Study on the Effect of Surface Modification on the Properties of Bentonite Greases

In order to investigate the influening factors of organic modification procedure and find out connections between organic modification and the properties of bentonite greases, organic montmorillonite(OMMT) thickeners with different surfactant dosages and constituents were synthesized through intercalation reaction between sodium montmorillonite(NaM MT) and quaternary ammonium surfactants in aqueous solvents. The lubricating greases were prepared with the resulting organoclays, while the penetration and oil separation of lubricating greases were evaluated, respectively. The surface modification process of montmorillonite(MMT) was analyzed and the thickening mechanism of OMMT was discussed in this study. The experimental results showed that, with an increasing amount of surfactant, the basal spacing between the clay platelets was increasing and the structure of modifier molecules layer in the interlayer was changing from lateral bilayer to paraffin-type bilayer. The optimal properties of lubricating greases were achieved, when the structure of surfactant molecules loaded in the interlayer was the paraffin-type monolayer, which meant that the dosage of modifier was equal to 120—140 mmol/(100g). Meanwhile, it was found that the thickening performance, colloid stability, anti-wear and friction-reducing performance of lubricating greases were improved, when the surfactants were mixed with octadecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride(OTAC) and hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride(HTAC). And the optimum mole ratio of two surfactants is was 1:1.

Comparative Studies on Low Noise Greases Operating under High Temperature Oxidation Conditions

Oxidation induction time(OIT) testing by differential scanning calorimetry(DSC) was used to evaluate the oxidation resistance of lubricating greases. Under the high temperature condition, bearing noise was detected when grease passed the initial stable stage of oxidation. The chemical and physical structure of grease samples before and after high temperature oxidation were also analyzed by FT-IR spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy(SEM), then the effects of oxidation at high temperature on bearing noise were investigated. It is found out that for lithium greases, oxidation of base oil and thickener is the main reason responsible for the increasing bearing noise. As regards the polyurea greases, the change of fiber microstructure at high temperature is the main reason for the increasing bearing noise.

An approach of the internal friction-dependent temperature changes for conventional and pure biogenic lubricating greases

This work investigated the temperature changes inside the bulk of lubricating greases under controlled high-shear stress conditions(250-500 s-1).For this purpose,a newly developed temperature-measuring cell called Calidus was successfully tested.The temperature changes(ΔT)have been related to the greases'components(thickener,base oil-type,and composition)and the structural degradation of the lubricating greases.Furthermore,a theoretical approach was proposed for calculating the internal temperature change of lubricating greases during shear stress.All greases showed an internal temperature profile characterised by a sudden rise inΔT within the first 4 h from starting the test and subsequentΔT decay until it reaches the steady state value.Furthermore,it was found that greases C1 and C5,formulated with lithium and calcium soap,respectively,with different soap content(16.1 wt%and 9.7 wt%,respectively),but the same base castor oil,showed the highest value of the maximumΔT,c.a.3.2 K,and the most drastic drop ofΔT.These greases showed both the highest specific densities and heat capacities.In addition,they showed the lowest ratio of expended energies(Rtee),which means more structural degradation in the stressed grease.On the contrary,the grease C3,with 13 wt%of Li-soap but the lowest base oil's viscosity,showed the lowest maximumΔT and the temperature profile was characterised by a moderate variation ofΔT along the test.The biogenic grease B3 developed a low-temperature change in the group of pure bio-genic greases close to grease C3.

Evaluation of Some Insulated Greases Prepared from Rubber and Bitumen Thickeners

The wax gel grease (S0) was prepared from a mixture of 2.3:1 base oil blend (base oil grade 260/290, transformer oil), and microcrystalline wax in the presence of 0.1% - 2% of polyoxyethylene sorption nano-palmitate as antioxidant and 2,2 methylene bis (4-methyle-6-tertiary butyl phenol) as anticorrosion. It was found that the prepared Wax gel grease has inconvenient physico-chemical and dielectric properties, so in order to improve its physico-chemical properties (viscosity, penetration, dropping point and water resistance) and dielectric Properties (dielectric constant, dielectric loss and volume resistivity), Butyl rubber, isoprene rubber and bitumen were added separately as thickening agents to the prepared wax gel in certain proportion at certain frequency range 1 - 1000 KHz at 35°C. The best dielectric properties were achieved by adding butyl rubber to the prepared wax gel.

