Int J Mater Form
DOI 10.1007/s12289-009-0678-3
ORIGINAL RESEARCH
An investigation on surface grinding of AISI 4140 hardened
steel using minimum quantity lubrication-MQL technique
M. H. Sadeghi & M. J. Hadad & T. Tawakoli & A. Vesali &
M. Emami
Received: 11 July 2009 / Accepted: 21 December 2009
# Springer/ESAFORM 2010
Abstract In dry grinding, as there is no coolant lubricant to
transfer the heat from the contact zone, generation of
surface damages are not preventable. Promising alternatives
to conventional flood coolant applications are also Mini-
mum Quantity Lubricant (MQL) or Near Dry Machining
(NDM) or Semi Dry Machining (SDM). As the name
implies, MQL machining uses a very small quantity of
lubricant delivered precisely to the cutting zone. Often the
quantity used is so small that no lubricant is recovered from
the parts. Any remaining lubricant may form a film that
protects the parts from oxidation or the lubricant may
vaporize completely due to high temperatures of the cutting
zone. A number of studies have shown that MQL grinding
can show satisfactory performance in practical grinding
processes. However, there has been little investigation of
cutting fluids to be used in MQL grinding. In this study,
several grinding fluids, including mineral, vegetable and
synthetic esters oil, are compared on the basis of the
grinding forces and surface quality properties that would be
suitable for MQL grinding applications, to develop a
multifunctional fluid having the MQL results such as cooling,
lubrication and high ecological and environmental safety
M. J. Hadad (*) : T. Tawakoli : A. Vesali
Institute of Grinding and Precision Technology (KSF),
Furtwangen University,
78054VS Schwenningen, Germany
e-mail: mjhaddad@modares.ac.ir
e-mail: mohammad.hadad@hs-furtwangen.de
M. H. Sadeghi (*) : M. J. Hadad : M. Emami
CAD/CAM Laboratory, Manufacturing Engineering Division,
School of Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University,
Tehran, Iran
e-mail: sadeghim@modares.ac.ir
performances. The grinding performance of fluids is also
evaluated in dry and conventional fluid grinding techniques.
Keywords Grindability . Grinding forces . Minimum
quantity lubrication (MQL) . Near dry grinding (NDG) .
AISI 4140 steel . Surface quality . MQL grinding oil
Introduction
In general, the functions of the fluid include: mechanical
lubrication of the abrasive contacts, chemo-physical lubri-
cation of the abrasive contacts, cooling in the contact area
particularly in creep grinding, bulk cooling outside the
contact area, flushing or the transport of the debris away
from the abrasive process, transport of abrasive to a loose
abrasive process, entrapment of abrasive dust and metal
process vapors [1, 2]. In spite of many advantages of the
use of cutting fluids in the machining processes, they have
serious disadvantages, such as ecological and economical
problems, which have guided research works in the last
decades to reduce or even eliminate the use of metal fluids
[2–6]. During grinding many of the abrasive grits are in
contact with the work piece each second, but just a portion
of these grits have the cutting role in the real process and
the others do not perform real cutting, but instead generate
heat by rubbing and ploughing the work piece surface in
the grinding contact zone. High heat generation and
temperature in the grinding contact zone is associated with
a high negative rake angle and with a great contact length
in grinding process [4, 5].
Tawakoli et al. [2, 3] have investigated the strategies for
minimizing the quantity of grinding fluid. They discussed
that by using special conditioning on grinding wheel or

