Lubrication Fundamentals

What Is a Lubricant?

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© October
11, 2016The
11, 2016
Lubrizol
The Lubrizol
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Corporation,
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allreserved.
rights reserved.
 Objectives

• Identify the meaning, function, and properties of

lubricants
• Explain the meaning of friction and differentiate between
different types of friction
• Recognize the three types of lubrication:
– Boundary
– Mixed
– Fluid Film / Hydrodynamic
• Explain the relationship between friction and
viscosity/speed/load for each type of lubrication

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 What Is a Lubricant?

• Substance used to reduce friction and wear between

moving surfaces
• In the case of automotive and industrial liquid lubricants,
it is composed of:
– Base oil
– Additives

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 What Does a Lubricant Do?

• Reduces friction and wear between metal parts

• Cools the equipment during operation
• Cleans and suspends dirt and contaminants
• Protects equipment

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 A Brief History of Lubricant Development
YEARS
AGO
5,000 • Use of fluid to ease moving of stone blocks by hand

3,000 • Use of vegetable oils and animal fats

250 • Lubricants instrumental in Industrial Revolution

130 • First theories to predict lubricant performance

125 • Relationship of hydrodynamic/boundary lubrication

90 • The first “oiliness additives“ were added to lubricants

75 • The first synthetic base oils were made industrially

45 • The term “tribology” was first used

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 Friction Demonstration

Click Image to Play Animation

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 What Is Friction?

• The force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces,

sliding against each other
• Caused by interactions at the surfaces of adjoining parts
• Surface peaks, or asperities, may bond to one another or
protrude into the adjoining surface
• When surfaces in contact move relative to each other,
the friction between the two surfaces converts kinetic
energy into heat

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 Types of Wear and Failure

• Adhesive Wear
– Due to excessive friction asperities weld together and
break off
• Abrasive Wear
– Peaks of one surface and loose particles plow and dig into
the opposing surface, removing material
• Contact Fatigue
– One surface “bumps”
over the other
– Results in spalling

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 Types of Friction – Adhesive Wear

Click Image to Play Video

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 Types of Friction – Abrasive Wear

Click Image to Play Video

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 Types of Friction – Contact Fatigue

Click Image to Play Video

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 Ways to Reduce Friction

• Lower adhesive attraction

• Design moving parts to roll over each other
• Separate surfaces with a liquid “lubricant” film

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 Knowledge Check

What is viscosity?

1. Measurement of the film thickness of a fluid

2. Measurement of a fluid’s resistance to flow
3. The temperature at which a fluid will flow
4. Measurement of a fluid’s resistance to shearing

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 Viscosity

• A measure of a fluid’s resistance to flow

– “thickness” of a fluid
• One of the most important characteristics of an oil
• The force required to slide one object over another when
the two surfaces are fully separated by a fluid depends
on the fluid’s viscosity

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 Knowledge Checks - Questions 1 & 2 / 3

You’re lubricating a heavily loaded, slow moving industrial

gear in a steel mill. Do you need a higher or lower
viscosity oil?
1. Lower viscosity
2. Higher viscosity

You’re lubricating a racing engine in a car in a cross country

race in the Sahara desert. The temperature is 49ºC / 120ºF.
Do you need a higher or lower viscosity oil?
1. Lower viscosity
2. Higher viscosity
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 Knowledge Checks - Question 3 / 3

You’re lubricating an Emergency Response vehicle in

Northern Norway, do you need a higher or lower
viscosity oil?

1. Lower viscosity
2. Higher viscosity

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 The Stribeck Curve – Types of Lubrication

• Types of lubrication
− Boundary lubrication Low speed / high load
− Mixed-film lubrication
− Fluid Film / Hydrodynamic lubrication
µ (coefficient of friction)

Fluid Film
Boundary

Mixed

High speed / low load

(viscosityspeed)
17 load
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 Video: About the Stribeck Curve

Click Image to Play Video

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 Activity: Lubrication Types

Topic Area Boundary Mixed Hydrodynamic

Speed/load

How load is
carried

Film thickness

Examples

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 Activity: Lubrication Types - Summary

Topic Area Boundary Mixed Hydrodynamic

Low speeds, high Moderate speeds, High speeds, low

Speed/load
loads moderate loads loads

How load is Thin film with

Surface contact some surface Full fluid film
carried
contact

0.002 – 0.001µm 0.25 – 1.25µm 2.75 – 75µm

Film thickness
Virtually no film Relatively thin film Relatively thick film

• Valve trains • Camshaft • Engine main

Examples • Gears bearings
• Roller bearings

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 Summary

In this module, we covered:

• The meaning, function, and properties of lubricants
• Friction and the different types of friction
• The three types of lubrication: boundary, mixed and fluid
film / hydrodynamic
• The relationship between friction and
viscosity/speed/load for each type of lubrication

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 Working together, achieving great things
Introduction Engines Industrial Gears

What is a Lubricant Gears and Bearings Hydraulics

Base Oils Transmissions Compressors

Additives Axles and Differentials Grease

Specifications Motorcycles Metalworking

Off-Highway Fuels

Summary

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