M. Adithan

Bio: M. Adithan is an academic researcher from VIT University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Machining & Surface roughness. The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 3 publications receiving 347 citations.

Evaluating the performance of cutting fluids in machining of AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel

Abstract: In this paper, an attempt was made to determine the influence of coconut oil (vegetable based oil) on tool-shim interface temperature and the cutting force developed during turning of AISI 304 stainless steel material with coated carbide tool. Experimentation was conducted as per Taguchi's orthogonal array and the observations were used to conduct the analysis of variance and to perform a graphical analysis. The analysis shows that cutting fluid had some influence on the process parameters and in general coconut oil outperformed the other cutting fluids in terms of reducing the cutting force and tool-shim interface temperature. A mathematical model was developed using Minitab-15 software to predict the cutting force and temperature. Chi-square test was performed to check the validity of the developed model and it was found that there is no significant difference between the predicted and observed value at a significance level of 0.05.

Evaluation of parametric models in predicting the machining performance

Abstract: The performance of the machining (turning) process is evaluated in terms of tool life, surface roughness, tool–shim interface temperature developed and metal removal rate during the process. It is very important for the manufacturing engineers to know the performance of the turning process for a set of cutting (input) parameters. In this paper, parametric models based on multiple regression analysis (MRA), neural networks (NNs) and case-based reasoning (CBR) are developed for predicting the machining performance, i.e. the output parameters. An experimental database containing 114 data sets are used for developing the three models. Each data set contains nine input and four output parameters. About 20 machining trials are exclusively conducted with various combinations of input parameters, and their corresponding output values are compared with the predicted values of the developed models. Descriptive statistics of the errors are calculated for the three models and it was found that the CBR model provided better prediction capability than MRA and NN models.

Cooling techniques for improved productivity in turning

Abstract: The past century has witnessed significant advancements in turning process, cutting tools, machine controls and coolant/lubricant chemistry. These developments have particularly enhanced the machining of difficult-to-cut materials, which are used for aerospace, steam turbine, bearing industry, nuclear and automotive applications. In turning operation, friction and heat generation at the cutting zone are the frequent problems, which affect the tool life and surface finish apart from other machining results. This mechanism of heat generation plays quite a negative role during the turning of modern materials due to their peculiar characteristics such as poor thermal conductivity, high strength at elevated temperature, resistance to wear and chemical degradation. A good understanding of the methods of lubrication/cooling at the cutting zone, reduction of heat generation will lead to efficient and economic machining of these modern materials. This paper presents an overview of major advances in techniques as minimum quantity lubrication (MQL)/near dry machining (NDM), high pressure coolant (HPC), cryogenic cooling, compressed air cooling and use of solid lubricants/coolants. These techniques have resulted in reduction in friction and heat at the cutting zone, hence improved productivity of the process. A brief survey of modeling/FEA techniques is also performed.

Application of vegetable oil-based metalworking fluids in machining ferrous metals—A review

Abstract: The increasing attention to the environmental and health impacts of industrial activities by governmental regulations and by the growing awareness level in the society is forcing industrialists to reduce the use of mineral oil-based metalworking fluids as cutting fluid. Cutting fluids have been used extensively in metal cutting operations for the last 200 years. In the beginning, cutting fluids consisted of simple oils applied with brushes to lubricate and cool the machine tool. As cutting operations became more severe, cutting fluid formulations became more complex. There are now several types of cutting fluids in the market and the most common types can be broadly categorized as cutting oils or water-miscible fluids. In this review, the applicability of vegetable oil-based metalworking fluids in machining of ferrous metals has been undertaken. The advantages of metalworking fluids and its performances with respect to the cutting force, surface finish of work piece, tool wear and temperature at the cutting zone have been investigated. It has been reported in various literature that metalworking fluids, which are vegetable oil-based, could be an environmentally friendly mode of machining with similar performance obtained using mineral oil-based metalworking fluids.