Unit 5: Lubricants
What we are going to learn in this unit ?
Why lubricants are required ?
Why is lubricant and lubrication ?
What is the mechanism ?
Types of lubricants ?
What are the characteristics/properties of lubricants ?
How to control corrosion ?
We need to understand the surface at the micro level
We need to understand the surface at the micro level
Surface irregularities
Ups and downs at many places
Heat generates due to rubbing on
the ups and downs
Why lubricants are required ?
Friction
Friction –sliding friction, rolling friction
Friction heat effects
Welding junctions
Friction & wear
Mechanism
Good quality lubricating oil/liquid:
high boiling point,
low freezing point,
low viscosity,
high oxidation resistance,
heat stability,
non-corrosion properties,
stability to decompose at the operating temperature
(a) Animal and vegetable oil
(b) Minerals or petroleum oils
(c) Blended oils- using various additives
(i) Oiliness carriers: Oiliness of a lubricant can be increased by addition of an
oiliness-carrier like vegetable oils ( e.g coconut oil ) fatty acids (e.g. plamitic acid,
stearic acid etc..)
Semi solid/liquid lubricants or Grease
Grease is a solid or semisolid lubricant formed as a dispersion of
thickening agents in a liquid lubricant. Grease generally consists of a soap
emulsified with mineral or vegetable oil.
Greases are prepared by saponification of fat (or fatty acids) with alkali
(like lime, caustic soda etc.), followed by adding hot lubricating oil while
under continuous stirring/heating.
Structure of greases is like gel.
Greases have higher frictional resistance than oils and mainly used for
heavier loads at lower speeds.
Greases have greater tendency to get separate into oils and soaps.
Working temperature is important.
On the basis of soap used in manufacture of semi solid are
classified as:-
1.CALCIUM BASED GREASE: - These greases are prepared by mixing of calcium soap
with petroleum oil. They are insoluble in water. These can be used upto 800C. These are also
called ‘Cup grease’.
2.SODA-BASED GREASE: - These grease are prepared by mixing of sodium soap with
petroleum oil. They are soluble in water. These can be used upto 1750C. These greases are
used in ball bearings.
3.LITHIUM-BASED GREASE: - These greases are prepared by mixing of lithium soap
with petroleum oil. They are water resistant. They have high stability and suitable for use at
high temperature.
4.AXLE GREASE:-These are prepared by adding lime or any metal hydroxide to fatty acids.
They are water resisting and suitable for high temp and low speed. These are used in tractor
rollers and machines bearings.
SOLID LUBRICANTS:-“The lubricants that exist in solid form are called solid
lubricants”. E.g.: - graphite,molybdenum disulphide etc. They are used in heavy machines
under high load and low speed.
Conditions for using Solid Lubricants:-
Machines that are under high load and low speed.
When liquid and semi-solid lubricants are highly combustible.
In machines where liquid and semi-solid lubricants can’t work.
When contamination of oil and grease with dust particles is noticed.
Graphite as solid lubricant:-
It is soapy in touch.
It is non – inflammable.
It is not oxidized in air up to 3750C
It is used either in powdered form or in suspension form.
When graphite is dispersed in oil, it is called ‘oil dag’ and when it is dispersed in water;
it is called ‘aquadag’. Oil dag is useful in internal combustion engine and aquadag is
useful in food stuffs industry.
Molybdenum disulphide as solid lubricant:-
It has sand-witch like structure. The layer of molybdenum atoms lie between two layers
of sulphur atom. These layers are held together by very weak vander Waals forces. Due
to these forces, it is soft & smooth in nature.
It possesses very low coefficient of friction
It is stable in air up to 4000C.
It has high specific gravity than graphite.
It is used as either in powdered form or in additives
Synthetic lubricants
Synthetic oil is a lubricant consisting of chemical compounds that are artificially made.
Synthetic lubricants can be manufactured using chemically modified petroleum
components rather than whole crude oil, but can also be synthesized from other raw
materials. The base material, however, is still overwhelmingly crude oil that is distilled
and then modified physically and chemically.
Characteristics:
Important synthetic lubricants:
(i) Non-inflammable
(i) Polymerized hydrocarbons
(ii) High flash points
(ii) Organic amines, imines etc.
(iii) High thermal stability
(iii) Silicon based
(iv) High viscosity index
(iv) Flourocarbons
(v) Chemical stability
Lubricating emulsions
An emulsion is a two-phase system which consists of two immiscible liquid (such as oil
and water), the one being dispersed in other.
Out of two liquids, one which is broken into droplet is called as dispersed phase
whereas the other liquid-liquid surrounding the internal phase is called dispersion
medium or external phase; such a system of two immiscible liquids is very unstable and
separates out into a different phase.
So, to increases the stability, the emulsifier is added.
The emulsifier molecules like sodium palmitate shown polar character. It consists of
hydrophilic and hydrophobic ends which are preferably wetted by water and oil
respectively. Thus, emulsifier molecule is absorbed and places itself at the interface of
two phases namely oil and water forming an intermediate layer in between two phases.
These are used in milling, threading etc.
Oil – in water: oil is the dispersed phase and water is dispersing medium.
Water-in-oil: water is the dispersed by mixing water and oil along.
Effect of temperature on viscosity
What happens when to viscosity of a liquid when temperature is raised ?
Viscosity Index (VI)
VI is an arbitrary, unit-less measure of a fluid's change in viscosity relative to
temperature change.
It is mostly used to characterize the viscosity-temperature behavior of lubricating oils.
The lower the VI, the more the viscosity is affected by changes in temperature.
The higher the VI, the more stable the viscosity remains over temperature fluctuations.
The VI was originally measured on a scale from 0 to 100
What will happen when flame is brought near the lubricant oil ?
Flash point
Fire point
A combustible material is something that can combust (burn) in air.
Flammable materials are combustible materials that ignite easily at ambient
temperatures.
In other words, a combustible material ignites with some effort and a flammable
material catches fire immediately on exposure to flame.
Difference between viscosity oiliness ?
Viscosity deals with the cohesive force between the molecules of fluid. Fluid with
more cohesive force will be more viscous.
Oiliness is the adhesion of a viscous fluid to the surface of metal.
Effect of cooling on lubricating oil ?
Cloud point
When oil cooled slowly, the temperature at which it appears hazy or cloudy is known as
cloud point.
The temperature at which oil stops flowing even after tilting the glass containing the oil
under test to a horizontal position for 5 seconds is known as pour point.
Pour point
The significance of cloud and pour points
Cloud point is of more significance for fuel oils than lubricating oils.
Pour point is important for the lubricants used in low temperature.
If the high pour point of lubricant is used at low temperature then it would freeze
jamming the machine parts.
The fluid film mechanism of lubrication will also fail.
Pour point is generally lower using depressants like polymethacrylates.
Cutting oils/liquid
Any liquid or a gas used to cool as well as to lubricate is called a cutting fluid
