Industrial Lubrication and Tribology

Emerald Article: A study of lubrication mechanism of oil-in-water (O/W)

emulsions in steel cold rolling
S.P. Dubey, G.K. Sharma, K.S. Shishodia, G.S. Sekhon

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A study of lubrication mechanism

of oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions in steel
cold rolling
S.P. Dubey and G.K. Sharma
R&D Center, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, Faridabad, India, and

K.S. Shishodia and G.S. Sekhon

Indian Institute of Technology, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, India
Abstract
Purpose Oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion has been used in industrial rolling mills for many decades, but its lubrication mechanism is still not adequately
understood. There is a need to understand the role of chemical ingredients and emulsifier in lubrication and tribological characteristics of rolling oil.
With this purpose, the authors selected three commercially available O/W emulsions of different generations and of known industrial performance. The
aim is to understand the lubrication mechanism of these rolling oils and to correlate the laboratory findings with that of industrial rolling mills.
Design/methodology/approach The lubrication mechanism has been studied with the help of an ultra thin film interferometry EHD test rig, an
advanced experimental rolling mill and a Coulter LS 230 instrument. Film thickness, rolling parameters and droplet size were measured. The coefficient
of friction was computed with the help of the measured values of rolling parameters. Emulsion stability and saponification value (SAP) of the selected
emulsions were also determined. The results of film thickness, rolling parameters and droplet size have been presented. The lubrication mechanism of
the emulsions has been explained on the basis of film thickness, droplet size, emulsion stability, SAP value and coefficient of friction.
Findings Results of the present study reveal that chemistry of O/W emulsions plays an important role in their film forming and tribological behavior.
Rolling emulsions of relatively low stability, higher droplet size and high SAP value are found to provide better lubrication and lower coefficient of
friction. The results of the present study correlate well with the actual industrial experience except those obtained on EHD test rig.
Research limitations/implications Coulter LS 230 instrument was available with M/s LUBRIZOL CORP., USA. Only limited study on droplet size was
carried. Although the study carried out has given good information but it would have been more practical if the emulsion samples taken from the
experimental mill stand would have been studied for droplet size.
Practical implications From understanding point of view of lubrication mechanism of O/W emulsion, it will be useful for oil technologists,
tribologists and rolling mill users.
Originality/value The study is original in nature and gives information on lubrication mechanism of O/W emulsions in steel cold rolling of steel strips.
Keywords Lubrication, Films (states of matter), Friction, Emulsions, Metallurgy
Paper type Research paper

metallic sheet and friction generated in roll bite. Efficient

running of rolling mill requires control of friction and heat.
Oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion has the dual capability of
providing good cooling and lubrication. Non-inflammability
and low cost are additional features of an O/W emulsion to
make it popular. Though it has been in use in rolling mills
for several decades, still its lubricating action has not been
adequately understood.
The O/W emulsion is essentially a two-phase heterogeneous
mixture of oil and water, where the oil component remains in
the dispersed phase and water forms the continuous phase.
The oil phase contains the base oil, lubrication additives,
emulsifier and other ingredients. Emulsifiers keep the droplets
from coalescing. The molecular structure of emulsifiers has
two distinct ends, namely hydrophilic and lipophilic. The
hydrophilic end is made of polar covalent bonds and is soluble
in water. The lipophilic end is soluble in natural and synthetic

Introduction
Cold rolling is a direct compression process which reduces
the thickness or changes the cross section of the work piece.
The compressive force required for plastic deformation of
sheet metal is transmitted through a set of rolls. During the
deformation of the work piece, frictional stress between rolls
and work piece is generated. The ratio of work piece
thickness to work roll diameter determines the level of
friction. Friction gets affected by mill speed, type of material
being rolled, surface finish of rolls and the strip (Roberts,
1978). Heat is generated due to plastic deformation of
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The present authors wish to thank R&D management of the Indian Oil
Corporation Limited, for giving permission to publish the paper, and
officers and staff of different departments of Indian Oil Corporation
Limited, R&D center who have rendered help in conducting the tests on
different test rigs.

