What Is Lubricant?

Lubricant is a material or substance applied to reduce the friction between the moving surfaces. There are number of industrial applications of the lubricants. One of the most common applications of lubricants is in the form of motor oil, which is used to protect the combustion chambers of the vehicles, as well as other powered equipments.

.

Characteristics Of A Good Lubricant:

.

A lubricant is considered as effective, and efficient, if it possess the following properties:

.

• Low freezing point


• High boiling point


• Thermal stability


• Prevention from corrosion


• Higher viscosity index


• High resistance to oxidation

.

Types Of Lubricants

.

• Petroleum Lubricants:

Petroleum products are the most common lubricants among others.These are the first preference for typical processes, because of being in expensive in comparison with other lubricants. These petroleum lubricants are used for a wide range of application sectors, like engines, gears,transmissions etc. these petroleum products are known by their viscosity indexes or ASTM codes. However some of the common petroleum lubricants are gear oils, motor oils, automatic transmission fluids, valve oils etc.

.

• Synthetic oils

These are also the petroleum based lubricants, but are more modified, and that is why quite expensive then the simple petroleum products.The typical uses of different types of synthetic oils are in auto engines, jet engines, air craft hydraulics, rubber seals, fire resistance fluids, and number of others.

.

• Greases

Grease is basically lubricating oil which is thickened with a gelling agent. Greases are the first considerations for the lubrication of bearings in electric motors, machine tools, house hold appliances, as well as the slow speed moving equipments. Common gelling agents used to make greases are the fatty acids of soap (like oleic, palmitic and other carboxylic acids),clay particles of bentonite and hectorite, carbon black, silica and several others.

.

• Solid film lubricants

These solid film lubricants provide thin films of solids,between the moving surfaces, to reduce friction and wear. Solid film lubricants are classified as inorganic (molybdenum disulfide, graphite etc) and organics(ethylene-propylene copolymer etc).

.

.

Lubricants Additives

.

The common additives used in the lubricants are

.

• Foam inhibitors


• Oxygen inhibitors


• Viscosity index improver


• Rust inhibitors


• Anti-wears


• Pour point depressants


• Extreme pressure agents


• Friction modifiers


• Detergents and dispersant

Posted in: characterstics of good lubricant,fluid mechanics,lubricant,lubrication