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Lubricants
Lawrence G. Ludwig, Schaeffer Mfg. Company
Tags: gear lubrication, viscosity
Enclosed gear drives operate in three regimes of lubrication: full fluid film, mixed film and
boundary lubrication conditions. The ideal regime of lubrication for enclosed gear drives is
full fluid film lubrication, where the industrial gear lubricant’s viscosity is sufficient enough to
provide separation of the mating surfaces of the gears and bearings.
Full fluid film is generally formed under conditions of light loads. As loads and pressures
increase, mixed film lubrication exists, where the load is partially supported by the pressure
developed in the lubricant film and partially by the contacting surfaces of the gears and
bearings. Under mixed film conditions, the fluid film is pressurized but it is too thin to avoid
contact of the highest asperities of opposing surfaces.
As loads and pressures further increase, this thin fluid film ruptures and boundary
lubrication conditions exist. This is where metal-to-metal contact can occur.
Several tests measure an industrial gear lubricant’s antiwear and extreme pressure
properties. Such test methods used to evaluate an industrial gear lubricant antiwear and
extreme pressure properties include:
The load wear index is an index of the ability of a lubricant to prevent wear at applied loads,
while the weld point is the lowest applied load at which the sliding surfaces of four steel
balls seize and weld together.
Demulsibility Characteristics
Industrial gear lubricants are frequently exposed to water from damaged coolers, lines,
water spray used for cool down, and atmospheric moisture or steam sources.
Contamination of the gear lubricant with water can cause poor lubrication, rust and
corrosion and acceleration of the rate of oxidation of the gear lubricant.
An industrial gear lubricant must resist mixing and emulsification with water and have good
water separating characteristics for quick and effective water removal from the system. An
industrial gear lubricant’s ability to resist emulsification and separate readily from water is
achieved through the use of demulsibility additives in the formulation of the industrial gear
lubricants.
Demulsibility additives are chemicals that work in two stages to prevent emulsification and
enhance water separation. First, they flocculate the water droplets into bubbles by forming a
chemical bridge between water droplets. This allows the water droplets to also interact with
the demulsifier’s molecules that are absorbed on the droplet’s sheath. Coalescence occurs
in the second stage.
Once the chemical bridge has been formed, the demulsibility agent penetrates the emulsion
film and replaces the emulsified water molecules to form an unstable film. Demulsifiers can
also penetrate the emulsified film to form a passage through which water drains from one
droplet to the other. Both of these mechanisms allow small, stable bubbles to combine into
larger bubbles that drop to the bottom so they can be drained off.
Though demulsibility agents are essential chemicals used in the formulation of industrial
gear lubricants, care must be taken in their use, especially if they are added to the industrial
gear lubricant during field use. If used at improper additive treatment levels, they can have
the reverse effect and act as emulsifiers. The test methods used to evaluate an industrial
gear lubricant’s abilities to resist emulsification and to separate readily from moisture
include:
The industrial gear lubricant’s ability to resist foaming and air entrainment is achieved
through the use of antifoam agents in the formulation of the industrial gear lubricants.
Antifoam agents are surface-active chemicals that consist of either methyl silicone polymers
or acrylate copolymers. They prevent foam by changing the surface tension of the air
bubbles as they are formed. This change in surface tension causes air bubbles to either
collapse or rupture. The addition of only five to 10 parts per million of antifoam agent in the
formulation of the industrial gear lubricant is required for effective foam control.