result obtained showed that castor oil at a spindle speed of 290 rpm and feed rate of 0.0985 mm/rev. was the best cutting fluid compared to neem oil, soluble oil and dry drilling operation with a composite desirability value of 95.6%. The predicted value of surface roughness using the developed mathematical model at the stated optimal condition was 1.57186which was the minimum compared to other drilling conditions. The mathematical models developed for each cutting fluid had a high correlation coefficient, thus attesting to the models? suitability for response prediction at any considered factor level.
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