Advances in Manufacturing ›› 2020, Vol. 8 ›› Issue (3): 344-360.doi: 10.1007/s40436-020-00314-1

• ARTICLES • Previous Articles    

Investigation on tribological performance of CuO vegetable-oil based nanofluids for grinding operations

Mirsadegh Seyedzavvar1, Hossein Abbasi2, Mehdi Kiyasatfar3, Reza Najati Ilkhchi2   

  1. 1 Faculty of Engineering, Adana Alparslan Türkeş University of Science and Technology, Adana, Turkey;
    2 Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran;
    3 School of Science and Engineering, Khazar University, Baku, Azerbaijan
  • Received:2019-11-28 Revised:2020-02-23 Published:2020-09-10
  • Contact: Mirsadegh Seyedzavvar E-mail:mseyedzavvar@atu.edu.tr
  • Supported by:
    The authors are grateful for the financial support from the Organization for Development of Young Talents of Khazar University, Sumqayit Techno Park (STP), and R&D of Tabriz Tractor Manufacturing Company. The technical support of the Central laboratory of Tabriz University, Nano Technology Laboratory of Khazar University, and Material Science Laboratory of ATÜ are also highly appreciated.

Abstract: With ball-bearing and tribofilm lubrication effects, CuO vegetable oil-based nanofluids have exhibited excellent anti-wear and friction reduction properties. In this study, CuO nanofluids were synthesized by a one-step electro discharge process in distilled water containing polysorbate-20 and vegetable oil as a nanoparticle stabilizer and source of fatty-acid molecules in the base fluid, respectively. Pin-on-disk tribotests were conducted to evaluate the lubrication performance of synthesized CuO nanofluids between brass/steel contact pairs under various loadings. Surface grinding experiments under minimum lubrication conditions were also performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the synthesized nanofluids in improving the machining characteristics and surface quality of machined parts. The results of pin-on-disk tests revealed that adding nanofluids containing 0.5% and 1% (mass fraction) CuO nanoparticles to the base fluid reduced the wear rate by 66.7% and 71.2%, respectively, compared with pure lubricant. The lubricating action of 1% (mass fraction) CuO nanofluid reduced the ground surface roughness by up to 30% compared with grinding using lubricant without nano-additives. These effects were attributed to the formation of a lubrication film between the contact pairs, providing the rolling and healing functions of CuO nanoparticles to the sliding surfaces. The micrography of ground surfaces using a scanning electron microscope confirmed the tribological observations.

The full text can be downloaded at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40436-020-00314-1

Key words: CuO nanofluids, Tribology, Lubrication, Wear, Coefficient of friction, Surface roughness