Influence Mechanism of Electroosmotic Effect on Cutting Performance of Synthetic Cutting Fluids in Turning AISI 52100 Steel with Alumina Ceramic Tools

To address the inferior lubricity of synthetic cutting fluids compared with oil-based cutting fluids, a strategy is proposed to improve the cutting performance by exploiting the electroosmotic effect to enhance penetrability at the friction interfaces in the cutting zone. The triboelectrification potential and tribo-emission of charged particles were measured at the accessible major flank face–workpiece interface to characterize the electrical behavior of an alumina ceramic–AISI 52100 steel friction pair. Taking the rake face–chip interface as a representative case, the distribution characteristics of the tribo-induced electric field (TIEF) and the electroosmotic flow field of the cutting fluid within an interfacial capillary were analyzed using COMSOL Multiphysics 5.5 simulations, based on the measured electrical boundary conditions and zeta potentials. Turning tests on AISI 52100 steel with alumina ceramic tools were also conducted under the lubrication of cutting fluids with distinct electroosmotic properties. The simulations indicate that the TIEF can drive electroosmotic flow toward the interior of the interface. The experiments show that the electroosmotic performance of the cutting fluid is positively correlated with its cutting performance. The simulated TIEF intensity increases with increasing cutting speed and depth, and the electroosmotic regulation of cutting performance is correspondingly enhanced.