Tribological mechanism of carbon group nanofluids on grinding interface under minimum quantity lubrication based on molecular dynamic simulation

Abstract

Carbon group nanofluids can further improve the friction-reducing and anti-wear properties of minimum quantity lubrication (MQL). However, the formation mechanism of lubrication films generated by carbon group nanofluids on MQL grinding interfaces is not fully revealed due to lack of sufficient evidence. Here, molecular dynamic simulations for the abrasive grain/workpiece interface were conducted under nanofluid MQL, MQL, and dry grinding conditions. Three kinds of carbon group nanoparticles, i.e., nanodiamond (ND), carbon nanotube (CNT), and graphene nanosheet (GN), were taken as representative specimens. The [BMIM]BF₄ ionic liquid was used as base fluid. The materials used as workpiece and abrasive grain were the single-crystal Ni–Fe–Cr series of Ni-based alloy and single-crystal cubic boron nitride (CBN), respectively. Tangential grinding force was used to evaluate the lubrication performance under the grinding conditions. The abrasive grain/workpiece contact states under the different grinding conditions were compared to reveal the formation mechanism of the lubrication film. Investigations showed the formation of a boundary lubrication film on the abrasive grain/workpiece interface under the MQL condition, with the ionic liquid molecules absorbing in the groove-like fractures on the grain wear’s flat face. The boundary lubrication film underwent a friction-reducing effect by reducing the abrasive grain/workpiece contact area. Under the nanofluid MQL condition, the carbon group nanoparticles further enhanced the tribological performance of the MQL technique that had benefited from their corresponding tribological behaviors on the abrasive grain/workpiece interface. The behaviors involved the rolling effect of ND, the rolling and sliding effects of CNT, and the interlayer shear effect of GN. Compared with the findings under the MQL condition, the tangential grinding forces could be further reduced by 8.5%, 12.0%, and 14.1% under the diamond, CNT, and graphene nanofluid MQL conditions, respectively.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

grinding / minimum quantity lubrication / carbon group nanofluid / tribological mechanism

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Nomenclature

Abbreviations
CBN	Cubic boron nitride
CFRP	Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer
CNT	Carbon nanotube
CNT-MQL	Carbon nanotube nanofluid minimum quantity lubrication
DN-MQL	Diamond nanofluid minimum quantity lubrication
EDS	Energy dispersive spectrometer
GN	Graphene nanosheet
GN-MQL	Graphene nanofluid minimum quantity lubrication
LJ	Lennard–Jones
MQL	Minimum quantity lubrication
MWCNT	Multi-walled carbon nanotube
ND	Nanodiamond
NMQL	Nanofluid minimum quantity lubrication
SEM	Scanning electron microscope
Variables
Al	Action area of lubricating film
As	Contact area between abrasive grain and workpiece
D	Binding energy coefficient
E	Total energy
F	Embedding energy
Ff	Frictional force
Kr	Bond-stretching energy coefficient
Kθ	Bond angle-bending energy coefficient
Kϕ	Torsion energy coefficient
n	Multiphase factor
N	Total amount of atoms in the system
qi, qj	Electrical charges of the atoms i and j, respectively
r	Bond length
r0	Equilibrium bond length
rij	Distance between atoms i and j
R	Pair interactions
ti	Chemical species (Fe, Ni, or Cr)
V	Volume of the sphere
α	Gradient coefficient of potential energy curve
γ	Equilibrium dihedral angle
εij	Traditional well-depth
θ	Bond angle
θ0	Equilibrium bond angle
ρi	Local electron density around atom i
σij	Distance between atoms i and j
σv	von Mises equivalent stress
τl	Viscous resistance of ionic liquid
τs	Shear strength of workpiece material

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51705272), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2018M642628), the 111 Project (Grant No. D21017), and the Open Research Fund of State Key Laboratory of High Performance Complex Manufacturing, Central South University, China (Grant No. Kfkt2020-06).

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