Experimental investigation of drilling 6061-T6 aluminum alloys under MQL and dry modes

In drilling operation, the surface quality, cutting forces, burr formation mechanism and burr size (height, thickness), tool wear and tool life are considered as the important elements for drilling hole quality assessment which low amount of information is available in this regards. Therefore, on the basis of review of literature, the main aim of this work is to study the effects of MQL and dry lubrication strategies on thrust force, surface quality and burr formation morphology and size (height and thickness) when drilling 6061-T6. According to experimental observations, increased speed and feed rate under dry and MQL modes led to lower burr height, while under lower cutting speed, the direct effect of MQL is sensible. In addition, in dry drilling, lower average surface roughness was monitored. Those chips recorded under dry condition have higher quality and less segmentations on the free surface as compared to those chips recorded under MQL mode, which however resembles more hardness on the chips and higher cutting forces required for drilling operation.