Direct observation of lubricant additives using tomography techniques
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843 (United States)
- Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843 (United States)
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States)
Lubricants play important roles in daily activities such as driving, walking, and cooking. The current understanding of mechanisms of lubrication, particularly in mechanical systems, has been limited by the lack of capability in direct observation. Here, we report an in situ approach to directly observe the motion of additive particles in grease under the influence of shear. Using the K-edge tomography technique, it is possible to detect particular additives in a grease and observe their distribution through 3D visualization. A commercial grease as a reference was studied with and without an inorganic additive of Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} microparticles. The results showed that it was possible to identify these particles and track their movement. Under a shear stress, Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} particles were found to adhere to the edge of calcium complex thickeners commonly used in grease. Due to sliding, the grease formed a film with increased density. This approach enables in-line monitoring of a lubricant and future investigation in mechanisms of lubrication.
- OSTI ID:
- 22594368
- Journal Information:
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 109, Issue 4; Other Information: (c) 2016 Author(s); Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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