Abstract
Motivated by the growing imperative for greener and more sustainable machining practices, this investigation evaluates the potential of eco-benign lubricants to mitigate frictional interactions at the tool–workpiece interface. Particular attention is directed toward nanofluids derived from vegetable oils, which are examined as viable and environmentally responsible substitutes for conventional metalworking fluids. In the present study, coconut oil was systematically enhanced by dispersing alumina and silica nanoparticles in the range of 0–1.4%, after which the prepared nanofluid samples were thoroughly examined using spectroscopic techniques to determine the formulation with the highest dispersion stability. Hard milling trials on Inconel 718 were then carried out under four distinct lubrication environments: dry cutting, pure coconut oil, coconut oil enriched with 0.8% alumina nanoparticles, and coconut oil containing 0.8% silica nanoparticles. Among these conditions, the alumina-based nanofluid delivered the most pronounced improvements, achieving decreases of 43.089% in surface roughness, 27.397% in cutting force, 23.437% in cutting temperature, and 45.833% in tool wear relative to dry machining. Capitalizing on the superior capability of this nanofluid, a Taguchi L27 experimental framework was subsequently executed under the optimal lubrication condition, and the resulting data were further optimized using a Genetic Algorithm to determine the best combination of machining parameters. Experimental confirmation of the optimized parameters showed strong alignment with model predictions, with the average deviation limited to just 2.6%. Overall, the findings clearly demonstrate that nanoparticle-infused bio-lubricants substantially enhance machining performance, extend tool longevity, and offer a promising pathway toward more sustainable manufacturing practices.
Data availability
Data supporting this study’s findings are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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Omar Almomani contributed to the conceptualization, methodology formulation, investigation, data curation, and initial drafting of the manuscript. Vipulsinh Rajput supported the experimental design, formal analysis, and validation of results. (A) C. Umamaheshwer Rao provided supervision, essential resources, and critical manuscript revisions. Sikata Samantaray assisted in data acquisition, characterization studies, and interpretation of findings. Nagaraj Patil contributed to software development, modeling, and statistical analysis. Ripendeep Singh handled visualization, figure preparation, and proofreading. (B) Vishnu Vardhana Naidu supported materials preparation, laboratory activities, and technical review. Mohit Sahani conducted an extensive literature review, editing, and improvement of the scientific content. Abhijit Bhowmik contributed to project administration, quality assurance, and refinement of the manuscript. Lema Abate, as the corresponding author, oversaw the overall supervision of the study, managed funding acquisition, coordinated revisions, and approved the final version of the manuscript.
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Almomani, O., Rajput, V., Rao, A.C.U. et al. Advancing sustainable machining of inconel 718 through nanoparticle-enhanced coconut oil and RSM–GA optimization. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-46713-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-46713-5
