formed at high temperatures, oxidation

Modern, automated equipment can may proceed at normal operating tem-

peratures.
place heavy demands conventional Recent research in boundary lubri-
cation substantiates the primary role of
lubricants. A vast array of specialty high temperature in lubricant de-
gradation. Increasing temperature
formulations has been developed to rather than increasing shear load has
been found to induce most lubricant
provide reliable operation and minimize failure.
Wpically, specialty synthetic fluids
downtime. are required for temperatures over
400°F. Formulations include, phenyl
silicones (0 to 450°F), polyphenyl ether
FRANK NAJLEPSZY lubricants can operate a t elevated tem- (40 to 550°F), and fluorinated ether
Staff Editor peratures for limited periods provided (-10 t o 550°F). Over 550°F, resin
the ratio of volume to surface area is bonded solid-film lubricants generally

la
,ger lubrication intervals a n d high. But oxidation, the primary form replace oils and greases.
*-r~inimumspillage are becoming of lubricant degradation a t high tem- Graphite and molybdenum disulfide
important concerns to ensure the peratures, eventually occurs even under are the most widely used solid lubri-
reliable operation of automated equip- these conditions. cants. Molybdenum disulfide loses its
ment. Tb meet this need, manufactur- Oxidation is a two-step molecular lubrication ability in wet environments
ers of modern lubricating and process process. Primary oxidation products but is superior in vacuum environ-
oils have developed products that op- include alcohols and ketones. Next, sec- ments. Graphite, on the other hand,
erate over wider temperature ranges ondary reaction products are formed needs a liquid vapor film to operate as a
and in harsh environnienls. T h e key which precede sludge formation. Once lubricant and fails in vacuum condi-
design criteria are: the primary oxidation products are tions.
Film strength: Will the lubricant
separate the running surfaces?
Oxidation/thermnl breakdown:
Will it deteriorate between -100 to
600°F?
Evaporationlcreep: Will it vapor-
ize or run off during use?
Compatibility: Will i t attack, dis-
solve, or swell adjoining plastics or
elastomers? Alkyl benzenes
Specialty lubricants are usually clas-
sified according to end use. However, a Dibaslc acld esters
study of the various al)plications indi-
cates that one or more of the following
conditions or operating requirements is
present:
High temperature
Highspeed Phosphate esters
Highvacuum
Oxidizing environment
Corrosion
Ieavy load
High temperature
Lubricants are susceptil)le to failure Graph compares temperature limits of hydrocarbon synthetics andmineral
at high temperature, especially in thin oils. Often temperature extremes limit the choice of lubricant that can be
films and a t long term exposure. Most used.

MACHINE DESION/NOVEMBER 21.1985 95

 The long and short of synthetic lubricant properties 550" F.
.. . Another increasingly important fac-
. . .
tor for precision bearings is the elimi-
Synthetic, . Advantages vs. Mineral Oil Limiting Properties nation of contaminants in the lubri-
cating medium. This is because even a
SHF High temperature stability Solvencyldetergency* 1 0 0 ~ - i n .hard particle can damage a
Long life Seal compatibility' small, precision bearing. End users re-
Low temperature fluidity quire that no particle larger than 35p-
High viscosity index in. can be present. Consequently, ultra-
Improved wear protection filtration of precision ball bearing
Low volatility,oil economy grease is being recommended by spe-
Compatibility with mineral cialty lubricant suppliers. Thus far,
oils and paints only a heavy loaded polytetraflu-
-- c,
-.-
No wax oroethylene polymer gelled grease was
Organic High tempeiature stability Seal compntibility* fou~itlto I)e util'ilternble.
Esters Lorig life Mir~ernloil compolibility* I
Low temperature fluidity Antirust* High vacuum fJ
Antiwear and extreme pressure* Conventional hydrocarbon liquid lu-
Solvencyldetergency Hydrolytic slnl)ility l~rirantsgenerally evaporate from lu-
I'nint compntibility 1)ric:itrtl S U ~ ~ ~ I ( : Cquite
S quickly in vac-
~ h o s p h a t & - - -Fire resietnnt Seal compntibility 11111~1oivirc~n~nc~it.. 'I'lle speed of evnpo-
Esters Lubricating ability Low viscosity Index ration depelids upon the kmperature
and the niolecular weight of the hydro-

