MEE 533A_01/21/2014

Overview

A lubricant is a substance introduced

to reduce friction between moving
surfaces. It may also have the function of
transporting foreign particles.
 A good lubricant possesses the following
characteristics:

• High boiling point

• Low freezing point
• High viscosity index
• Thermal stability
• Hydraulic Stability
• Corrosion prevention
• High resistance to oxidation

Typically lubricants contain 90% base oil

(most often petroleum fractions,
called mineral oils) and less than
10% additives. Vegetable oils or synthetic
liquids such as
hydrogenated polyolefins,esters, silicones, fluo
rocarbons and many others are sometimes
used as base oils.
 Additives deliver reduced friction and
wear, increased viscosity, improved
viscosity index, resistance to
corrosion and oxidation, aging or
contamination. Biodiesel is a popular diesel
fuel additive providing additional lubricity.
 Non-liquid lubricants include grease,
powders (dry graphite, PTFE, Molybdenum
disulfide, tungsten disulfide, etc.), PTFE tape
used in plumbing, air cushion and others.
Dry lubricants such as graphite,
molybdenum disulfide and tungsten disulfide
also offer lubrication at temperatures (up to
350 °C) higher than liquid and oil-based
lubricants are able to operate.
 In addition to industrial applications,
lubricants are used for many other purposes.
Other uses include cooking (oils and fats in
use in frying pans, in baking to prevent food
sticking), bio-medical applications on humans
(e.g. lubricants for artificial joints), ultrasound
examination, internal examinations for males
and females, and the use of personal
lubricant for sexual purposes.
Purpose

a. Keep moving parts apart

Lubricants are typically used to
separate moving parts in a system. This
has the benefit of reducing friction and
surface fatigue, together with reduced
heat generation, operating noise and
vibrations.
 The most common is by forming a physical
barrier (a thin layer of lubricant separates the
moving parts). In cases of high surface
pressures or temperatures, the fluid film is
much thinner and some of the forces are
transmitted between the surfaces through the
lubricant.
b. Reduce friction
Typically the lubricant-to-surface friction is
much less than surface-to-surface friction in a
system without any lubrication. Thus use of a
lubricant reduces the overall system friction.
Reduced friction has the benefit of
reducing heat generation and reduced
formation of wear particles as well as
improved efficiency.
b. Transfer heat
Both gas and liquid lubricants can transfer
heat. However, liquid lubricants are much
more effective on account of their high
specific heat capacity.
Typically the liquid lubricant is constantly
circulated to and from a cooler part of the
system, although lubricants may be used to
warm as well as to cool when a regulated
temperature is required.
 Non-flowing lubricants such as greases &
pastes are not effective at heat transfer
although they do contribute by reducing the
generation of heat in the first place.
d. Carry away contaminants and debris
Lubricant circulation systems have the
benefit of carrying away internally generated
debris and external contaminants that get
introduced into the system to a filter where
they can be removed.
 Lubricants for machines that regularly
generate debris or contaminants such as
automotive engines typically contain
detergent and dispersant additives to assist in
debris and contaminant transport to the filter
and removal.
e. Transmit power
Lubricants known as hydraulic fluid are
used as the working fluid in hydrostatic power
transmission.
 Hydraulic fluids comprise a large portion of
all lubricants produced in the world.
The automatic transmission's torque
converter is another important application for
power transmission with lubricants.
f. Protect against wear
Lubricants prevent wear by keeping the
moving parts apart. Lubricants may also
contain anti-wear or extreme pressure
additives to boost their performance against
wear and fatigue.
g. Prevent corrosion
Good quality lubricants are typically
formulated with additives that form chemical
bonds with surfaces, or exclude moisture, to
prevent corrosion and rust.
h. Seal for gases
Lubricants will occupy the clearance
between moving parts through the capillary
force, thus sealing the clearance. This effect
can be used to seal pistons and shafts.
Properties