change in the characteristics of the grinding wheel such as
grit size, bonding and porosity, and changing in the
grinding parameters such as depth of cut, feed rate or
grinding speed, it is possible to reduce heat generation,
especially by using dry grinding. It must be noted that
during grinding operation, without using sufficient cooling
and lubrication, thermal damage and dimensional inaccura-
cy on the work piece surface will be generated and the
methods of minimum grinding fluids or dry grinding have
not yet been fully successful in industrial applications
[5–7]. So in dry grinding, as therefore is no cutting fluid to
transfer the heat from the contact zone, problems frequently
occur in terms of thermal damage on the work piece
surface, increasing the grinding energy and grinding forces,
wear of grinding wheel, low material removal rate
(regarding relatively low depths of cut) as well as poor
surface integrity compared to conventional flood grinding
[4, 5].
One attractive alternative for dry grinding is MQL
grinding. This process uses a minimum quantity of
lubrication and is referred to as near dry grinding. In
minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) grinding, an air–oil
mixture called an aerosol is fed onto the machining zone
[8]. In MQL process, aerosols are oil droplets dispersed in a
jet of air, oil droplets carried by the air fly directly to the
tool working zone, providing the needed cooling and
lubricating actions [8, 11]. Aerosols are generated using a
process called atomization, which is the conversion of bulk
liquid into a spray or mist (i.e., collection of tiny droplets),
often by passing the liquid through a nozzle. An atomizer is
an atomization apparatus; carburetors, airbrushes, misters,
and spray bottles are only a few examples of the atomizers
used ubiquitously [8].
Silva et al. [9, 10] investigated the effects of grinding
parameters on ABNT 4340 steel using MQL technique.
They found that the surface roughness, diametric wear,
grinding forces and residual stress improved with the use of
the MQL system in grinding process due to better
lubrication of grinding zone and providing better slipping
of grain at the contact zone [9]. Chio et al. [12] have
studied the cooling effects of compressed cold air when a
spindle shaft material (SCM21) is cylindrically ground with
a white alumina (WA) and a CBN wheel. They discussed
that the compressed cold air is also efficient in minimizing
the thermal defects of the work piece and can also play a
role in solving the problem of environmental pollution [12]
and the surface roughness of the work piece with
compressed cold air is better than that with coolant and it
becomes better as the air velocity increases. Brunner [13]
showed that MQL with 4 ml/min ester oil, as compared to
11 ml/min mineral oil, during grinding of 16MnCr5 (SAE-
5115) with micro crystalline aluminium oxide reduces
process perpendicular and tangential forces to one third,
Int J Mater Form
but increases surface roughness by 50%. Investigations by
Brinksmeier et al. [14] confirmed these results and showed
in addition that the type of coolant used during MQL (ester
oil or emulsion) can considerably influence the process
result. Hafenbraedl and Malkin [15] found that the MQL
technique provides efficient lubrication, reducing the
grinding power and the specific energy to a level of
performance comparable or superior to that obtained from
conventional soluble oil (at a 5% concentration and 5.3 l/
min flow), while at the same time it significantly reduces
grinding wheel wear. However, MQL presented slightly
higher superficial roughness values (Ra) [9, 10]. Axinte et
al. [16] investigated the influence of polishing methods on
Ti–6Al–4V heat-resistant alloy and found that the surfaces
obtained when employing cooling medium (chilled air for
belt polishing and MQL for bob polishing) show compli-
ance with the tight requirements of industrial standards for
work piece surface integrity.
Literature review shows the luck of study on oil types,
MQL system variables and grinding parameters using
minimum quantity lubrication grinding instead of conven-
tional wet grinding. Therefore it is necessary to study MQL
grinding and investigate MQL parameters and different oils
on grinding performance. This paper deals with an
investigation of the grind ability of AISI 4140 low alloy
steel with MQL technique. The experiments, conducted
under different grinding environments, showed the perfor-
mance of the grinding fluids based on an evaluation of
grinding forces and surface quality. The purpose of this
work is to evaluate the performance of the MQL technol-
ogy applied to minute flow rates as an environmentally
correct alternative for the cutting fluid used in surface
grinding. The small amount of lubricant is pulverized in a
compressed air stream, reducing the undesirable effects by
supplying lubricant and cooling. The evaluation of the
technical performance of MQL in the grinding process
consisted of experimentally analyzing the behavior of the
grinding normal and tangential forces, surface roughness,
surface and subsurface micro hardness and metallurgical
analysis.
Experimental procedure
The tests were carried out with aluminum oxide (Al2O3)
grinding wheels having the following characteristics:
(91A46I8AV) produced by Golpasab Company (Iran), that
manufactured with a vitrified binder. The dressing opera-
tion was kept constant in all the tests, using a six point
diamond dresser (dressing speed (Vd)=5 mm/s, total depth
of dressing (ad)=0.03 mm). Plates of AISI 4140 steel with
dimensions 50 mm×23 mm×10 mm were prepared for
these grinding experiments. MQL tests were done through
Int J Mater Form

