Comparative assessment of machining efficiency in turning of Ti-6Al-4V alloy under dry, wet, and MQL conditions

Machining of Ti-6Al-4V alloy using the Minimum Quantity Lubrication (MQL) method in turning operations can significantly enhance the cutting quality. The current study examines the effect of soybean oil as cutting fluid in MQL and compares it to that of machining under dry and wet environments. This study also examines the effect of different machining parameters on measured responses such as material removal rate (MRR), tool wear rate (TWR), and surface roughness (SR). In addition, an alternative ranking order method that accounts for two-step normalization, combined with method based on the removal effects of criteria is employed to identify the optimal parametric combination for improved machining performance. The ideal parametric combination, providing the best machining outcomes has been determined as spindle speed = 400 rpm, feed rate = 0.02 mm/rev, and depth of cut = 0.3 mm. It has been observed that as compared to dry and wet cutting, turning using MQL technique significantly improves MRR, TWR, and SR by 24.44%, 16.12%, and 6.68%, and 5.28%, 9.09%, and 3%, respectively.