a. Viscosity
Viscosity is a measure of the
internal resistance of a liquid during its
flow. It is expressed in centipoise.
The viscosity of an oil is the time in
seconds for a given quantity of a oil to
pass through a standard orifice under the
specified conditions.
 The viscosity of an oil is determined by:
- Red wood viscometer
- Say bolt viscometer
The time required for 50ml of the liquid to pass
through the orifice of a red wood viscometer is
called as Red wood seconds. The time required for
60 ml of the liquid to pass through the orifice of a
say bolt viscometer is called Say bolt universal
seconds. At present, most countries have switched
over to the metric system that employs the unit
Centistokes (cSt), measured at 40°C or 100°C.
 If the viscosity of the lubricating oil is too
high, the movement of the machine is
restricted due to excessive friction.
If the viscosity of the lubricating oil is too
low, the liquid oil film can’t be maintained and
excessive wear will take place.
A good lubricating oil must have moderate
viscosity.
b. Viscosity Index
The viscosity of an oil decreases with
increase in temperature. The rate of change
of viscosity with temperature is indicated by
viscosity temperature curves or by a scale
known as viscosity index.
Viscosity index is defined as “ the average
decreases in viscosity of an oil per degree rise
in temperature between 100°F and 210°F”.
 If the viscosity of an oil decreases rapidly
with the increase in temperature it has low V.I.
If the viscosity of an oil is slightly affected
with the increase in temperature, it has higher
V.I.
The V.I of a test oil is calculated by
comparing two standard oil. The test oil is
compared at 38°C (100°F) with zero V.I oil and
100 V.I oil both having the same viscosity as
the test oil at 99°C (210°F).
 The V.I of the test oil is given by the
following formula:
V.I=L-U/L-H ×100
Where:
U is the viscosity of the test oil at 38°C.
L is the viscosity of the low V.I oil at 38°C
H is the viscosity of the high V.I oil at 38°C
A good lubricant should have minimum
change in viscosity for a wide range of
temperature. A good lubricant should have a
high V.I.
c. Pour Point
The pour point refers to the minimum
temperature at which a lubricant continues to
flow. Below the pour point, the oil tends to
thicken and to cease to flow freely.
The lower the pour point, the more useful
the lubricant is in cold temperatures.
d. Flash point
The flash point is the minimum
temperature at which an oil-vapour-air-
mixture becomes inflammable. It is
determined by progressively heating the oil-
vapour-air-mixture in a standard laboratory
receptacle until the mixture ignites.
e. Oxidation Stability
Oxidation of oil will produce resins and
sludge that may plug filters and oil passages.
Oxidation can also produce soluble organic
acids that may cause corrosion of machine
parts.
A good lubricating oil should resist
oxidation.
f. Anti-rust Property
Anti-rust additives can be absorbed onto
metal surface and prevent moisture from
coming into contact with the metal, thus
preventing rusting.
g. Anti-foaming Property
Foaming reduces the lubricity of oil
because the air bubbles in the foam will create
a barrier between the oil and the metal
surface.
 Foam can also produce resistance to the
movement of machine parts. Good lubricating oil will
not foam easily and can disperse foam quickly. Anti-
foam additives can help to reduce the foaming
tendency of oil.
h. Volatility
Determines the evaporation loss of lubricating
oils at high temperature. Evaporation loss is
particularly important to motor and cylinder
lubrication, due to the high temperature of these
operations and the tendency of evaporative loss to
increase in high temperatures.
Types of Lubricants

