Abstract
This paper presents the result of an experimental study about low-pressure jet coolant, with the primary focus on the influence of the flow speed and the flow rate upon the tool life in cutting stainless steel. Low-pressure jet coolant is generally preferable to flood coolant from the aspect of the tool life, because the former can attain higher jet speeds even at lower flow rates, owing to the fact that the nozzle can be installed in the close vicinity of the tool tip. In the experiments of the present study, type 304 stainless steel was turned with low pressured jet coolant, in view of extending the tool life of coated carbide inserts, with two different nozzles at two different cutting speeds. It was transpired that the low-pressure coolant method exhibits nearly the same ability as the air jet assisted machining method in extending the tool life. The results indicate that, unlike the air jet assisted machining method, the flow rate plays a crucial role as well as the flow speed in the low-pressure jet coolant method.
