This study deals with metalworking fluids (MWFs). According to DIN 51385, depending on their base, the fluids are divided into oil and water fluids. The oil bases include, among others, mineral, synthetic, vegetable and paraffin oils. This division does not comprise surfactant solutions which can be successfully used in metalworking. Due to the fact that this type of fluid was not qualified, a new type of lubricant based on the aqueous solutions of surfactants has been proposed. Two new notions have been introduced: surfactant working fluids (SWFs) for working fluids and surfactant lubricants (SLs) for all kinds of lubricants as a broader term. The effect of the physicochemical properties of aqueous solutions of sodium lauroyl sarcosinate (SLS), also known as sodium N-dodecanoyl-N-methyl glycinate, on tribological properties determined using a four-ball machine (Tester T-02) (Łukasiewicz Research Network-The Institute for Sustainable Technologies, Radom, Poland) was analyzed. On the basis of aqueous SLS solutions a composition of working fluids was developed and their functional properties were verified by means of tribological and stand tests as well as during operation. The test results obtained clearly indicate that functional properties of 2% solutions of sodium lauroyl sarcosinate with a foam inhibitor (0.05%) and a biocide (0.1%) are comparable to those of a quality commercial hydraulic fluid.
Keywords: friction mechanisms; metalworking fluids; surfactant lubricants; surfactant working fluids; surfactants.