TRIBOLOGY 2022

LECTURE 5
LUBRICATION PART

Semi-Solid Lubricants
(GREASE)

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 GREASE COMPOSITION

Base Oil Additives Thickener

Lubricating OIL

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 GREASE COMPOSITION
Base Oil
75 - 95%

Performance Additives
0 - 5%

Thickener
5-20%

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Grease internal Structure

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 Grease internal Structure

OIL BLEEDING
The oil contained in the lubricating
grease separates from the thickener.
This can be caused by low resistance
to working or low temperature
stability of grease.

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 GREASE CLASSIFICATIONS

based on based on
Thickeners Additives

• Metallic SOAP Thickeners • EP Greases

• Non-Metallic SOAP Thickeners • Graphite Greases
• Moly Greases

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 Metallic SOAP Thickeners

SIMPLE COMPLEX
Metallic Soap Metallic Soap

Common
• CALCIUM (Ca)
types

• SODIUM (Na)
• LITHIUM (Li)
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 comparison between different thickeners/properties

Dropping point: maximum temperature at which grease can be

utilized after this temperature bleeding will be very high.
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 Non- SOAP Thickeners
Examples

• Silica gel, Alumina

• Clay
• Polyureas
• PTFE

• Dropping point reaches 250 or more

• expensive

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 Note

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Note: most greases are named by their alkali component

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 Applications Suitable for Grease
Grease and oil are not interchangeable. Grease is
used when it is not practical or convenient to use
oil. The lubricant choice for a specific application
is determined by matching the machinery design
and operating conditions with desired lubricant
characteristics.

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Grease is generally used for (Advantages of Grease)

1. Machinery that runs intermittently or is in storage for an extended period of

time.
2. Inclined/vertical shafts.
3. Sufficiently tight enclosures for retaining liquid lubricant does not exist.
4. Continuous supply of lubricant is impractical.
5. Machinery that is not easily accessible for frequent lubrication.
6. Machinery operating under extreme conditions such as high temperatures
and pressures.
7. To prolong the life of worn parts.
8. To provide better mechanical lubrication cushion reducing noise and
vibration.

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 Disadvantages of Grease

• Low fluidity and low conductivity (poor dissipation)

• Once dust or dirt enters the grease no filtration can
be done. Therefore, contaminants and wear debris
cannot be separated.
• High coefficient of friction.

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 The most important property of grease is the
consistency which describes the resistance
of grease to deformation by an applied force.

The National Lubricating Grease Institute (NLGI)

divides lubricating greases into classification
groups based on their consistency

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 National Lubricating Grease Institute
NLGI Numbers

NLGI 2 NLGI 1 NLGI 000

NLGI 6

NLGI 5
NLGI 4
NLGI 3

NLGI 2
NLGI 1
NLGI 0
NLGI 00

NLGI 000

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 NLGI grease classification

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 Typical Grease Tests
Test ASTM Test Description
Method

Cone Penetration D-217 Depth a “cone” pushes into grease

Dropping Point D-2265 Temperature where grease melts

Apparent Viscosity D-1092 “Thickness” of grease

4 Ball Wear D-2266 Apply load until balls weld

Evaporation D-972 Weight loss from grease

Copper Corrosion D-4048 Chemical reactivity with metal

Water Washout D-1264 Removal of grease by water

Rust Resistance D-1743 Protection of iron & steels

Oxidation
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Stability D-942 Storage stability
Penetrometer

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 Penetrometer

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 CONE PENETRATION TEST PROCEDURE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97LckifYjIA&t=94s
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 Grease Versus Oil

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 In Favor of Grease
1. Grease: I have superior stop-start
performance. (When a machine is shut down, oil
will drain back to sump but grease remains in the
component where it is needed, lowering the risk
of a dry start).
Oil’s Counterpoint. Most bath, splash and
circulating oil systems can lubricate almost
immediately on restart. Larger volumes of oil
(compared to grease in the same application)
means a larger supply of additives which
extended service life) and the ability to wash
contaminants away from the working frictional
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zones.
2. Worn seals can retain grease better than oil, which
lowers the risk of lubricant starvation and leakage.

