UNDERSTANDING

LUBRICATION
From: triboscience.weebly.com
What is a lubricant ?
Lubricant - Any substance used to reduce friction and wear and thereby to
provide smooth running and satisfactory life of tribological components.

Smooth surfaces from seen
from naked eyes
Irregularities when seen
from microscope
Lubricant between surface
irregularities
Lubrication is not new to the world
The colossus is fixed to a sledge and is pulled along by 172 men. One
very interesting feature is the man on the front of the sledge who is
apparently pouring a liquid on to the ground in front of the sledge,
suggesting an early appreciation of the benefits of lubrication.
Lubricant types


Lubricant
classification
Liquid
Mineral oil
Vegetable oil
Animal oil
Solid
Graphite
Molybdenum
disulfide
Semisolid
Grease
Synthetic
Polyalfaphaolefins
Lubrication regimes
Hydrodynamic
Lubrication
Boundary
Lubrication
Mixed Lubrication
Elastohydrodynamic
Lubrication
Hydrodynamic lubrication
Hydrodynamic lubrication is
characterized by interacting
surfaces that are separated by
a fluid lubricant film that is
sufficiently thick to prevent
them coming into contact.
This condition is often referred
to as the ideal form of
lubrication since it provides low
friction and high resistance to
wear.
Material A
Material B
Boundary lubrication
Two surfaces mostly are in contact
with each other even though a
fluid is present.
In boundary lubrication the
friction and wear characteristics
are determined by the properties
of the surface materials and
lubricant films at their common
interfaces.
Material A
Material B
Mixed lubrication
Mixed lubrication lies between the
Hydrodynamic and Boundary
Lubrication.
In the mixed lubrication regime,
there are regions in the interface
separated by a fluid lubricant film
and areas with contact between
asperity peaks.

Material A
Material B
Elastohydrodynamic lubrication
Two surfaces are separated by a
very thin fluid film.
In elastohydrodynamic lubrication,
the shape of the surfaces is
favorably modified and the
physical properties of the fluid
lubricant significantly enhanced.
Material A
Material B
Stribeck curve
Used to describe frictional behavior of a tribological interface as it passes
through the four lubrication regimes.
The plot has coefficient of friction on Y-axis and specific film thickness on X-
axis.
Lubricant functions
A lubricant has following functions:
Lubricate Reduce friction and wear
Cooling Remove heat
Cleaning Remove deposits
Noise Dampening
Sealing Prevent leakage


Lubrication reduces friction and wear
Friction and wear produces:
Wear and tear of moving parts such as metal to metal.
Transfer or removal of solid material from one surface to another.
Excessive heat between mating counterparts.
Loss of power.
Lubricant incorporates a thin film between surfaces of a material which
restricts the meeting of irregular asperities on the surface.


Lubrication reduces heat
In order to cool the engine, a cooling medium is required.
Water or some other coolant is generally used as a lubricant in this case.
The coolant is circulated through the jackets around the cylinder, cylinder
head, valve port and seats where it extracts most of the heat.
Improper cooling can lead to over heating, distortion and failure.
Lubrication cleans the system
A lubricant flushes the entire system removing:
Carbon and varnish deposits
Soot
Wear debris
External contaminants such as dust, dirt and moisture.
Lubrication reduces noise
Less noise and more smoothness are important design attributes for
potential buyers and operators of most every type of vehicle.
Reduces mechanical noise
Preventing metal to metal contact
Dampens noise
Between camshaft and tappets


Lubrication provides sealing
The leakage of cylinder gases produces wear in camshaft of overhead
camshaft engines.
The lubricant fills up minute leakage paths and surface irregularities of
cylinder bores, pistons and rings.
Oil film between piston ring and liner helps in providing a gas tight seal,
preventing escape of gases.
Lubricant properties
Carbon residue
Color
Density and gravity
Flash point
Fire point
Total acid number(TAN)/Neutralization number(NM)
Pour point
Kinematic viscosity

Carbon residue
The carbon residue of a lubricating oil is the amount of deposit, in
percentage by weight (wt %), left after evaporation and pyrolysis of the oil
under prescribed conditions.
The carbon residue determination is now made mainly on base oils used for
engine oil manufacture.
Color
The color of lubricating oils as observed by light transmitted through
them varies from practically clear or transparent to opaque or black.
Color variations in lubricating oils result from differences in crude
oils, viscosity, and method and degree of treatment during refining,
and in the amount and nature of the additives included.
Density and gravity
The density of a substance is the mass of a unit volume of it at a standard
temperature.
Density and gravity can be determined by means of hydrometers. The
hydrometer can be calibrated to read density or specific gravity.

Flash point
The flash point of an oil is the temperature at which the oil releases enough
vapor at its surface to ignite when an open flame is applied.
Indicator of volatility
Measured in degree Celsius
Fire point
If heating is continued, a temperature will be reached at which
vapors are released rapidly enough to support combustion. This
temperature is called the fire point.
Can be used when preparing fire and safety measures in a industry.
Measured in degree Celsius
Total Acid Number (TAN) / Neutralization
Number (NM)
The amount of acid in the oil is expressed in terms of the amount of a
standard base required to neutralize a specified volume of oil. This
quantity of base came to be called the neutralization number (NN) of
the oil.
Wet chemical titration techniques can be used to accurately
determine TAN/NM.
Pour point
The pour point of a lubricating oil is the lowest temperature at which it will
pour or flow when it is chilled without disturbance under prescribed
conditions.
Indicates lowest operating temperature.
Measured in degree Celsius.
Kinematic viscosity
Measurement of thickness of fluid or internal resistance to flow.
One of the key property in lubricant selection.
Decreases with increase in temperature.
Measured in centistokes.