Table 1 Composition of specimens used in this study Table 2 Grinding conditions

Work piece material Composition (wt %) Grinding mode Plunge surface

grinding, down cut
AISI 4140 low alloy steel C(0.38–0.43), Mn(0.75–1), Grinding wheel Al2O3 (91A46I8AV)
P(0.035), Si(0.04), Mo(0.15–0.35), Grinding machine FAVRETTO MB100 CNC
Cr(0.8–1.1), Fe(Balance) surface grinder
Wheel speed (Vs) Vs =30 m/s
the 23 mm width for AISI 4140 steel using FAVRETTO Work speed (Vw) Vw =10, 20, 30, 40 m/min
MB100 CNC surface grinder in down cut plunge mode. Depth of cut (ae) ae =0.005, 0.010, 0.015 mm
Work piece compositions are shown in Table 1. Before Environments Dry, wet, MQL
being tested, the AISI 4140 steel work pieces were Conventional wet grinding fluid Soluble oil (Blaser BC35)
in a 5% concentration
subjected to heat treatment resulted in hardness 50±2
MQL flow rate Q=15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70,
HRC (i.e., preheating at 200–350°C during 1 h, preheating
100, 140 ml/hr
at 180±10°C during 1 h, austenizing at 850±10°C during
Air pressure P=2, 3, 4, 5, 6 bar
20 min, quenching in salt bath at 200–350°C followed by
MQL oil Vegetable oil, synthetic oil,
air cooling and then tampering in 180–200°C at 1.5 h). A Behran cutting oil 34 and
series of preliminary tests were carried out to determine the Behran cutting oil 53
best lubricant and compressed air flow ranges, as well as Work piece material Heat-treated AISI 4140 low
the best choice of the various types of lubricants using the alloy steel with 50±2 HRC
MQL technology. Four types of lubricants manufactured by (50 mm×23 mm×10 mm)
Behran Oil Company (Iran) were subjected to preliminary Dresser Six point diamond dresser
testing (vegetable oil, synthetic oil, Behran cutting oil 34 Dressing depth Total depth of dressing
(ad)=0.03 mm
and Behran cutting oil 53). The equipment utilized to
Dressing speed Vd =5 mm/s
control the minimum quantity of lubricant (MQL) was the
sophisticated home-made MQL system, which uses the oil
supply pump system and allows the compressed air and
lubricant flows to be adjusted separately and allowed to mix shown in Table 2. Soluble oil (Blaser BC35) in a 5%
air and oil in the special nozzle and make micro droplets of concentration was used in the conventional cooling condi-
cutting oil injected to cutting zone by compressed air. The tion. The maximum flow supplied by the pump and by the
jet of MQL was delivered at the grinding zone through two machine’s original nozzle was 8.4 l/min. Before each
specially designed nozzles of nominal diameter of 2 mm experiment wheel was dressed in conditions mentioned
(Fig. 1), which impinge on the surface of the job from a above. The surface roughness, grinding forces and metal-
distance of 50 mm. The input parameters [grinding wheel lurgical analysis were performed after fifth pass. The work
cutting speed (Vs), peripheral work piece speed (Vw), piece roughness was measured by Mahr Perthometer
grinding depth (ae), MQL flow rate (Q) and compressed (mobile roughness measurement) with a cut-off length of
air pressure (P)] were selected based on preliminary testing. 0.8 mm (according to DIN EN ISO 3274:1998). At the end
The cutting conditions selected after primary tests are of each test, the arithmetic mean roughness values, Ra, in

