Page |1

Lubricant and Lubrication

Lubricant is the organic compound with higher molecular weight used in the machine to protect corrosion
& possibility of failure.

Lubrication is the process of application of lubricants in machinery during operation or maintenance.

Lubricants act to reduce friction. Now, this makes it easier to keep machines running smoothly, and it cuts
down on the amount of heat and wears caused by friction. A machine’s moving parts generally experience
three types of friction.

 Sliding Friction
 Rolling Friction
 Fluid Friction

Sliding friction occurs when two surfaces in contact slide past each other. This type of friction offers the
most resistance to motion. So machinery is usually built to minimize or eliminate it. Building a machine
to minimize sliding friction is to place rolling elements between the moving surfaces. This is the principle
behind rolling contact bearings. Rolling contact bearings experience rolling friction that is considerably
less severe than sliding friction. Still, they must be properly lubricated to reduce heat and wear.

The useful life of a rolling contact bearing or anti-friction bearing would be drastically shortened if the
bearing were operated dry.

Another way to build a machine to reduce friction is to separate two sliding surfaces by a lubricant film.
As long as the surfaces do not touch, sliding friction is eliminated. There’s still some fluid friction within
the lubricant, but it’s much less than sliding friction. Fluid friction is the resistance to motion within a
fluid, and it’s not as obvious as other types of friction.

Lubricants are made from one of four groups of materials or medium.

 Animal
 Vegetable
 Mineral
 Synthetic

Originally animal and vegetable lubricants were the most widely used. Still, they’ve been almost
completely replaced by mineral and synthetic types. But whatever lubricant you use, to get maximum
benefits from lubricants we need to use a proper lubrication system.

Why are lubricants important?

The movement of two surfaces can create resistance due to friction (figure 1 left). This can lead to the
wear and tear of the machinery. In automotive or manufacturing applications, lubricants facilitate the
uninterrupted movement between machinery parts. It does so by reducing the mechanical resistance
 Page |2

between the material surfaces. As the lubricant is applied to the material surfaces, it creates a thin film and
cushions the microscopic roughness in the surface to make the sliding of the materials easier with less
resistance. Liquid lubricants are especially beneficial in this case, as they can take any shape to smooth
out the uneven surface and reduce friction.

Figure: Friction mechanism: The image on the left shows two rough surfaces with a high amount of
friction, creating resistance. The image on the right shows how the addition of lubricant creates a thin film
that makes sliding of materials easier.

Importance of Lubricant or Lubrication

 Reduction of wear & tear.
 Reduces machine maintenance time & cost.
 Synchronized machine operation appropriate rpm of machine in optimal speed & uniformity of
speed.
 Legibility assurance of machine & machine parts.
 Higher operating efficiency, less idle time & stopping.
 Better quality of products: due to well-running & disturbance are the causes of better quality
products. Reduces machine stoppage frequency, so attainment of the higher quality.
 Reduces fatigue & boredom of work forces due to well running less stoppage & troubles.
 Develop ergonomics & improve working environment.

Required Properties of Lubricants

• Lubricants must resist oxidation.
• Lubricants must resist carbon formation.
• Lubricants must resist rust formation on iron.
• Lubricants must possess good viscosity.
• Lubricants must resist corrosion.
• Lubricants must act as cleaning agent.
• Lubricants must resist foaming.
• Lubricants must resist extreme pressure.
 Page |3

Methods of Lubrication
• Fresh lubrication
• Circulating lubrication

Fresh Lubrication:
1. Manual Lubrication: Applying oils by oil can or greasing in bearings by grease gun through
grease nipples etc.
2. Cotton wick Lubrication: Uses the capillary effect of a cotton wick to keep the oil topped up.
3. Drip Lubrication: A drip supply of oil to point is used so that the quantity remains visible and
adjustable.
4. Mechanical Lubrication: Lubrication is applied by a pump.

Circulating Lubrication:
In this method, lubricant flows abundantly from a reservoir and then returns to the reservoir.
1. Bath Lubrication: Lubrication surfaces are to be placed in an oil bath filled with lubricants.
2. Splash Lubrication: Splash discs rotate in the oil bath and oil is splashed upwards so that
bearings are lubricated.
3. Ring Lubrication: A ring rotates in the oil and carries it up to the surfaces to be lubricated.
4. Forced feed circulating Lubrication: Lubricating oil is conveyed to the points by a pump. In this
mechanism cooling and cleaning are also included.

