Metalworking is a collective name for a variety of machining processes whereby metal is brought to a specified geometry by removing excess material by means of various kinds of cutting and grinding operations. The net result of metalworking is two products: the finished workpiece and waste. Depending on the machining operation, the waste can be metal swarf (small gritty chips or filings), shavings, turnings or stringy tendrils.

Enormous amounts of friction and heat are generated at the cutting interface between the cutting tool and workpiece during the metal removing process. Metalworking fluid (MWF) is used to reduce friction and heat during the machining operation. MFW must also improve workpiece quality, reduce cutting tip wear, remove swarf, improve process productivity and protect the workpiece and machine tools against rust and corrosion. The MWF is generally applied by a spray across the face of the tool and workpiece as shown in the milling operation on the right.

Most MWFs presently in use fall into one of the following two categories:

Neat Metalworking Fluids – also referred to as cutting oils. These are non-emulsifiable fluids and are used in machining operations in undiluted form. They are composed of base oils and normally contain polar compounds such as esters and fatty acids (corrosion inhibitors and lubricity agents), as well as extreme pressure (EP) additives. Typical EP additives are Chlorine, Phosphorus and Sulphur. Neat oils provide the best lubrication and are most effective at reducing friction.

Soluble Metal Working Fluids – often called emulsifiable cutting fluids because they form an emulsion when mixed with water. The concentrate consists of base oil (mineral, synthetic or semisynthetic) and emulsifiers to produce stable emulsions when mixed with water. In addition, typical soluble MWFs formulations include a selection of the following additives: EP agents, rust and corrosion inhibitors, coupling agents, biocides, antifoam agents, scents and dyes.

Synthetic based soluble MWFs provide the best performance as far as cooling, tool life and resistance to bacterial growth (increased sump life) is concerned. In some metalworking operations workpiece visibility is important. Synthetic MWFs form clear transparent solutions, whilst mineral and semisynthetic formulations form milky (see photo above) to semi-transparent emulsions.

Soluble MWFs are always used in diluted form, generally in 3% to 10% concentrations. Soluble grinding fluids may be used in concentrations as low as 1%. Emulsifiable MWFs provide the best cooling and heat transfer performance. Consequently, water soluble coolants have become vital in achieving the higher feeds and speeds required to ensure maximum production efficiency. They are widely used in industry and are the least expensive among all cutting fluids.

There are various issues to consider when selecting a MFW. These are the metals to be machined, the machining operations, machine types, tooling requirements, downstream plant processes and finally chemical and environmental restrictions. Discussions in this newsletter will be restricted to the two most significant aspects:

Metals

Some metals are more difficult to machine than others. Stainless steel, complex alloys and very hard metals demand a very high level of performance from the cutting oil. Other metals, like brass and aluminium, are easy to machine with general purpose oils. Where tough, difficult to machine metals are involved, highly additized cutting oils with excellent EP properties and anti-weld capability are required. Quite often these oils contain active sulphur and chlorine to protect the cutting tool and to ensure good workpiece finish. For brass, aluminium, many carbon steels and low-alloy steels, cutting oils with lubricity additives, and mild EP/anti-weld performance are sufficient. These oils are generally formulated with inactive sulfurized fat and/or chlorinated paraffin. Cutting oils formulated with active sulphur should not be used for brass and aluminium, as they will stain or tarnish the finished parts. Oils formulated for brass and aluminium are often called “non-staining” oils.

Machining Operations

Following is a list of the most common machining operations in order of increasing severity:

•          Sawing

•          Turning

•          Milling

•          Drilling

•          Grinding

•          Reaming

•          Honing

•          Gear Hobbing and Shaping

•          Tapping and Threading

•          Broaching

Easy machining operations (turning, milling, drilling, etc.) can be performed at higher speeds and require high levels of cooling with only modest EP capability. Soluble MWFs are generally used for milder operations. When a neat cutting oil is preferred for easy machining operations for whatever reason, the operations can be performed with lower viscosity, lightly additized fluids.