Fig. 1 Nozzle designed for

MQL grinding experiments (all
dimensions are in mm)

the grinding direction were measured at five different points
of ground surface in the grinding direction. The grinding
force components were recorded using a piezo-electric
transducer based dynamometer (type Kistler 9255B) posi-
tioned under the work piece clamping system.
Results and discussion
Grinding forces
Figure 2 shows grinding forces versus MQL flow rate. As it
can be seen, grinding forces for synthetic and vegetable oil
are lower than that for Behran 34 and 53 cutting oils.
Additionally, by increasing MQL flow rate there is not any
significant differences in the grinding forces. Also it can be
seen from Fig. 3 that grinding forces exhibit a falling and
rising trend against compressed air pressure. In other words
both force components-tangential and normal-reach their
minimum value at 4 bar. According to Figs. 2 and 3, to
Fig. 2 Effects of MQL flow
rate on grinding forces (Vw =
20 m/min, Vs =30 m/s, ae =
0.010 mm and P=4 bar)
Int J Mater Form
have low grinding oil consumption and better environmen-
tally friendly process, quantity of lubricant 20 ml/hr and
delivery pressure 4 bar have been selected for final MQL
grinding experiments.
In Fig. 4 measured grinding forces (tangential and
normal) versus depth of cut (ae) in different environments
(MQL, wet and dry) are shown. From Fig. 4 it is obvious
that both grinding forces (tangential and normal) in MQL
environment are much lower than grinding forces in dry
and wet environment. It is noticeable that grinding forces in
wet environment generally exceed dry grinding forces.
According to [17] hydro dynamical effects of emulsion
flow can be one of the main reasons in increasing forces.
Since near dry grinding tests using MQL lubricants were
performed in a fixed lubricant flow rate and delivery
pressure (Q=20 ml/hr, P=4 bar), the values of grinding
forces in a same depth of cut (ae) and work speed (Vw) are
directly related to lubricating properties of lubricants.
Table 3 shows the measured average reduction of the
forces in MQL with respect to dry grinding. All the
Int J Mater Form
Fig. 3 Effects of air pressure on
MQL forces (Vw =20 m/min,
Vs =30 m/s, ae =0.010 mm and
Q=20 ml/hr)
lubricants used here in MQL are non soluble oils. Non
soluble oils are more effective than water based lubricants
in lowering friction forces [17]. Cutting oil Behran 53 used
in MQL tests is a chlorinated mineral oil with anti-wear
properties and reduced grinding forces about 20%. Behran
vegetable oil is natural fatty oil, consisting mainly of esters
of glycerol with good lubricity and anti wear properties. So
it was more effective in lowering grinding forces than
cutting oil Behran 53. The forces were more reduced using
cutting oil Behran 34 in MQL because cutting oil Behran
34 is a chlorinated mineral oil with anti wear properties and
also contains free sulphur (An extreme pressure additive).
The free sulphure will react with work piece surface
especially when the metal has been freshly exposed by
wear, giving a lower shear strength surface layer of metal
sulphide. Behran synthetic ester oil used in the MQL
experiments is of polyol esters made by reaction a
polyhydric alcohol with a monobasic acid. As can be seen
in Fig. 4 using ester oil as MQL lubricant lowers both
grinding tangential and normal forces more than other
lubricants. Because ester groups are polar and cover the
metal surfaces with strong adsorption forces leading high
lubricity. Moreover good thermal stability, high flash point,
and high biodegradability are of prominent properties of
synthetic ester oils that make them a proper choice in MQL
grinding of AISI 4140 steel [18].
Surface quality of ground parts
Figure 5 compares the mean values of the Ra parameter
with the Al2O3 grinding wheel using MQL technique with
vegetable oil, synthetic oil, Behran cutting oil 34 and 53
versus MQL flow rate and compressed air pressure. The
values were obtained after five stages, each pass of
0.010 mm with work speed of 20 m/min and wheel speed
of 30 m/s. In order to investigate the MQL flow rate the
pressure was kept 4 bar and in the stage of comparison of
compressed air pressure effects on MQL performance the
MQL flow rate was kept 20 ml/hr. Figure 5a shows that the
application of Behran cutting oil 53 in MQL grinding of
AISI 4140 steel gives the better surface finish than the other
test oils in low flow rates, and in high flow rates MQL
grinding with Behran cutting oil 34 gives better surface
finish up to 140 ml/hr. As it can be seen, in low flow rates
 Int J Mater Form

