A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TRIBOLOGICAL BEHAVIOR OF STEEL SLIDING AGAINST WC UNDER MINERAL AND BIODEGRADABLE OIL LUBRICATION

Now a days for machining operations apart from good tribological properties, the lubricant is also expected to be nonhazardous and non-polluting. When considering the ecological and environmental aspects in machining processes, the use of biodegradable oil can be an alternative source of lubricant due to its positive impact to employee health and environmental pollution. In this regard, our research work uses vegetable based cutting fluids developed from canola and sunflower oil, in an attempt to provide an eco-friendly environment. Experiments are carried out on a pin-on-disc tribometer with tungsten carbide (WC) pin against AISI 4340 steel disc for different sliding times under different environments, thus simulating the machining environment. The tribological properties, wear and friction of vegetable based oils were comparatively investigated with a commercially available mineral oil. Wear tracks and roughness profiles of test specimens were compared by using optical microscope and profilometer respectively. Results indicated that vegetable based canola oil demonstrated excellent tribological properties compared to that of commercial mineral oil.