Difficult machining operations must be run at lower speeds and require a great deal of anti-weld protection. Oils designed specifically for the most severe operations, like thread cutting or broaching, are generally higher in viscosity and loaded with EP additives, like active sulphur and chlorine.

Although this brief discussion of metalworking fluid selection criteria demonstrates the complexity to select the proper cutting fluid, there is light at the end of the tunnel. MWF product data sheets (PDS) will normally indicate for what metals and machining operations the particular product is suitable. For soluble oils the PDS will also give an indication of what mixing ratios should be used for the various machining operations. If you are still in doubt our experts are at your disposal and ready to provide you with advice and answer any questions you may have. For more information simply mail us at info@bcl.co.za

Motor oil deteriorates during its life in the engine due to oxidation. This results in sludge, varnish and resins that become deposited on engine surfaces. Deposits in the piston ring belt area cause ring sticking, loss of compression and increased oil consumption. Deposits can also block oil lines and passages which prevent the oil from reaching parts that need to be lubricated. The results are increased wear, heat build-up and eventual engine failure.

Engine oil is also contaminated with fuel soot because of incomplete combustion of the fuel as well as carbon which is introduced into the engine by emission control systems – diesel engine oil in particular. Oil viscosity increases with soot loading. High oil viscosity leads to cold-start problems and risk of oil starvation. When the soot concentration reaches a level that can no longer be suspended in the oil, the soot precipitates out of the oil to form sludge and deposits. High concentrations of soot also lead to increased wear.

To control all these contaminants, engine oils are formulated with detergents and dispersants in the performance additive package. Antiwear agents, rust inhibitors, and antioxidants are also incorporated in the performance package. In addition, multigrade oils contain viscosity index improvers. The viscosity index improver additive cannot be included in the performance package and is mixed into the oil separately. Pour point depressants and foam inhibitors are also included in the oil formulation, normally blended into the oil as separate components.

The performance package is dominated by the detergent and dispersant components. Considering the large amounts of contaminants the oil must handle (soot particles in particular) these two additives normally make up between 60% and 80% of the performance package. The terms ‘detergent” and ‘dispersant’ are often used interchangeably because the two additives work in synergy to keep engines clean, but the way they function is completely different.

Detergents are oil soluble organo-metallic compounds, mostly derived from the organic soaps or salts of calcium, magnesium or sodium, with calcium being the most commonly used. They have polar heads which allow them to cling to metal surfaces. Detergents serve two principal functions. Firstly, they remove deposits from metal surfaces inside the engine. Deposits and metal surfaces are both polar and deposits are drawn to the metal surfaces and stick to them. The detergent, with its stronger charge, displaces deposits from the metal surface as shown in Fig 1. Secondly, detergents are highly alkaline and neutralize acids formed in the oil by chemically reacting with them to form harmless neutralized chemicals.

Due to their metallic nature detergents are prone to produce residues and ash when burned in the engine.

Dispersants are polar additives that dissolve sludge and soot to prevent them from agglomerating, settling out and forming deposits. Dispersant molecules consist of an electrically charged polar head and a long, oil soluble tail. The polar heads attract and ‘embrace’ potential deposit forming materials and acids which are taken into solution in the oil by the tails as illustrated in Fig 2. Dispersants do not contain any metallic elements. If they are burned in the engine, they do not leave any residue or ash.

Due to their alkaline nature, detergents and dispersants contribute to the alkalinity reserve or Total Base Number (TBN) of engine oil. Of these two additives, detergents add the most to TBN. Dispersants are more rapidly depleted than detergents because of the way they react with contaminants and acids in the oil.