Oil’s Counterpoint. True, grease is less prone to

leakage, but then again leakage is a sign of a
machine problem that needs repair. Worn seals that
go unnoticed don’t get better over time. This
presents risk of a more serious or even catastrophic
failure in the future.

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3. Surplus grease packed tightly around seals and
serves as a sealant, preventing the ingress of
particles and water. Periodic re-greasing can purge
contaminants out and away from the working
surfaces of the component.

Oil’s Counterpoint. Most industrial machines are

not re-greased frequently enough to rely on this
for displacing contaminants from seals and
cavities adjacent to bearings. In fact, the practice
of re-greasing may actually drive these
contaminants directly into the core of the bearing
and cause failure.
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4. Grease enables the use of solid additives such
as graphite, zinc oxide or molybdenum disulfide.
These additives would settle or become filtered if
used in many oils.

Oil’s Counterpoint. Soluble additives that are

used in oil formulations today, will provide
comparable performance to control both adhesive
wear and abrasion in similar applications.

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 In Favor of Oil
5. Unlike grease, oil flows freely, enabling it to
conduct and carry away unwanted heat (thermal
convection). This keeps base oil viscosity stable
and reduces the risk of heat-induced oxidation and
additive depletion.

Grease’s Counterpoint. When properly selected

for a given application, the temperature of grease
will remain reasonably low and out of risk of
premature oxidation. Many lubed-for-life grease
applications have exceeded ten years of service.
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6. Because oil doesn’t use thickeners there is no risk
of incompatible thickeners clashing, causing
changes in grease consistency and other problems.

Grease’s Counterpoint. True, oils don’t employ

thickeners in their formulation but there still
remains the risk of base oil and additive
incompatibility upon mixing. In fact, one could
argue that there is no greater security when two oils
are mixed compared to mixing two grease products.
And unlike some oils, grease additives will not
settle out during storage or when machines are at
rest.
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7. Oil lubricants enable certain contaminants such
as water and dirt to be briefly suspended and
transported to filters, separators and settling zones.
Grease suspends these types of contaminants
permanently. In fact, some grease products will
suspend 100 percent of their weight in water.

Grease’s Counterpoint. Unlike grease, circulating

oil carries harmful contaminants to the far reaches
of a system, risking wear and corrosion to many
surfaces at the same time. Grease keeps most
contaminants localized and immobilized and even
displaced away from critical surfaces.
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8. Oil volume in machine components can be
precisely controlled using level gauges and
sight glasses. Grease volume is nearly
impossible to monitor and control. Over- and
under- greasing are common causes of bearing
failures.

Grease’s Counterpoint. Well-trained lube

technicians using proper tools and procedures
have no problem introducing safe quantities of
grease into bearings and similar components.
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 9.Oil can be changed without dismantling
machine hardware. Grease must be repacked
periodically, which involves a considerable cost
associated with labor, material and downtime.

Grease’s Counterpoint. Many grease-lubed

machines can run for years without the need to
repack the bearings. Oil compartments,
however, sometimes require constant drains and
refills.
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 10. Oil-lubricated machines are easier to
sample for laboratory analysis of wear metals,
contaminants and fluid properties. A
representative sample of an in-service grease is
nearly impossible to obtain.

Grease’s Counterpoint. Perhaps 90 percent of

bearings and components lubricated with grease
are noncritical and don’t require routine
sampling and analysis. However, new methods
are being developed to enable grease sampling
on the run.
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11. Used oils can be safely handled and disposed
of with minimal impact to the environment. Most
grease-lubricated machines are total-loss
systems, meaning there is no environmentally
simple way to recover and dispose of degraded or
contaminated products.

Grease’s Counterpoint. Oil is actually more

environmentally problematic than grease. As
stated above, it more readily leaks out of
machines and contaminates water, soil, plant life,
etc.
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REFERENCES:
• Lectures of Dr. Mohamed El-Komy
• “Fundamentals of fluid film lubrication”, by Hamrock
• “solid and semi-solid lubricants”, video lectures on tribology by Harish Hirani,
national program on technology enhanced leaning (nptel)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4p6IR47WUY4&list=PLbMVogVj5nJRCfyN1QEiBs
NFek8d00kWw&index=16

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