Fig. 4 Measured grinding tan-

gential and normal forces versus
depth of cut in MQL, wet and
dry environments (Vs =30 m/s,
Vw =30 m/min, Q=20 ml/hr,
P=4 bar)

of MQL oil, the surface roughness of synthetic oil and roughness is lower and it increases with increasing of air
Behran cutting oil 34 and 53 are the same. In the other pressure. In this case, the lower normal and tangential
hand, by increasing MQL flow rate, surface roughness forces and luck of burning were observed in the 20 ml/hr
increases up to 100 ml/hr flow rate and then it decreases for flow rate and 4 bar conditions, therefore the following
all cutting oils up to 140 ml/hr. In the case of 140 ml/hr experiments for comparison of dry, MQL and wet grinding
flow rate for MQL system, surface roughness decreases for were done at Q=20 ml/hr and P=4 bar. The flow rates
all cutting oils, but the better surface finish is for Behran selected for application with MQL did not result in
cutting oil 53. It can be seen from Fig. 5b that by increasing dispersion of the mist, contributing toward environmentally
compressed air pressure surface roughness decreases until correct manufacturing and allowing for easy viewing of the
4 bar and then increases until 5 bar for vegetable oil and grinding operation. Figure 6 compares the Ra parameter in
synthetic oils. But for Behran cutting oil 34, by increasing grinding of AISI 4140 steel using the conventional (flood-
compressed air pressure, the surface roughness decreases ing or wet) and dry conditions against those obtained with
until 3 bar and then increases until 5 bar. In the case of MQL technique. The values were obtained with difference
using Behran cutting oil 53 as MQL fluid, the surface depths of cut (ae) and work speeds (Vw). Generally it can
clearly be seen that the application of MQL did not give the
expected results in respect to the surface roughness.
Table 3 Measured average reduction of the forces in MQL with Figure 7 shows that in dry and wet grinding of AISI
respect to dry grinding
4140 steel surface damages such as: plastic deformation,
Grinding environment Average reduction side flow, strong adhesion of chip to abrasive grain, wheel
forces with respect loading and grain pull-out are present on the ground
to dry grinding surface, indicating low lubrication and sever rubbing by
MQL (cutting oil Behran 53) 20%
the grain wear flats specially in dry grinding. It also
indicates ploughing and plastic deformation to be the
MQL (vegetable oil) 43%
predominant mode of material removal. MQL surfaces
MQL (cutting oil Behran 34) 49%
showed lesser such defects, especially no plastic deforma-
MQL (Behran synthetic oil) 57%
tion indicating a higher lubrication and shearing as the
Int J Mater Form
Fig. 5 Effects of the MQL
parameters on surface rough-
ness (grinding experiments were
conducted with Vw =20 m/min,
Vs =30 m/s, ae =0.010 mm and:
a P=4 bar, b Q=20 ml/hr)
mode of material removal. Ground surfaces studied at any
MQL rates and MQL oil type indicate the same results.
The surface produced was more finely grooved and were
relatively free from thermal damages in contrast with the
surface produced at Q =60 ml/hr and P= 4 bar with
synthetic oil (Fig. 7c). The surface finish produced when
grinding AISI 4140 steel in this way was better than that
obtained from other MQL conditions and is shown in
Fig. 5a, b. There are further examples (see Fig. 7a–c) of the
beneficial effect of finish MQL grinding with Behran
cutting oil 34 than other MQL lubricants, but these surfaces
are better than dry and wet grinding conditions when
surfaces with minimal amounts of damages are required.
From Fig. 7f it can be seen that dry grinding has done with
burning on work piece surface. Figures 8 is the micrographs
of sample cross-sections, illustrate the subsurface alter-
ations that took place in the samples when the AISI 4140
steel specimens were used in dry, conventional cooling and
with the use of the near dry grinding technique. Note that
the subsurface alterations produced by the various lubrica-
tion and cooling conditions were minimal, without signif-
icant differences between the conditions tested. Probably,
the amount of heat and plastic deformation that entered the
work piece during the grinding process regarding slight
conditions of grinding was not sufficient to produce
important subsurface alterations in the material microstruc-
ture. On the other hand, the contact time of the abrasive
grains and the cooling time are very short, which make no
meaningful difference in the subsurface. Similar results in
the structure analysis were found in [10] and [14] for
surface and plunge cylindrical grinding, respectively, when
comparing the conventional fluid grinding and MQL
techniques. Several thermal damages may occur in grinding
of heat-treated steel, including softening due to tempering if
the grinding temperature is high and cooling rate is low
enough [9, 10]. These damages can be avoided if the
grinding process is carried out in such a way that the
maximum temperature in the grinding zone is reduced by
sufficient cooling and lubricating processes [9, 10]. As it
can be seen, when using MQL white layer in the
subsurfaces of ground parts are thinner than dry and wet
conditions. Also in the case of MQL grinding using