Benefits of using a lubrication system

1. Easy access: All important components of the machine can be oiled, regardless of criticality and
location. This ensures safe machine operation and reduces the risk of undefined lubricating
components by maintenance personnel.

2. Increase the machine’s efficiency: In a centralized lubrication system, lubrication occurs when
the machine is running so that the lubricant is distributed evenly across all friction points and
increases the efficiency of the overall machine performance, less breakdown, less downtime, and
replacement cost.

3. Reduced energy consumption: In centralized or automatic lubrication, the system as lubricant

reaches the friction point at the right time, in the right amount so low friction, energy consumption
is lower, and overall machine operation cost is lower.

4. Cleanliness: Lubricant contamination with the effect of foreign particles carries the overall
performance and life. Avoiding grease contamination in manual lubrication systems can be a
challenge for every maintenance person. However, through an automatic lubrication system, we
can avoid contamination of lubricants and achieve cleanliness. In an automatic lubrication system,
an automatic lubricant can provide an uninterrupted and accurate flow of fresh and clean lubricant
at the lubrication points.
 Page |4

Types of Lubricants
1. Oils

Oil is the most commonly used lubricant in manufacturing plants. It is used for applications with gears,
hinges, bearings, etc. They are suitable to use in high temperatures and high-speed applications. For
oxidation and corrosion prevention, it is possible to use additives such as anti-oxidants or rust inhibitors
with the base oil to enhance its properties.

2. Grease

Grease is the mix of oil, thickener (soap), and additional lubricants (such as Teflon). The mix of these
components gives grease a different texture, thickness, and viscosity. However, it exhibits a similar
lubricating property as oil. It is used in applications where oils cannot be used or where the cooling
attribute of the oil is not required. Grease provides excellent protection against wear and tear and provides
excellent sealing against foreign particles. It can often be used with gears, bearing, spindles, chains,
linkages, etc. The thickener is what provides consistency and fosters the performance of the grease.

3. Pastes

Paste provides a similar working function as grease. However, it consists of a greater mix of solid
lubricants which gives it its thick texture. The combined effect of base oil, thickeners (may or may not be
included), and a solid lubricant such as PTFE protects against friction wear and tear. The addition of
different solid lubricants makes the use of paste suitable in different types of applications.

4. Dry lubricants

Dry lubricant is suitable when oil or grease cannot be used for lubrication purposes in extreme operating
conditions such as vacuum, corrosive environment, or extreme temperatures. These can be classified into
powdered form solid lubricants, sliding film, or bonded coatings and are usually available in spray form.
They also can be mixed with water, alcohol, or other solvents. There are three major ways these dry
lubricants can be applied:

 Immersion: Suitable for batches of fasteners, or other components with smaller diameters.

 Spraying: Most commonly used; application process can be hindered by internal bends or smaller
diameters.
 Burnishing: Not commonly used; manual application is required.

Once the lubricant is applied using either of these methods, it is left to evaporate which eventually leaves
a thin film of lubricant on the metal surface. Dry lubricants particles like graphite can be extremely
slippery which means dust or dirt is not easily attracted to attached to the surface. Apart from graphite,
PTFE and MoS₂ (Molybdenum disulfide) are also commonly used as solid particles in the dry lubricant.

5. Gaseous lubricants

Gaseous lubricants belong to the simplest, lowest viscosity lubricants known and include air, nitrogen,
oxygen, and helium. They are applied in aerodynamic and aerostatic bearings.
 Page |5

Routine check of lubricants

1. Quantity wise: Oil tank should be checked and if necessary should be filled up.

2. Quality wise: The followings are to be checked time to time-

• pH
• Viscosity
• Water contamination
• Presence of foreign materials
• Aging
• Foaming

Lubricating Oil Purification Method:

1. By Filtering: There might be some solid contaminants in lubricants. So continuous filtering is

necessary to remove any solid particles. Filters should be regularly checked, cleaned and replaced
if necessary.

2. By centrifuging: Dirty oil is rotated rapidly in the centrifuge so that dirt are separated from the
oil.

Storing of Lubricants
1. Outdoor Storage:

• Barrels should be stored on oil resistance base.

• Barrels should be stored to keep seals air tight.
• FIFO policy should be adopted. First IN First OUT
• Store should not be situated in a dusty or corrosive atmosphere.

2. Indoor Storage:

• Easy access for trolley and forklift.

• FIFO policy should be adopted.
• Good ventilation.
• Store should be built of fireproof materials.
• Smooth, level and oil resistant floor.
• Heating is useful to keep viscous oils fluid.