Optimization of Grease Properties to Prolong the Life of Lubricating Greases

Grease life refers to the time it takes for the grease to lose its ability to keep the lubrication due to grease degradation. As grease life is generally shorter than fatigue life of bearing, the service life of grease-lubricated rolling bearings is often dominated by grease life. When designing a bearing systemolecular weightith grease lubrication, it is necessary to define the operating conditions limits of the bearing, for which grease life becomes a determining factor. Prolongation of grease life becomes an especially important challenge when the bearing is to be operated trader high-speed, high-temperature, and other severe conditions. Selecting a number of commercially sold greases composed of varying base oils, the author evaluated their properties and analyzed how each property affected the grease life by performing a multiple regression analysis. The optimum grease composition to best exploit each property was also examined. The results revealed among others that one would need to first determine the base oil type and then maximize ultimate bleeding while minimizing the evaporation rate.

Process Temperature Profile and Rheological Properties of Greases from Vegetable Oils

Greases are composed by lubricating oil dispersed in a thickener that can be a metal soap, polymers or clays. Grease production using vegetable oils is increasing due to biodegradability requirements. Since vegetable oils present a worse oxidation and hydrolysis stability than mineral oils, it is usually difficult to produce a neutral grease using them. Four greases were produced using soybean oil as lubricating oil and lithium 12-hydroxy- stearate as thickener. The maximum temperature of reaction ranged from 230°C to 120°C in a bench process and a reduction in the final product acidity was observed (from 8.2% acid to 0.05% alkaline). Traditional tests to evaluate thickener structure resistance like 10,000-time worked penetration, roll stability and dropping point were performed and results compared. In addition, rheological tests were performed and the results were also compared. Results indicate that it is possible to produce a quite neutral grease using vegetable oils with good thickener structure properties.

Rheological and tribological approaches as a tool for the development of sustainable lubricating greases based on nano-montmorillonite and castor oil

This study investigates the development of novel montmorillonite/castor oil blends to formulate sustainable lubricating greases to promote the replacement of petrochemicals industry-derived materials by substances obtained from renewable sources.Specifically,the effect of the thickener concentration on the rheological,chemical,thermal,tribological properties,and atomic force microscopy(AFM)microstructure of these systems were studied.The results showed that the C20A nanoclay content could be used to modulate the viscosity values,the linear viscoelastic functions,and tribological properties of these montmorillonite dispersions.In general,these gel-like dispersions exhibited remarkable lubricant properties;the samples showed values of the friction coefficient and wear scars similar or lower than those obtained with model bentonite grease.

The rheological and tribological properties of calcium sulfonate complex greases

In this study,we synthesized two types of calcium sulfonate complex greases(barium soap and calcium soap)and investigated their physical,rheological,and tribological properties in detail.The test results showed that the evolution of their linear viscoelasticity functions with frequency were quite similar to those of traditional lubricating greases.Moreover,these two calcium sulfonate complex greases had good friction-reducing and antiwear properties at room temperature and at 150°C.In addition,by adding an organic molybdenum compound(MoDTC)to the base greases,we obtained a very low friction coefficient(0.065)for one of the greases(calcium soap)at 400 N and 500 N(maximum Hertzian pressures of 3.47 GPa and 3.74 GPa,respectively)at 150°C.X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)analysis showed that the tribofilm was composed of some complex oxide species and CaCO3 that had formed on the worn surface.

Fluorographene with Narrow Lateral Size and Thickness Distributions Prepared for Enhancing Lubrication Performance of Bentonite Grease

Fluorographene(FG)with narrow lateral size and thickness distributions was prepared by a liquid-phase exfoliation method,based on liquid cascade centrifugation.The Rtec MFT-5000 tribo-meter was used to investigate the lubricating performance of bentonite grease enhanced by the as-prepared FG.The results showed that the coefficient of friction and the wear volume of bentonite grease with 0.3 wt%FG were decreased by 20.4%and 44.9%,respectively,as compared to those of the base grease.The main reason is that FG can promote the formation of the tribo-chemical reaction film consisting of complex carbon oxide,Fe_(2)O_(3)and FeF_(3)on the friction surface,which can remarkably improve the performance of friction reduction and prevent the appearance of severe wear.

Enhancing the Tribological Performance of Conductive Grease Through the Modification of Polypyrrole with Ionic Liquids

This study prepared four types of ionic liquid-modified polypyrrole(IL-modified PPy)as conductive additives and investigated their tribological performance and conductivity in polytetrafluoroethylene lubricating grease.The results indicated that IL-modified PPy effectively enhanced the anti-wear performance and conductivity of the base grease.Among the additives,1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate([OMIm][BF4])modified PPy showed superior performance compared to the other three additives,with the best effect observed at a mass fraction of 0.5%.X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis revealed that IL-modified PPy forms a stable friction chemical film during the friction process,effectively enhancing the lubrication performance and conductivity of the base grease.This indicates broad potential applications in the field of conductive lubrication.