Fig. 6 Effects of the cooling
modes on the surface roughness
(grinding experiments were
conducted with Q=20 ml/hr, P=
4 bar for MQL, Vs =30 m/s)
synthetic oil and Behran cutting oil 34, this layer is the
thinnest, because of good cooling and lubricating character-
istics of these MQL oils. Lower grinding forces and micro-
hardness profiles, prove this claim. Additionally, MQL
grinding with vegetable oil and Behran cutting oil 53, show
smaller layer thickness than dry and wet grinding conditions.
Therefore the MQL technique efficiency was also confirmed
in the microstructure analysis, reinforcing the thesis of
significant effects on cooling and lubrication, providing a
positive aspect of the surface integrity of the work piece.
The microhardness profiles given by Fig. 9 show the
existence of surface softening for both cooling methods.
However MQL grinding is seen to induce lower softening
at the outer layers of the ground surfaces. On the other
hand, these profiles show that layer thickness, which
undergoes work softening when MQL is used, is smaller
than those generated when the conventional cooling is
applied. Additionally, when using MQL with synthetic oil,
the softening is smaller and the microhardness of surface
layer is higher than MQL grinding with the other test oils. It
can be seen that in dry grinding the white layer with lower
microhardness is thicker than wet and MQL. Near dry
grinding with Behran cutting oil 53 generate responsible
cooling action, because of its high hardness and lower soft
thickness.
Int J Mater Form
An analysis of the results of applying dry grinding,
conventional grinding fluids and the MQL technique
indicated that, in general, the application of cutting fluid
with MQL to the grinding process resulted in a
performance superior to that of the conventional method,
possibly by providing greater lubricant penetration effi-
ciency into the grinding contact zone [19]. One of the
feasible and physics-based explanations that can consider
the MQL work is the so-called embrittlement action of
the cutting fluid, which reduces the strain at facture of the
work material [8, 11]. This action is based on the
Rebinder effect [8, 11]. The results of Rebinder’s study
showed that during cutting process absorbed fluid films
prevent microcracks from closing (healing due to plastic
deformation of the work material). Because each micro-
crack in the machining zone serves as a stress concen-
trator, a lower energy was required for cutting [8, 11].
Pursuing this direction, Epifanov [11] found that the
penetration of the foreign atoms (from the decomposition
of the cutting fluid) produced an embrittlement effect in
a manner similar to hydrogen embrittlement that results
in the reduction of plasticity of the work materials. As
discussed in [8, 11], the work of plastic deformation of
the layer being removed in metal cutting is the greatest,
so it is the prime cause of tool failure due to various
Int J Mater Form

