Temperature—The Key to Lubricant Capacity

Abstract

Failure of a nonreactive mineral oil can be predicted by Blok's formula for determining the maximum temperature between two bodies in rolling and sliding contact. Evaluation of many lubricants on a geared roller lest machine revealed that the lubricant failure for any particular lubricant-material combination occurs at a constant, critical contact temperature over wide ranges of load, sliding velocity, surface velocity, specimen temperature, film thickness, and viscosity grade. Coefficient of friction can be predicted by a parameter involving the unit load, inlet viscosity, sum velocity, and sliding velocity. The load capacity of a lubricant varies inversely with specimen temperature for a constant set of lest conditions. Electrical resistance measurements across the contact zone aided in identifying the lubricant failure point and in revealing the action of two deposit-forming additives.

Presented as an American Society of Lubrication Engineers paper at the Lubrication Conference held in Washington, D.C., October 13–16, 1964.

Notes

Presented as an American Society of Lubrication Engineers paper at the Lubrication Conference held in Washington, D.C., October 13–16, 1964.