The effect of an organic pentasulfide EP additive in turning and milling operations

• Pentasulfide additive is mostly efficient during milling rather than during turning.
• The pentasulfide activity is related to the generation of iron sulfides on mill.
• Indirect lubricant mechanism is proposed in case of milling.
• The mill faces are often re-fed with iron sulfides (discontinuous process).

Because a cutting fluid could be equally used for different cutting operations, this study proposed to investigate the behavior of a well-known extreme-pressure additive (pentasulfide) in both turning and milling operations of a steel workpiece. The experimental approach is based on the coupling of mechanical tests (turning, milling, and tribological tests) with physico-chemical characterizations (Auger Electron Spectroscopy and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy) of the friction surfaces (chip and tool). In the case of milling, it was shown that the presence of a pentasulfide additive has a beneficial effect on the specific cutting energy (kc) and flank wear (Vb). These results are correlated with the presence of iron sulfides (FeS and FeS2) on the flank face of the cutter mill and on the chip face in contact with the mill. No such additive effects are found in case of turning. A lubrication model is proposed for the case of milling based on an indirect lubrication of the tool/workpiece and tool/chip contacts due to the transfer of iron and its reaction with sulfur compounds to produce iron sulfides. Because milling is a discontinuous cutting process, this lubrication mechanism is much more efficient than that observed in turning. Indeed, the tool faces are re-fed iron sulfides each time they leave the workpiece.