Industrial Lubrication and Tribology

57/5 (2005) 208 212
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited [ISSN 0036-8792]
[DOI 10.1108/00368790510614190]

208

A study of lubrication mechanism

Industrial Lubrication and Tribology

S.P. Dubey, G.K. Sharma, K.S. Shishodia and G.S. Sekhon

Volume 57 Number 5 2005 208 212

oils. When the emulsion is formed, the hydrophilic ends

orient towards the water phase and lipophilic hydrocarbon
chains orient towards the oil phase (Shirizly and Lenard,
2000). O/W emulsions used in metal rolling generally contain
oil between 2.5 to 5 percent by volume.
For O/W emulsions hydrophilic and lipophilic balance
(HLB) values are usually maintained between 10 and 12 on a
scale of 1-20 (Schmid and Wilson, 1996)
In earlier studies, an emulsion was characterized by its
effective viscosity, obtained by modifying the viscosity of the
continuous phase (water) by a factor. The latter was considered
to be a function of concentration of oil in water (Einstein, 1906;
Eilers, 1941; Sibree, 1931). Later on it was found that effective
viscosity could not explain the behavior of an emulsion in the
presence of concentrated contacts (Kimura and Okada, 1987;
Wilson et al., 1993). Lubrication mechanism of O/W emulsion
was explained by other investigators on the basis of the so-called
plate-out theory (Schmid and Wilson, 1996; Schey, 1983;
Schmid and Wilson, 1995). Dow (1977), Kimura and Okada
(1989) and Nakahara et al. (1991) found that film thickness
increased with increase in concentration of oil. Even a small
concentration allows generation of a film much thicker than in
the case of pure water. Wan et al. (1984) observed that with
limited supply of emulsion, oil droplets were pushed out of the
contact and only residual water formed a very thin film.
It contradicted the concept of plate out theory.
Sakaguchi and Wilson (1984) propounded the concept of
the so-called dynamic concentration theory. According to
them, the relatively high viscosity of oil caused it to be
preferentially entrained. The film thickness would therefore
increase with both concentration and droplet size. They
developed a model of lubrication by emulsions based on
undeformed droplet size larger than the film thickness. Penny
(1971) explained that emulsions having larger droplet size
performed better, but Nakahara et al (1988) observed that at
high speeds, most of the coarse oil droplets could not enter
into the contact zone because of counter flow in the
continuous water phase. Only fine droplets near the moving
surfaces could pass the contact region. They predicted that
the film thickness increases as the emulsifier concentration
increases. Increase in concentration of O/W, however,
increases the film thickness only slightly. Speed and droplet
size were found to affect film forming characteristics of
emulsions (Schmid and Wilson, 1996).
Vergne et al. (1997) observed the film forming ability of the
lean emulsions to be extremely low and practically
independent of temperature. Guzman and John (1998) have
explained the role of emulsion stability, SAP value and nature
of emulsifier in the lubricating action of O/W emulsions.
Shirizly and Lenard (2000) conducted experiments on a
2-Hi experimental rolling mill with neat oils, emulsion, water
and under dry condition. Rolling load and torque, coefficient
of friction, forward slip and surface roughness were observed.
Roll separating force and torque were found to be unaffected
by different neat oils, emulsion and water. Co-efficient of
friction was found to be sensitive to the rolling velocity. Lower
co-efficient of friction was also observed even in case of water.
Forward slip did not show any marked trend with thickness
reduction of sheet metal.
Lin et al. (1991) carried out a study on a 4-Hi laboratory
rolling mill. They used neat rolling oils of different viscosity to
investigate the effect of surface roughness, reduction
percentage, rolling speed, and viscosity of oil on coefficient of

friction, forward slip, roll load and torque. It was found that oil
viscosity, roll speed, reduction ratio and surface roughness have
substantial influence on lubrication during cold rolling.
Studies on the lubricating action of commercially available
O/W emulsions of known industrial performance are scarce in
the published literature. Such investigations are highly relevant
for oil formulators, tribologists and industrial users. This paper
describes the results of a study carried out to understand the
lubrication mechanism of three commercially available rolling
oil emulsions of known industrial performance.