Tribological properties of conductive lubricating greases

Three kinds of new conductive lubricating greases were prepared using lithium ionic liquids as the base oil and the polytetrafluoroethylene(PTFE)as the thickener.These lithium ionic liquids([Li(PEG)X])were obtained by blending lithium salts(LiBF4,LiPF6 and LiNTf2)with poly(ethylene glycol)(PEG)because lithium salts have an extremely high solubility in PEG.The conductivities and contact resistances of the prepared lubricating greases were investigated using the DDSJ‐308A conductivity meter and the reciprocating ball‐on‐disk UMT‐2MT sliding tester.In addition,their tribological properties were investigated in detail.Scanning electron microscopy and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy were employed to explore the friction mechanisms.The results suggest that the prepared lubricating greases have high conductivities and excellent tribological properties.The high conductivities are attributed to ion diffusion or migration of the lithium ionic liquids with an external electric field,and the excellent tribological properties depend on the formation of boundary protective films.

Effects of nano thickener deposited film on the behaviour of starvation and replenishment of lubricating greases

The mechanism of grease replenishment in and around a starved point contact was studied in this work.Greases made of different thickeners and same base oil were tested and compared.Disappearing and re-formation of a dynamic grease reservoir during operation revealed that grease bled oil to replenish contact.However,the replenishment process was slow because of the presence of grease fingers along the track and thickener-deposited film inside the track.The contact angles of base oil on the chromium-coated surface and thickener-deposited surfaces were measured.Results proved that the contact angle on the deposited film remarkably increased compared with that on the chromium-coated surface from 25° to more than 40°.However,the deposited film could be consumed with continuous rolling,and replenishment was then enhanced.

Tribological and rheological performance of lithium grease with poly-a-olefin and alkyl-tetralin as base oils

A new category of lithium greases was synthesized by using poly-a-olefin(PAO8) and alkyl-tetralin as base oil, where the alkyl-tetralins were synthesized by the alkylation of tetralin and olefins. The influence of thickener concentration, alkyl-tetralin content and type of blend oils on the rheological and tribological performance of lithium grease was investigated. The microstructures of soap fibers were measured to reveal the structure-property correlations. The concentration of thickener and alkyl-tetralin content obviously affect the lubricating performance of lithium grease, while the molecular structure of alkyltetralin has no obvious impact on their properties. It was found that alkyl-tetralin could significantly enhance the thickening ability of PAO8 base oils, and decrease the amount of thickeners by 1.5%(mass).Lithium greases prepared using 20%(mass) alkyl-tetralin as co-base oil exhibited high colloidal stability,excellent rheological behaviors and tribological properties.

Well-Dispersed Graphene Enhanced Lithium Complex Grease Toward High-Efcient Lubrication

Graphene as a lubricating additive holds great potential for industrial lubrication. However, its poor dispersity and compatibility with base oils and grease hinder maximizing performance. Here, the infuence of graphene dispersion on the thickening efect and lubrication function is considered. A well-dispersed lubricant additive was obtained via trihexyl tetradecyl phosphonium bis(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate modifed graphene ([P_(66614)][DEHP]-G). Then lithium complex grease was prepared by saponifcation with 12-OH stearic acid, sebacic acid, and lithium hydroxide, using polyalphaolefn (PAO20) as base oil and the modifed-graphene as lubricating additive, with the original graphene as a comparison. The physicochemical properties and lubrication performance of the as-prepared greases were evaluated in detail. The results show that the as-prepared greases have high dropping point and colloidal stability. Furthermore, modifed-graphene lithium complex grease ofered the best friction reduction and anti-wear abilities, manifesting the reduction of friction coefcient and wear volume up to 18.84% and 67.34%, respectively. With base oil overfow and afux, well-dispersed [P_(66614)][DEHP]-G was readily adsorbed to the worn surfaces, resulting in the formation of a continuous and dense graphene deposition flm. The synergy of deposited graphene-flm, spilled oil, and adhesive grease greatly improves the lubrication function of grease. This research paves the way for modulating high-performance lithium complex grease to reduce the friction and wear of movable machinery.

In Situ Formed Tribofilms as Efficient Organic/Inorganic Hybrid Interlayers for Stabilizing Lithium Metal Anodes

The practical application of Li metal anodes(LMAs)is limited by uncontrolled dendrite growth and side reactions.Herein,we propose a new friction-induced strategy to produce high-performance thin Li anode(Li@CFO).By virtue of the in situ friction reaction between fluoropolymer grease and Li strips during rolling,a robust organic/inorganic hybrid interlayer(lithiophilic LiF/LiC_(6)framework hybridized-CF_(2)-O-CF_(2)-chains)was formed atop Li metal.The derived interface contributes to reversible Li plating/stripping behaviors by mitigating side reactions and decreasing the solvation degree at the interface.The Li@CFO||Li@CFO symmetrical cell exhibits a remarkable lifespan for 5,600 h(1.0 mA cm^(-2)and 1.0 mAh cm^(-2))and 1,350 cycles even at a harsh condition(18.0 mA cm^(-2)and 3.0 mAh cm^(-2)).When paired with high-loading LiFePO4 cathodes,the full cell lasts over 450 cycles at 1C with a high-capacity retention of 99.9%.This work provides a new friction-induced strategy for producing high-performance thin LMAs.

