Investigations on the effect of silver nanoparticles on performance of coconut oil based cutting fluid in minimal fluid application

In this work, an innovative nanocutting fluid, based on coconut oil was developed by dispersing silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) of size less than 50 nm. The tribological and physical properties of the prepared nanocutting fluid with different volumes of silver nanoparticles were studied. It was found that the addition of 4% by volume of nanoparticles enhanced the properties of the nanocutting fluid compared to the other concentrations studied, thus demonstrating its excellent tribological performance. The effect of the newly developed nanocutting fluid with 4% of silver nanoparticles on cutting performance was also investigated while machining AISI4340 steel with minimal fluid application. Results revealed that the cutting force, cutting temperature, and tool wear are reduced on an average by 22.6%, 12.6%, and 5.3% respectively. It was evident that efficient cooling and lubrication of nanocutting fluid dispersed with silver nanoparticles improved the cutting performance. The outcomes of this work can be considered as a development toward eco-friendly and sustainable machining.