Evaluation of the efficiency of supporting metalworking-fluid (MWF) operation in machining flow lines under massproduction conditions.

Abstract

. A retrospective analysis of the effectiveness of metalworking fluids (MWFs) in machining showed that improvements in their performance have followed two paths: enhancing the technological properties of the fluids themselves (prepared from commercially produced concentrates) and developing more effective systems to support their operation. Recently in the Russian Federation, along with innovative manufacturing technologies in mechanical engineering, automotive, and metallurgy, synthetic MWFs have begun to be promoted. However, expectations of a manifold reduction in MWF losses due to their high durability were only partially met. Analyzing the reasons for reduced service life of MWFs revealed that it is driven by inevitable distributed losses during operation, which depend on the structure and condition of the nested production systems “MWF – support system – process line.” The authors proposed a working hypothesis that these inevitable distributed MWF losses can serve as a criterion characterizing the operational efficiency of production systems. The aim of the study was to confirm this hypothesis and to use it subsequently when investigating technological processes occurring in MWF media on machining flow lines for workpiece processing at machine-building enterprises, under wide variation of technological situations. The methodology consisted of collecting and analyzing changes over time in the MWF volume in the support system’s reservoir, determining the rate of inevitable distributed losses, and counting the number of replacements within complexes of centralized systems that support MWF operation. It was found that the rate of inevitable distributed MWF losses can be used as a highly sensitive indicator for an indicative assessment of systemic efficiency. The paper presents the authors’ results on the systemic efficiency of MWFs within centralized supportsystem complexes, obtained by a passive (observational) experiment under broad variation of technological situations characterized by type of machining, workpiece type, and workpiece material.