Experimental study
Test oils
Rolling oils (Table I) called as A, B and C were selected for
the present study. These are commercial rolling oils and are in
use in the Indian industry. These represent three different
generations and the corresponding progress in the
development of rolling oils. The important chemical
ingredients of the three oils are listed in Table I.
Emulsion stability
O/W emulsion of 5 percent (v/v) concentration was made by
adding emulsifiable rolling oil to water of hardness 200 PPM at
558C temperature. The mixture was sufficiently agitated. This
emulsion was transferred to a separating funnel, maintained at
508C by means of a water bath and allowed to stay for 1 h. From
the bottom 100 ml of emulsion was transferred to a measuring
cylinder, immersed in a water bath maintained at a temperature
of 85-908C. The oil was separated from the emulsion through
sulfuric acid treatment. The percentage of oil obtained is an
indication of the emulsion stability of the emulsion. Emulsion
stability value and other properties of the three emulsions used
in the present study are given in Table II.
Droplet size
Emulsions of oil samples A, B and C were prepared in
200 PPM hard water with 2.5 and 5 percent concentrations.
Table I Important chemical ingredients of the chosen test oils
Ingredients

Oil A

Oil B

Oil C

Mineral oil
Natural fat
Ester
Emulsifier

Anionic

Non anionic

Hybrid

Notes: : higher amount of doses, : moderate amount of doses,

: small amount of doses, and 2 : nil dose

Table II Physio-chemical properties of rolling oil samples

S no.

Characteristics

Oil A

Oil B

Oil C

1
2
3
4

Kinematic viscosity at 408C, cSt

Density at 29.58C, g/ml
Saponification value, mg KOH/g
Emulsion stability of 5 percent
emulsion (percentage of oil content)
Film thickness (nm)
2.5 percent concentration
5.0 percent concentration

28.96
0.901
5.2

60
0.902
65

45.8
0.912
175

5.0

4.0

0.7

30.1
21.4

24.0
17.7

68.5
60.1

209

A study of lubrication mechanism

Industrial Lubrication and Tribology

S.P. Dubey, G.K. Sharma, K.S. Shishodia and G.S. Sekhon

Volume 57 Number 5 2005 208 212

Particle size distributions in the samples were determined by

using a Coulter LS230 instrument, that analyses the angular
dispersion of light scattered by particles of oil. Size
distributions over the range 0.04-2,000 mm were
ascertained. The results of droplet size distribution for the
above-mentioned oils are shown in the form of graphs in
Figures 1-3.

varied from 0 to 3 m/s. The highest film thickness was

recorded. The graph of oil film thickness vs speed for all three
oils is shown in Figure 4.
Tribological study on experimental rolling Mill
The tribological study for the above-mentioned three oils was
carried out on 2-Hi experimental rolling mill. The schematic
diagram of the mill is shown in Figure 5.
The experimental mill has rolls of 205 mm diameter,
150 mm barrel length, hardness 90-95 Shore C, and
roughness in transverse direction of 0.4 mm. It is a single
stand, reversible mill and can run up to a speed of 800 m/min.
It has a maximum capacity of 50 ton. The mill is provided
with an industrially simulated emulsion tank, a strip
preparation unit and instruments for measurement of
different rolling parameters. The selected strip coil (1 mm
thick 100 mm wide 300 m long) was of D grade (as per
IS: 513). The chemical composition and mechanical
properties of sheet material are given in Table III. The

Film thickness
The film thickness was measured using an ultra thin film
EHD interferometry instrument (Barker et al., 1993).
Emulsions of oil samples A, B and C of 2.5 and 5 percent
concentration were tested. Test load was 20 N and emulsion
temperature was maintained at 608C. The disc speed was
Figure 1 Droplet size distribution of oil sample A

Figure 4 Film thickness vs speed

Figure 2 Droplet size distribution of oil sample B

Figure 5 Schematic of the experimental rolling mill

Figure 3 Droplet size distribution of oil sample C. Dil 1 and Dil 2

represents the two emulsion samples prepared of same concentration

Table III Chemical composition of low carbon steel sheet

Yield
C
Mn
S
P
stress,
Hardness,
(percent) (percent) (percent) (percent) MPa UTS, MPa
HRB
0.098

210

0.50

0.040

0.040

286

365

55 ^ 4

A study of lubrication mechanism

Industrial Lubrication and Tribology

S.P. Dubey, G.K. Sharma, K.S. Shishodia and G.S. Sekhon

Volume 57 Number 5 2005 208 212

stress-strain relationship of the above material is represented

by the following equation.