i
Paint compatibility
Metal corrosion* carbon. As a result, solid lubricants
Hydrolytic stability usually are 1)rcferred for vacuum condi-
-- .. tioris. 'l'he traditional vacuum lubricant
,
Q
-
~olyglycols.. Water versatility
. . . . High vhcosity index
Mineral 011compatibility
Paint compatibility
is molybdenu~ndisulfide in a bonded
coatixig. MoSp, which deteriorates in
Low temperature fluidity Oxidation stability* high humidity, actually improves its
. Antirust lubricity ill vacuum environments. Dis-
No wax elenides are even betkr due to lower
*Limiting properties of synthetic base fluids which can be overcome by formulation chemistry. outgassing properties. One manufac-
Source: Mobil Oil Corp. turer quotes a temperature range of
-325 to 450°F for molybdenum dis-
In certain applications, polyalkylene Ester - 400,000, - 100 t o 300°F. ulfide dry film lubricant.
glycol a n d polybutenes are used a s Silicone - 200,000, -100 to The addition of graphite extends the
carriers for solid lubricants because 400" F. temperature range to 842°F. However,
these lubricants cannot be applied in Synthetic hydrocarbons - graphite sliould not be used alone in a
their pure form of powder or flakes. The 400.000. -75 to 300°F. vacuum. Graphite depends on conden-
carriers provide easy application and Polyethers - 500,000, -50 to sable vapors to provide a lubricant film;
low price. Also, they leave no residue 350°F. thus, it exhibits poor lubrication prop-
after degradation, leaving a viable solid Fluoroether - 400,000, -40 to erties in a vacuum.
lubricant film in place. A drawback to
solid lubricants in high temperature
applications is that they d o not provide
cooling a n d have limited wear re- I I
sistance. ndary
ictlon I I
High speed 0.15 I I
High rotational speeds are most often
encountered with precision bearings. In 8
-
Z
this application, grease lubricants are 0
'C
the usual choice because of design sirn- C

0
plicity and ease of maintenance. In fact,
-a
C
C
stiffer, channeling type greases are used 0
to minimize heat generation due to .c
churning. I n a d d i t i o n , t h e stiffer 8
greases counteract the inherent cen- U
/
trifugal and gravitational forces within
the bearing assembly that tend to dis-
1- --/*

lodge the lubricant from the intended

surfaces.
High temperatures normally dictate --+--
-
0.001
the use of synthetic lubricants. While I
petroleum-based greases have a so- Mln. fluid Speed x viscosity
called speed factor (bearing bore in mm frlcflon
X rprn) of 600,000 their high tempera- Resrwe (Sauce: ASW B a s k IACWkdW COWSO)
ture limit is only from 200 to 250°F.
Syntlletic grease forlnu~otiolls and their A combination of l u b f i ~ a l i regimes
~n often requires the Use of specialty
speed factors and temperature rallges lubricants.For example, asfart/stop application involves the boundary
are: lubrication regime, plus the hydrodynamic or fluid regime.

96 MACHINE DESIGN/NOVEMBER 21.1985

avcr, L I I C 111g11 U Z I I ~ ~ J C I L : I I I I L ' I I I I I I L ~ L I O I I 01 mfly occur clllrlng lnltlal use or the Stauffer Chemicals '. .
such oils is still only 250°1'. I~reak-inperiod. 'I'his phenomenon is Nyle Farm Rd. - ...
Among synthetics, expensive fluo-
rinated ethers, fluorosilicones and poly-
caused by u~icontrollablemisalign- Westport, C T 06884 : '-' .
''.:re
!
'_
ment, clearances, surface finish, and (203)222-3000 : - . '

. .-. ::., .:.

phenyl ethers have sr~perioroxidation thermal expansion. U l t r a c h e m Inc.
resistance. Silicate esters also have a Adtiitives in mineral oil-based lubriz Box 2053 n *

wide temperature range; however, they cants can increase wear resistance Wilmington, DE 198k" :l; . . _ .-
breakdown slowly in high humidity. during this break-in period. T h e most (302)571r8520 .: .".., * ' .'.' , . ' T .
Silicones, also have a wide temperature widely used additive is molybdenum
range, but they are notoriously un- disulfide. Unlike antioxidants which
receptive to most additives, including are sometimes limited to a 1% concen- Synthetic lubricants often provide
antioxidants. trat.ion, molybdenum disulfide can be increased wear protection over mineral
Shielded polysilicates are better lu-
bricants than silicones and readily ac-
used a t concentrations of 2 to 3%)in oils,
5 to 10"(!in greases, and as high as 6051
oils due to better viscosity-temperature
properties. However, even synthetics
1
cept additives. They operate from in a paste form. use antiwear agents. For example, syn-
I
- 100 to 300°F and have the required
oxidation stability. For temperatures t.o
Other antiwear additives used in
mineral oils are fatty oils, polar organic
thetic hydrocarbon-based bearing oils 1
I
in stop-start conditions need antiwear
500°F, polyphenyl ether grease would compounds, and phosphate esters. agents to protect the boundary lubri-
be required if dry lubrication could not Often, st~lfurizedextreme pressure ad- cated surfaces. Also esters require the
be used. To provide an economic ad- ditives are also used to prevent wear addition of tricresyl phosphate to im- I
~ntagefor synthetics over dry lubri- because high loads often breakdown the prove their wear resistance. Because
cants, current research isconcentrating oil films that separate the metal sur- greases and oils thin with increasing
on developing more effective a n t i - faces. 'l'lie additives react with the temperature and are squeezed from
i
oxidants. metal siirrace to form A supplementary their lubricating surfaces with in-
As with other lubrication problems, lulxicating film preventi~igthe adhesive cr'easing load, bonded solid-film lubri-
oxidation resistance normally means lorn1 of wear. cants provide superior wear protection.

MACHINE DESIGN/NOVEMBER 21,1985 97

L