Fig. 7 Surface conditions and

metallurgical analysis of surface a
obtained when grinding with
b
Vw =20 m/min, Vs =30 m/s, ae =
0.010 mm and: a MQL with
Behran cutting oil 34 and Q=
20 ml/hr, P=4 bar, b MQL with
Behran cutting oil 53 and Q=
20 ml/hr, P=4 bar, c MQL with
synthetic oil and Q=20 ml/hr,
P=4 bar, d MQL with vegetable
oil and Q=20 ml/hr, P=4 bar, e
wet grinding, f dry grinding

c d

e ploughing (pull out) f

Burn out

side flow

mechanisms of wear. The only feasible way for MQL to
work in metal cutting is to increase the embrittlement of
the layer being removed and thus to reduce the work of
plastic deformation done in the transformation of the
layer being removed into the chip [8, 11]. Available
information about the practice of MQL suggests that
atomized oil possesses great ability to enhance the Rebinder
effect [8].
Conclusions
Based on the results of the present experimental investiga-
tion the following conclusions for minimum quantity
lubrication grinding (MQL) can be drawn:
(1) MQL compared to flood cooling could considerably
reduce process perpendicular and tangential forces.
The tangential cutting force was decreased with MQL,
possibly due to the presence of lubricant around the
grinding wheel, providing better slipping of the grain
at the piece-tool interface.
(2) Generally, in MQL grinding the application of
synthetic oil gave lower tangential force than other
grinding oils. The next proposed MQL oil can be
Behran cutting oil 34, that have better surface finish
and grinding forces in MQL grinding of AISI 4140
steel, whereas Behran cutting oil 53 and vegetable oil
have better cooling effects in the grinding contact
zone.
(3) MQL grinding produced higher surface roughness
under most lubrication and cooling conditions using
the AISI 4140 steel work pieces, probably because of
the effective lubrication of the tool’s abrasive grains
in the cutting region.
(4) The application of cutting fluid with MQL may be
allowed the cutting edges of the grinding wheel to
remain sharp for longer periods before they were
renewed. The surface roughness in MQL is found to
be larger than in conventional grinding due to retained
sharpness of grits and less temperature: the grits leave
distinct shearing marks without plastic deformation of
the high ridges, resulting in the higher roughness in
MQL.
 Int J Mater Form

Fig. 8 SEM micrographs of

surfaces and cross sections of
grinding samples with Vw =
20 m/min, Vs =30 m/s, ae =
0.010 mm and: a wet grinding,
b dry grinding, c MQL with
Behran cutting oil 34 and Q=
20 ml/hr, P=4 bar, d MQL with
synthetic oil and Q=20 ml/hr, P
=4 bar, e MQL with Behran
cutting oil 53 and Q=20 ml/hr,
P=4 bar, f MQL with vegetable
oil and Q=20 ml/hr, P=4 bar

(5) Study of the ground surfaces indicates also that in
MQL the metal removal rate takes place mostly by
shearing and fracturing, unlike prevalence of plastic
deformation, grain pull-out, and ploughing in conven-
tional grinding.
(6) MQL enables significant reduction in forces and
specific energy for all of the steels explored, which
may be attributed to reduced ductility of the material,
retained grit-sharpness, and ideal chip formation
mechanism.