Based on the above observations, performance of oils A, B

and C can be ranked as poor, good and very good.

_ 0:02
s0 220 1 1510:3 1 _=1Ref

Emulsion stability
As given in Table II, the values of emulsion stability of oils A,
B and C at 5 percent oil concentration are 5.0, 4.0 and 0.7,
respectively. Therefore, oil A is stable, oil B is less stable and
oil C is least stable. Consequently the lubrication properties
of oil A, B and C are expected to be poor, fair and good.

where s0 is the yield stress, 1 is the plastic strain, 1_is the strain
rate, and 1_Ref is the reference strain rate.
The sheet metal was first cleaned with mechanical rubbing
and then with solvent in the strip preparation unit. The strip
was next mounted on a spool of the uncoiler stand.
Prior to conducting experiments, emulsion tank,
connecting pipes and rolling mill stand were thoroughly
cleaned first with cold water (twice), then with hot water
(twice), and then with biocide. On each occasion the cold
water, hot water and biocide were circulated for a minimum
of 30 min. Afterwards the tank was charged with
demineralized (DM) water and tap water in proportionate
quantities to get hard water of 200 PPM. After determining
the actual hardness of water, heater was switched on. A
measured quantity of selected rolling oil was poured in the
tank to get desired concentration of rolling oil (2.5 or 5.0
percent). While pouring the oil in the tank an agitator was
used for proper mixing of oil in water. The emulsion was
circulated and a sample was drawn from the mill stand to
ascertain the oil concentration in emulsion. The temperature
of emulsion in tank was maintained at 508C. Emulsion flow
rate of 100 l/min was used. The emulsion flow nozzles were
pointed at contact of rolls and strip. Experiments were
conducted at different rolling speeds (100, 350 and 500 m/
min) under variable load conditions. Steel strip was rolled
under a load of 20-40 tonnes and reduced up to 0.35 mm
from an initial thickness of 1.00 mm in a number of passes.
Each experiment was carried out twice and rolling parameters
such as rolling load, rolling torque, reduction, forward slip,
back and front tension and speed were noted. Values of these
parameters and those of mechanical properties of the rolls
material and steel strip were used as input to a FEM based
mathematical model (Montmitonnet, 1999) for the
calculation of the co-efficient of friction.

Saponification value
SAP value of a rolling oil is a measure of the quantity of
natural fats and ester in the oil. SAP values of oils A, B and C
are 5.2, 65 and 175, respectively (Table II). It means oil C has
higher amount of fat and ester as compared to oil B whereas
oil A has negligible fat and ester content. Based on industrial
experience, oil having higher SAP value gives better
lubrication and performs satisfactorily in an industrial
rolling mill. On this basis the oil A, B and C are expected
to perform inferior, better and still better.
Droplet size
The average droplet size of oils A, B and C has been found as
0.133, 1.9 and 2.3-6.2 mm, respectively (Figure 1-3). Literature
and observations of researchers emphasize that O/W emulsions
having larger droplet size produce higher film thickness and
better lubrication. On this ground, oil C is expected to perform
better than oils B and A, oil B to perform better than oil A but
inferior to C, and oil A to be the most inferior.
Film thickness
It is found from Figure 4 that highest film thickness produced
by oils A, B and C in 2.5 and 5.0 percent concentration are
30.1, 24.0, 68.5 and 21.4, 17.7, 60.1, respectively. The two
critical speeds, as observed by other researchers also, are
clearly indicated in the above figure. But there is a significant
deviation from what is generally expected by practitioners and
available in published literature. The film thickness of oil C as
expected has been found to be the highest at both above
concentrations. However, the film thickness of oil A has been
found to be more than that of oil B at both concentrations
which is contrary to expectations, since it is believed that oil of
higher droplet size and SAP value give higher film thickness.
Other deviation is that all three oils produce higher film
thickness at 2.5 percent concentration than that at 5 percent
concentration. The tests were repeated twice, but the
reproducible results were obtained. The reason for anomaly
could be improper simulation by the test equipment of actual
rolling mill conditions in respect of the speed and type of
contact. In a rolling mill, speed is generally found in the range
of 300-1,800 m/min (except a few cases of mill speed of
100-200 m/min) and contact is line contact. In EHD test
equipment, speed is very low (0-180 m/min) and contact is
point contact instead of line contact.