Selection of oil based on kinematic
viscosity
Low viscosity oils are used in
High speed
Low pressure
Low temperature
High viscosity oil are used in
Low speeds
High pressure
High temperature
Lubricant additives
Additives are chemical compounds added to lubricating oils to impart
specific properties to the finished oils.
The main function are:
Impart new and useful properties to the lubricant.
Enhance properties of the lubricant.
Reduce the rate at which undesirable changes take place in the product
during its service life.
Types of additives used in industrial
lubricants
Performance
Antioxidants
Viscosity improvers
Pour point
depressants
Thickeners
Surface active
Antifoaming agents
Demulsifiers
Emulsifiers
Rust inhibitors
Corrosion inhibitors
Antiwear agents
EP agents


Miscellaneous
Oiliness agents
Tackiness agents
Bactericides
Bacteriostats
Fungicides
Odorants
Dispersants
The main functions are:
Prevent deposition by dispersing finely divided suspension of insoluble material
formed at low temperature.
Prevent thickening caused by soot.
Usage Crankcase engine oils, automatic transmission fluids, hydraulic oils
Examples - polymeric succinimides, olefin/P2S5 reaction products, polyesters, and
benzylamides
Detergents
The main function are:
Reduce or prevent insoluble deposits formed on surfaces at high
temperatures, for example in engines.
Can act as oxidation inhibitors
Usage Crankcase engine oil
Examples - Barium, calcium, and magnesium
Antioxidants
The main functions are:
Reduce or delay oxidation
Prevent deposits of hard, carbonaceous materials
Usage Crankcase engine oil, automatic & manual transmission fluids, rear axle
lubricants, power steering fluids, chassis grease, shock absorber fluids
Examples dithiophosphates, primarily zinc dithiophosphate, amines, phenols
Antirust/corrosion inhibitors
The main functions are:
Reduce rusting of ferrous surfaces.
Reduce corrosion by the formation of a protective surface film.
Usage Crankcase engine oil, automatic & manual transmission fluids, rear
axle lubricants, power steering fluids, chassis grease, shock absorber fluids
Examples - Alkaline compound, Organic acids, Esters, Amino-acid
derivatives


Friction modifiers
The main functions are:
Friction modifiers reduce coefficient of friction, resulting in less fuel
consumption.
Reduce friction by the formation of surface films between metal surfaces
Usage Mainly engine oils
Examples Graphite, molybdenum dithiocarbamate (MoDTC)
Anti-wear additives
The main functions are:
Reduce wear and prevent scuffing of rubbing surfaces under steady
moderate load.
Provides longer machine life due to higher wear and score resistance of the
components.
Usage Crankcase engine oils, shock absorber fluids
Examples - Zinc dithiophosphate (ZDP), Zinc dialkyldithiophosphate
(ZDDP)
Effect of friction modifiers and
antiwear additives
Microscopic image of a steel plate undergone
friction and wear in presence of base oil.

Microscopic image of a steel plate undergone friction
and wear in presence of base oil mixed with additives
Pour point depressants
The main functions are:
Enables lubricant to flow at low temperature
Reduce viscosity increase at low temperature due to wax crystallization
Usage Crankcase engine oil, automatic & manual transmission fluids, rear
axle lubricants, power steering fluids
Examples - Co-polymers of polyalkyl methacrylates
Antifoam additives
The main functions are:
Reduce the tendency of a lubricant to foam
Prevent oil loss caused by foaming
Usage Crankcase engine oil, automatic & manual transmission fluids, rear
axle lubricants, power steering fluids
Examples - Silicone polymers
Viscosity improvers
The main function are:
Reduce the rate of viscosity change with temperature
Viscosity index improvers keep the viscosity at acceptable levels
Usage Crankcase engine oils, Automatic transmission fluids, power
steering fluids
Some examples are: Polymethacrylates, polyisobutenes, olefin co-
polymers and styrene/diene co-polymers
Extreme pressure additives
The main functions are:
Prevent scuffing of rubbing surfaces under shock and very high loads
These materials function by chemically reacting with the sliding
metal surfaces to form relatively oil insoluble surface films
Usage Transmission fluids, rear axle lubricants, body chassis
greases
Examples Oil containing sulfur, chlorine, or phosphorus, either
alone or in combination.
Key points to remember about additives
Excess quantity of additive in the lubricant can deteriorate the performance
of the lubricant
Additive interactions are strong so do remember to take an expert advise
when selecting a lubricant
Developing a successful formulations requires extensive testing and
verification
References
Tribology notes, Dr. Martin Priest, University of Leeds, UK
The basics of lubricants and lubrication presentation by Hussam
Adeni
Wikipedia
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