a. Base oil groups

Mineral oil term is used to
encompass lubricating base oil derived
from crude oil. The American Petroleum
Institute (API) designates several types of
lubricant base oil.
 Group I - manufactured by solvent extraction,
solvent or catalytic dewaxing, and hydro-finishing
processes.
Group II - manufactured by hydrocracking
and solvent or catalytic dewaxing processes.
Group II base oil has superior anti-oxidation
properties since virtually all hydrocarbon
molecules are saturated. It has water-white color.
Group III - Manufactured by special
processes. Can be manufactured from base oil or
slax wax from dewaxing process.
 Group IV – Polyalphaolefins (PAO)
Group V – All others not included above
such as naphthenics, PAG, esters.
b. Bio Lubricants made from vegetable oils and
other renewable sources
These are primarily triglyceride esters
derived from plants and animals. For lubricant
base oil use, the vegetable derived materials
are preferred.
 Common ones include high oleic canola
oil, castor oil, palm oil, sunflower seed
oil and rapeseed oil from vegetable, and Tall
oil from tree sources.
Whale oil - was a historically important
lubricant, with some uses up to the latter part
of the 20th century as a friction
modifier additive for automatic transmission
fluid
 Lanolin - is a natural water repellent,
derived from sheep wool grease, and is an
alternative to the more common petro-
chemical based lubricants.
Water - can also be used on its own, or as
a major component in combination with one
of the other base oils. Commonly used in
engineering processes, such as milling and
lathe turning.
c. Synthetic oils
Polyalpha-olefin (PAO)
Synthetic esters
Polyalkylene glycols (PAG)
Phosphate esters
Alkylated naphthalenes (AN)
Silicate esters
Ionic fluids
d. Solid lubricants
PTFE: polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is
typically used as a coating layer on, for example,
cooking utensils to provide a non-stick surface. Its
usable temperature range up to 350 °C and
chemical inertness make it a useful additive in
special greases.
Inorganic solids: Graphite, hexagonal boron
nitride, molybdenum disulfide and tungsten
disulfide are examples of materials that can be
used as solid lubricants, often to very high
temperature.
 Metal/alloy: Metal alloys, composites and
pure metals can be used as grease additives or
the sole constituents of sliding surfaces and
bearings.
e. Aqueous lubrication
Aqueous lubrication is of interest in a
number of technological applications. Strongly
hydrated brush polymers such as PEG can act
as lubricants at liquid solid interfaces.
Additives
A large number of additives are used
to impart performance characteristics to
the lubricants. The main families of
additives are:
Antioxidants
Detergents
Anti-wear
Metal deactivators
Corrosion inhibitors, Rust inhibitors
Friction modifiers
Extreme Pressure
Anti-foaming agents
Viscosity index improvers
Demulsifying/Emulsifying
Stickiness improver, provide adhesive property
towards tool surface (in metalworking)
Complexing agent (in case of greases)

Grease lubricants may contain large amount of

solid particle friction modifiers, such as graphite,
molybdenum sulfide.
Application
a. Automotive
Engine oils
Petrol (Gasoline) engine oils
Diesel engine oils
Automatic transmission fluid
Gearbox fluids
Brake fluids
Hydraulic fluids
b. Tractor (one lubricant for all systems)
Universal Tractor Transmission Oil – UTTO
Super Tractor Oil Universal – STOU – includes
engine
c. Other motors
2-stroke engine oils
d. Aviation
Gas turbine engine oils
Piston engine oils
e. Marine
Crosshead cylinder oils
Crosshead Crankcase oils
Trunk piston engine oils
Stern tube lubricants
f. Industrial
Heat transfer fluids and thermal oils - these are
very essential lubricants used in industries. The
lubricants are mainly used for the purpose of
carrying thermal energy for innumerable applications
including process heating, metal working, machine
cooling etc.
 Hydraulic fluids and transmission oil - This is
another major type of lubricants used in industries.
Hydraulic fluids are mainly used for transmission of
power in hydraulic machinery. Such fluids used in
industries are based on mineral oil or water.
Most hydraulic and transmission fluids comprises
of petroleum or mineral oils, synthetic lubricants, oil-
water emulsions etc. They are particularly used for
aerospace, marine, automotive and military
applications.
 Cutting Fluids - One of the main industrial
lubricants is cutting fluid, which is used in a variety of
manufacturing processes that involve cutting, just as
the name suggests. Cutting fluids can be synthetic,
semi-synthetic, straight or soluble depending on
what precisely they are needed for.
MEE 533A_Group 1