Results and discussion

Industrial performance of oils
Oil A, B and C are used in the form of emulsions, employed
for cold rolling of steel strips. Oil C has been found to
perform well in 6-Hi mill running at 1000 m/min. for rolling
of D grade steel sheets of 800 to 1200 mm width. Reductions
up to 0.17 mm thickness are obtained. Concentration of
2.5-4.5 percent is used. Consumption rate of emulsion is
approximately 0.7 l/ton.
Oil B is used in a 20-Hi mill running at 300 m/min speed
for rolling of D grade steel sheets of width 600-950 mm.
Maximum reduction of thickness up to 0.2 mm has been
achieved. The oil is used at a concentration of 5-6 percent.
Consumption rate of emulsion is 1.2 l/ton.
Oil A has been found to give unsatisfactory performance in
a 4-Hi mill running at a speed of 300 m/min. for rolling of
D grade steel sheet of width 400-500 mm. Maximum
reduction of strip was up to 1.0 mm. The oil was used in a
concentration of 5-8 percent. Friction marks and black
patches were developed on the sheet during rolling.
Consumption rate of emulsion was 1.25 l/ton.

Tribological performance
The experimental data on cold rolling of steel strip using the
three rolling oils A, B and C at two oil concentration (2.5 and
5 percent) and for three different speeds (100, 350, 500 m/
min) was used as input to a finite element model
(Montmitonnet, 1999) to estimate the co-efficient of friction
in each case. The computed values of coefficient of friction
are given in Table IV. The effect of speed and different
211

A study of lubrication mechanism

Industrial Lubrication and Tribology

S.P. Dubey, G.K. Sharma, K.S. Shishodia and G.S. Sekhon

Volume 57 Number 5 2005 208 212

Dow, T.A. (1977), A rheology model for oil-in-water,

Technical paper no. MS77-339 , Society of Manufacturing
engineers, Dearborn, MI.
Eilers, H. (1941), Die Viskositate von Emulsionen
hochviskoser Stoffeals Function der Konzentration,
Kolloid Z., Vol. 97, pp. 313-21.
Einstein, A. (1906), Eine neue Bestimmung der MolekulDimensioned, Ann.Phy., Vol. 19, pp. 289-306.
Guzman, J.L. and John, M.S. (1998), Stabilized dispersion
technology: a new concept in cold rolling lubrication, Iron
and Steel Engineer, pp. 54-6.
Kimura, Y. and Okada, K. (1987), Film thickness at
elastohydrodynamic conjunctions lubricated with oil in
water emulsions, Proceedings, Institution of Mechanical
Engineer, C176, pp. 85-90.
Kimura, Y. and Okada, K. (1989), Lubricating properties of
oil-in-water emulsions, Tribology Trans., Vol. 32,
pp. 524-32.
Lin, J.F., Huang, T.K. and Hsu, C.T. (1991), Evaluation of
lubricants for cold strip rolling, Wear, Vol. 147, pp. 79-91.
Montmitonnet, P. (1999), Rollmodel/Invroll mathematical
model of rolling mill, Ecole Nationale superieure Des
Mines De Paris, Centre De Mise En Frome Des Materiaux,
Umr Ensmp/Cnrs 7635.
Nakahara, T., Makino, T. and Kyogoku, K. (1988),
Observation of liquid droplet behavior and oil film
formation in O/W type emulsion lubrication, ASME
Journal of Tribology, Vol. 110, pp. 348-53.
Nakahara, T., Shiokawa, S. and Kyogoku, K. (1991), Phase
inversion region in O/W emulsion lubrication, Japanese
Journal of Tribology, p. 35.
Penny, F.R. (1971), Correlation of emulsion particle size and
aluminum tandem hot mill rolling performance,
Lubrication Engineering, Vol. 27 No. 3, pp. 87-90.
Roberts, W.L. (1978), Cold Rolling of Steel, Marcel Dekker,
New York, NY, p. 323.
Sakaguchi, Y. and Wilson, W.R.D. (1984), EHD analysis of
behavior of emulsions at the inlet to roll bites, Proceeding of
the 5th Conference on Plastic Working, Japanese Society of
Technology of Plasticity, Tokyo, pp. 457-60.
Schey, J. (1983), Tribology in Metal Working, American Society
for Metals, Metals Park, OH, pp. 150-5.
Schmid, S.R. and Wilson, W.R.D. (1995), Lubrication of
aluminium rolling by oil and water emulsion, Tribology
Trans., Vol. 36 No. 2, pp. 452-8.
Schmid, S.R. and Wilson, W.R.D. (1996), Lubrication
mechanisms for oil in water emulsion, Lubrication
Engineering, Vol. 52 No. 2, pp. 168-75.
Shirizly, A. and Lenard, J.G. (2000), Emulsions versus neat
oils in the cold rolling of carbon steel strips, Transaction
ASME, Vol. 122, pp. 550-6.
Sibree, J.O. (1931), The viscosity of emulsions part II,
Faraday Soc. Trans., Vol. 23, pp. 161-76.
Vergne, P., Kamel, M. and Querry, M. (1997), Behavior of
cold rolling oil-in-water emulsions: a rheological approach,
Trans., ASME, Vol. 119, pp. 250-8.
Wan, G.T.Y., Keenny, P. and Spikes, H.A. (1984),
Elastohydrodynamic properties of water based fire
resistant hydraulic fluids, Tribology International, Vol. 17,
pp. 309-15.
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dynamic concentration model for lubrication with oil in
water emulsion, Wear, Vol. 161, pp. 207-12.