Fig. 9 Effects of the cooling

mode on the microhardness HV
(300gf) profiles for grinding of
AISI 4140 steel (grinding
experiments were conducted at
Vw =20 m/min, Vs =30 m/s, ae =
0.010 mm)
Int J Mater Form
Acknowledgments The authors are indebted to Mapna Turbine
Engineering & Manufacturing Company, TUGA (Iran) for the facilities
needed for performing grinding tests, especially K. Ehsanifard,
supervisor of Machining & Tool Procurement Department, and Mr.
M. R. Yousefy, head of pre montage of steam turbine, and to Behran oil
company (Iran), for its donation of the lubricants used in all
experiments, specially Mrs. Leila Aminipanah for her scientific support.
References
1. Marinescu ID, Rowe WB, Dimitrov B, Inasaki I (2004) Tribology
of abrasive machining processes. William Andrew, USA
2. Tawakoli T, Westkaemper E, Rabiey M (2007) Dry grinding by
special conditioning. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 33:419–424
3. Tawakoli T, Westkämper E, Rabiey M, Rasifard A (2007)
Influence of the type of coolant lubricant in grinding with CBN
tools. Int J Mach Tools Manuf 45:734–739
4. Tawakoli T, Azarhoushang B (2008) Influence of ultrasonic
vibrations on dry grinding of soft stell. Int J Mach Tools Manuf
48(14):1585–1591
5. Tawakoli T, Azarhoushang B, Rabiey M (2008) Ultrasonic
assisted dry grinding of 42CrMo4. Int J Adv Manuf Technol
42:883–891
6. Tawakoli T (1993) High efficiency deep grinding. VDI-Verlag and
Mechanical Engineering Publications Limited (MEP), ISBN
0852988206
7. Malkin S (1989) Grinding technology: theory and applications of
machining with abrasives, 1st edn. Ellis Horwood Limited, Chichester
8. Paulo Davim J (2008) Machining: fundamentals and recent
advances, chapter 7. In: Astakhov VP (ed) Ecological machining:
near-dry machining. Springer-Verlag London Limited
9. Silva LR, Bianchi EC, Catai RE, Fusse RY, França TV, Aguiar PR
(2005) Study on the behavior of the minimum quantity lubricant-
MQL technique under different lubrication and cooling conditions
when grinding ABNT 4340 steel. J Braz Soc Mech Sci Eng
XXVII:192–199
10. Silva LR, Bianchi EC, Fusse RY, Catai RE, França TV, Aguiar PR
(2007) Analysis of surface integrity for minimum quantity
lubricant-MQL in grinding. Int J Mach Tools Manuf 47:412–
418
11. Astakhov VP (2006) Tribology of metal cutting. Elsevier, London,
Printed in Great Britain
12. Choi HZ, Lee SW, Jeong HD (2002) The cooling effects of
compressed cold air in cylindrical grinding with alumina and CBN
wheels. J Mater Process Technol 127(2):155–158
13. Brunner G (1998) Schleifen mit mikrokristallinem Aluminiu-
moxid. Dr.-lng. Diss., Universität Hannover, Fortschr.-Ber. VDI
Reihe 2, Nr. 464, Düsseldorf, VDI-Verlag
14. Brinksmeier E, Brockhoff T, Walter A (1997) Minimalmen-
genschmierung und Trockenbearbeitung beim Schleifen, HTM
52/3:166–170. Carl Hanser Verlag, München
15. Hafenbraedl D, Malkin S (2001) Technology environmentaly
correct for intern cylindrical grinding. Machines and metals
magazine, 40–55
16. Axinte DA, Kwong J, Kong MC (2009) Work piece surface
integrity of Ti–6–4 heat-resistant alloy when employing different
polishing methods. J Mater Process Technol 209(4):1843–1852
17. Brinksmeier E, Heinzel C, Wittmann M (1999) Friction cooling
and lubrication in grinding. CIRP Ann Manuf Technol 48(2):581–
598
18. Mortier RM, Orszulik ST (1994) Chemistry & technology of
lubricants. VCH Publishers Inc, Chapman & Hall, New York
19. Marinescu ID, Hitchiner M, Uhlmann E, Rowe WB, Inasaki I
(2007) Handbook of machining with grinding wheels. CRC Press,
Taylor & Francis Group, USA