journal article·2025-03-01Open access

A comprehensive review on the viability of minimum quantity lubrication technology for machining difficult-to-cut alloys

Abhijit Bhowmik, Raman Kumar, Ramachandran Thulasiram, Karthikeyan A, Dhirendra Nath Thatoi, Yashwant Singh Bisht, Priyaranjan Samal, Tarun Kumar Kotteda, Ghanshyam G. Tejani, A. Johnson Santhosh

AIP Advances· Volume 15· Issue 3

Abstract

In recent years, sustainability has evolved profoundly and garnered significant global attention, establishing itself as a pivotal topic in contemporary research. In line with this development, the present review thoroughly examines existing studies on machining processes employing minimum quantity lubrication (MQL). The growing imperative for sustainable practices has driven researchers to reassess alternative lubrication techniques within machining operations. Although conventional lubri-cooling agents continue to be widely used for machining engineering alloys, an expanding body of research demonstrates that the incorporation of vegetable oils, nanofluids, and nanoplatelets into MQL systems can yield superior performance compared to traditional methods. The review presents an overview of recent developments and advancements related to MQL technology and provides a rigorous analysis of the performance of vegetable oils and nanofluids as metalworking fluids. This study also demonstrates that eco-friendly MQL approaches can be a sustainable alternative to traditional flood lubrication and serves as a meaningful resource to move toward greener machining solutions.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Advanced machining processes and optimization · Advanced Surface Polishing Techniques · Engineering Technology and Methodologies

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Department of Additive Manufacturing, Mechanical Engineering, SIMATS, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences 1 , Thandalam, Chennai 602105,

Centre for Research Impact and Outcome, Chitkara University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Chitkara University 2 , Rajpura, 140401 Punjab,

University School of Mechanical Engineering, Rayat Bahra University 3 , Kharar, Punjab 140103,

Faculty of Engineering, Sohar University 4 , P.O. Box 44, Sohar PCI 311,

Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering and Technology, JAIN (Deemed to be University) 5 , Bangalore, Karnataka,

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology 6 , Chennai, Tamil Nadu,

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Siksha “O” Anusandhan (Deemed to be University) 7 , Bhubaneswar, Odisha 751030,

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Uttaranchal Institute of Technology, Uttaranchal University 8 , Dehradun 248007, Uttarakhand,

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation 9 , Vaddeswaram, Andhra Pradesh 522302,

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sagi Rama Krishnam Raju Engineering College 10 , Bhimavaram 534204, Andhra Pradesh,

Applied Science Research Center, Applied Science Private University 11 , Amman 11937,

Jadara Research Center, Jadara University 12 , Irbid 21110,

Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Jimma Institute of Technology 13 , Jimma,

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