Table IV Results of co-efficient of friction obtained on 2-Hi

experimental rolling mill
Concentration of
oil in emulsion
(percent v/v)
2.5

Speed
m/min
100
350
500
100
350
500

5.0

Coefficient of friction (m)

obtained with
Oil A
Oil B
Oil C
0.062-0.084
0.050-0.061
0.043-0.062
0.051-0.068
0.042-0.064
0.044-0.052

0.047-0.060
0.050-0.076
0.032-0.056
0.048-0.051
0.039-0.046
0.036-0.047

0.054-0.061
0.041-0.051
0.039-0.050
0.042-0.051
0.038-0.045
0.032-0.041

chemistry of the rolling oils may be clearly observed. The

highest co-efficient of friction is found to occur at 100 m/min
and it progressively reduced with increase in speed. At the
lowest speed of 100 m/min, boundary/mixed lubrication
condition may be supposed to exist giving rise to a higher
coefficient of friction. With increase of speed, the lubrication
condition is expected to shift towards mixed/hydrodynamic
which reduces the value of co-efficient of friction. Also, higher
concentration of oil is found to give lower friction.
Oil C emulsion exhibits the lowest co-efficient of friction
among the three oils at all three rolling speeds. Oil B
performance is found to be inferior to C and superior to that
of A. Oil A causes highest co-efficient of friction at all the
three speeds and both the concentrations.
Based on the above observations, oils A, B and C can be
ranked as poor, better and the best. This conclusion is borne
out by industrial experience also.
Oil of higher droplet size, higher SAP value and lower
emulsion stability is found to produce higher film thickness
and lower coefficient of friction or better lubrication. Film
thickness obtained on the EHD test rig also correlates well
with the industrial performance in case of oil C. However,
significant deviation is observed in trend of film thickness
obtained with oil A and B.

Conclusion
.

A study on the role of the droplet size, film thickness, SAP

value and emulsion stability on the tribological behavior of
O/W emulsion during cold rolling of steel strip has been
carried out.
Oils having higher droplet size, higher SAP value and
lower emulsion stability give higher film thickness and
lower co-efficient of friction.
Effect of the rolling speed on the co-efficient of friction
has been investigated for all three oils employed in the
present study. Increase in speed results in reduction of
coefficient of friction.
Results of the present experimental study correlate well
with industrial experience. However, significant deviations
have been observed between the results obtained from the
EHD test rig and from the rolling mill experiments.

References
Barker, D.C., Johnston, G. and Spikes, H.T. (1993), EHD
film formation and starvation of oil in water emulsions,
Tribology Trans., Vol. 36 No. 4, pp. 565-72.

212