The Working of Lubrication and Greasing

Lubrication is the process that is used to reduce the friction between two moving pieces as when the two surfaces come in contact with each other, they need a fluid for separation and the word greasing is used when the best heavy equipment grease is used to lubricate. The performance and function of the lubricant differ from one lubricant to another but they all have main component in common and it is all same that is base oil. Mainly, the lubricants contain 75% to 85% of the base oil that is of synthetic origin and these are used for:

·         Reducing the friction

·         Preventing the pieces from wear

·         Absorbing or reducing shocks

·         Protecting from corrosion

·         Isolating components from contamination

·         Cleaning or getting rid of contaminants

Lubricants reduce the friction between the moving pieces and passive resistance of the stationary parts as they are produced by refining heavy fractions of crude oil and these are of following kinds:

            Liquid or fluid (oils)

·         Semi-solid (grease, silicon, and gels)

·         Solid (Teflon, graphite)

Base oil groups

There are mainly two groups of base oil –

Mineral base oils - These are derived from crude oil and they are among the most common lubricants in the automotive industry as well as for the industrial applications and these are based on hydrocarbons that are refined various times.

Synthetic base oils - These are derived from the chemical reaction of various components and there are two main categories of products that are used to formulate lubricants - esters and synthetic hydrocarbons. These products are merely stable regardless of the temperature and their characteristics are the major advantage compared to the mineral oil bases that need additives to improve viscosity in higher quantities. They are also oxidation resistance from where increased longevity needless changes in the oil and the semi-synthetic base oils are derived from the mixture of mineral and synthetic oils.

Greasing

Grease contains 70 to 95% of base oil, 0 to 10% of additive, and 3 to 20% of thickening or gelling agent that enhances the velocity of the lubricant to avoid leaking. The high temperature bearing grease is great for the surfaces that need to be lubricated as they are insoluble in water and they resist lasting longer. You should not heat the grease above 300°C is the most reliable temperature that separates the base oil from the thickener as beyond this temperature, copper or aluminum-based thermal pastes or coatings are more suitable. In spite of playing the role of lubrication, grease creates a waterproof barrier against external elements such as dust, water, solvents, or heat.

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        Silicon greases – These high temperature wheel bearing grease is depends on the compounds of silicon that are stable thermally, inert in a chemical way, and insulating in an electrical manner.

·         Food-grade lubricants - These greases are safe even if they accidentally come in contact with the food and in France these additive and gelling lubricants that conform to the CNERGA prescription - National Center for Study and Research on the Nutrition and Feeding.