Numerical Visualization of Grease Flow in a Gearbox

Lubricating greases are widely used in e.g.open gear drives and gearboxes with difficult sealing conditions.The efficiency and heat balance of grease-lubricated gearboxes depend strongly on the lubrication mechanisms channeling and circulating,for which the grease flow is causal.The computational fluid dynamics opens up the possibility to visualize and understand the grease flow in gearboxes in more detail.In this study,a single-stage gearbox lubricated with an NLGI 1-2 grease was modeled by the finite-volume method to numerically investigate the fluid flow.Results show that the rotating gears influence the grease sump only locally around the gears.For a low grease fill volume,the rotation of the gears is widely separated from the grease sump.For a high grease fill volume,a pronounced geargrease interaction results in a circulating grease flow around the gears.The simulated grease distributions show good accordance with high-speed camera recordings.

Effect of Synthetic Conditions and Thickener Formulation on the Rheological and Tribological Properties of Polypropylene Grease

Polypropylene(PP)grease holds great potential for special industrial applications.In this study,synthetic conditions,thickener content,and the ratio of two different molecular weight PPs were investigated systematically using a rheometer,scanning electron microscope,X-ray diffraction,Fourier transform infrared spectrometer,oscillating tribometer,and 3D surface profiler measurements.The results showed that suitable synthetic conditions are two quenching cycles,and the synthetic temperature and time is 240℃for 12 h.The rheological analysis showed that thickener content and different proportions of the two PP molecular weights have a significant influence on the rheological properties of PP grease.High molecular weight PP(H-PP)has a stronger thickening ability than low molecular weight PP(L-PP).The higher the amount of H-PP in the fixed thickener content or the higher the thickener content with a specific proportion,the higher the viscoelasticity of PP grease.The tribological performance is related to the rheological properties.The proportion of two different molecular weight PPs in the thickener content should be appropriate;excessive H-PP content leads to lubrication failure.

Research Status and Prospects of Bio-based Materials for Grease Barrier Coatings on Paper Food Packaging

Increased environmental and health concerns over the use of plastic packaging or fluorine-containing coatings,in combination with increased market demand for products with a longer shelf life,make bio-based materials one of the most important research candidates for alternative paper packaging materials for oil resistance.These bio-based materials have excellent oxygen and oil barriers,which are critical for food packaging.Moreover,they are biodegradable,naturally renewable,and safe.In this artical,two main groups of bio-based oil repellents for paper food packaging,including polysaccharide-based biopolymers and protein-based biopolymers,are enumerated,and the advantages and weaknesses of bio-based oil repellents are discussed,and effective solutions are proposed.Finally,research status and prospects on the development of bio-based oil-resistant coatings for the food packaging industry are presented.

Synthesis and Evaluation of 4-Hydroxy Quinolinone Derivatives as Antioxidants of Lubricating Grease

3-(5-(2.4-dichlorophyenyl)-4.5-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-3-yl)-4hydroxy-1-methylquinolin(1H)-one, 5-((4-hydroxy-8-methyl-2-oxo-1.2-dihydroquinolin-3-yl)methylene)-1-phenyl-2-hioxodihydropyrimidine-4.6(1H.5H)-dione, and 1-butyl-4-hydroxy-3-(5-styryl-4.5-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-3yl)quinolin-2(1H)-one were synthesized and characterized by spectroscopy analysis. These compounds are designated I, II and III, respectively. The antioxidants efficiency of the synthesized compounds in lubricating greases had been investigated using ASTM d-942 and ASTM d-664. The obtained data showed that the total acid number and oxygen pressure drop of these compounds in lubricating greases decrease in the order: Comp.III. < Comp.I. < Comp.II. The antioxidant efficiency of the prepared quinolinones derivatives was discussed. Acceptable correlations were obtained between the obtained oxidation inhibition and the calculated quantum chemical parameters.

Tribological Characteristics of Graphene as Lithium Grease Additive

The tribological properties of graphene(GN) and graphite(G) as lubricant additives in lithium greases were investigated with a four-ball tribotester. The micro-morphology as well as the content and chemical state of elements on the worn surfaces was characterized by scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS). The results showed that the tribological performance of lithium grease could be significantly improved by the addition of graphene. During the friction process, an adhesion film and a deposition film consisted of graphene as well as a tribochemical reaction film composed of FeO, Fe_2O_3, FeOOH and LiOH could be formed on the tribosurface, and these complex films were responsible for the improved tribological performance of lithium grease.