Detergents, on the other hand, have the ability to retain their alkalinity reserve over longer periods of time, thus providing better TBN retention. We mentioned earlier that detergents produce ash when burned in the engine (due to their metallic nature) and therefore they contribute to the SAPS (Sulphated Ash, Phosphorus and Sulphur) level of engine oil. Nowadays the main driving force for the development of new engine oils is concern over the environmental impact of engine emissions. Current generation lubricants must provide optimum exhaust gas emission control system durability. To protect these systems, engine oils must contain lower SAPS levels since SAPS can poison emission control after-treatment devices. The reduction in oil SAPS limits has resulted in a shift from traditional engine oil technologies to alternative low ash additive chemistries and there is now increased focus on detergents and dispersants derived from polybutenes.

The Viscosity of a fluid is its resistance to flow. It is generally perceived as “thickness”. The higher the viscosity, the greater the resistance to flow or the “thicker” the fluid. Viscosity changes with temperature – the higher the temperature, the lower the viscosity.  It is therefore always important to specify the temperature at which the viscosity measurement was made. The viscosity of lubricating oil is normally measured at 40˚C and 100˚C.

Viscosity Index (VI) is a measure of the change in viscosity with change in temperature. It is most commonly used to portray the viscosity-temperature behavior of lubricating oils. The lower the VI, the more the viscosity will change with variation in temperature. VI has no units and is calculated using the viscosity of the oil at 40˚C and 100˚C.

Many applications require the lubricant to perform satisfactory across a wide range of temperatures. For instance in automotive engines, an oil with a low viscosity at low temperature, i.e. SAE 15W (“W” for winter), is needed to enable the oil pump to push the oil through the engine during cold morning starts. The oil also needs to be viscous (thick) enough, SAE 40 for example, to protect the engine when it reaches operating temperature. This is when the use of a Viscosity Index Improver (VII) becomes essential.

Viscosity Index Improvers (sometimes referred to as Viscosity Modifiers) are polymers that provide “thickening characteristics” to oil at elevated temperatures. When the oil temperature is low, these polymers curl up into tight balls that flow readily with the oil molecules (Figure 1). As the temperature increases, they expand into large stringy structures that restrict the normal oil flow, which has a thickening effect on the oil. When the oil cools down, the polymers go back to their original shape. The result is that when these polymer additives are blended in the correct proportion with for example SAE15W base oil, the oil flows like an SAE 15W at low temperatures and similar to an SAE 40 oil at high temperatures. The outcome is an SAE 15W40 multigrade oil that will provide adequate protection over a wide temperature range (Figure 2). It should be noted that there is actually no SAE 40 base oil in an SAE 15W40 formulation.

In addition to multigrade engine oils, Viscosity Index Improvers are also used in multigrade gear oils, automatic transmission fluids, power-steering fluids and high viscosity index hydraulic oils.

Unfortunately, viscosity index improvers have some downsides as well. The primary disadvantage is that polymers are susceptible to shearing when subjected to high mechanical stresses in severe service. There are areas in engines, gearboxes, hydraulic pumps, etcetera that have very tight clearances and this can shear the polymers (viscosity index improver molecules) into smaller pieces. This “physical breakage” cannot be reversed when the shear stresses are removed. Consequently, it affects the ability of the polymer molecules to add to the viscosity of the fluid at elevated temperatures.

Various types of polymers are used as VIIs in lubricating oil formulations. These include, amongst others, poly alkyl methacrylates (PMA), olefin copolymers (OCP) and hydrogenated styrene-diene copolymers (SDP). The various polymers have different shear stability characteristics. Higher molecular weight polymers make better thickeners but tend to have less resistance to mechanical shear. Lower molecular weight polymers are more shear-resistant, but do not improve viscosity as effectively at higher temperatures and must, therefore, be used in larger concentrations. Consequently, different VIIs must be used, for instance, in engine oils and gear applications where very high levels of sliding friction and shearing stresses are encountered.

The viscosity index improvers used in Blue Chip and Q8 lubricants products have been (i) extensively evaluated in laboratory and bench tests, (ii) specifically selected for the intended lubricant application and (iii) proven in field trials and extended service. You can, therefore, rest assured that our lubricants will resist thinning out due to shearing if used in accordance with equipment manufacturers’ recommendations.