Investigation of the Influence of Aging on the Lubricity of Metalworking Fluids by Means of Design of Experiment

Abstract

The influence of complex aging processes in water-miscible metalworking fluids on process performance is of high relevance for the metalworking industry. Because of the highly dynamic interactions in the complex “metalworking fluid” ecosystem, a distinct correlation between the aging process and the performance of the fluid in metalworking processes is hardly possible. Consequences of the aging process on physical, chemical, and biological properties of the fluid include aspects such as the decrease of the pH value, the increase of the droplet size in emulsions, the presence of bacterial cells, or the modification of the metalworking fluid composition. In the presented work, the influences of these aging aspects on the lubricity of metalworking fluids were investigated individually. A test series has been carried out, which was planned with a design of experiments method, to investigate interactions between the aging aspects regarding lubricity. In addition, the results enabled the development of an empirical regression model, which allowed an integrated description of the influence of the relevant aging aspects.