The influence of single-channel liquid CO2 and MQL delivery on surface integrity in machining of Inconel 718

Sustainable machining of difficult-to-cut materials requires effective cooling and lubrication techniques. To substitute conventional flood cooling and lubrication, different techniques such as cryogenic cooling and/or minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) can be used. Liquid carbon dioxide (LCO2) can be pre-mixed with different lubricants before its delivery to the cutting zone. This article investigates the influence of this recently developed cooling and lubrication method on surface integrity characteristics in milling of Inconel 718. Surface roughness, surface topography and microstructure were evaluated for flood lubrication, dry cutting and LCO2 machining using a single-channel LCO2 and MQL strategy. Moreover, two different lubricants were evaluated for MQL: (i) conventional MQL oil and (ii) solid lubricant molybdenum di-sulphide (MoS2). In addition to being environmentally friendly, MoS2 lubricated LCO2 showed comparable surface characteristics to flood lubrication. Also, the use of lubricated LCO2 resulted in higher part surface cleanliness compared to flood lubrication.