What is lubrication?
Lubrication makes machines last longer by reducing friction between any two moving parts. Take the example of rubbing your hands together that will produce some heat on your hands after a while. This is because of friction. Now, if you put some water or any other liquid on your hands and rub them again, you will feel a smooth slide and it will take longer to produce heat. The water or liquid will act as a lubricant that reduced friction making the rubbing more smooth and absorb any heat generated.
Machine Lubrication
A machine is a device that converts or transmits energy from one form to another useful form. The process involves the moving parts of machines that rub against each other and generate heat. These parts will deteriorate and wear down with time resulting in machine breakdowns, costly stoppages and replacements.
Lubrication is therefore used to make machines last longer. Lubrication helps in taking away heat from moving parts, making parts of a machine last longer, and reduce maintenance costs. This is the reason why oil is used in machines that acts as a lubricant to fill out the moving surfaces making the movement easier. The generated heat is also transferred to the oil and blown away, cooling the moving parts. The oil also carries away any particles broken off from the surfaces to avoid abrasion that would otherwise cause more wear. These particles are then trapped by the filter during oil circulation. Therefore, it is imperative that machines are lubricated properly, using the right lubricant as recommended by the machine manufacturer.
Lubricant Properties
Most lubricants are oil based where the quality of oil mainly depends on the refining process used at the refinery. Machine manufactures will always specify the type and grade of lubricant the machine requires. Not all machines are manufactured similarly and so cannot use similar lubricants. Bearing tolerances, speeds, contact clearances, heat generated and duration of use, vary from machine to machine and so different machines need different lubricants.
Lubricant additives are added to lubricants in order to enhance their performance depending on where they are used. A good lubricant should have properties like corrosion prevention, high boiling point and low freezing point. Also, resisting oxidation and being stable at high temperatures is an important property. A good lubricant would perform well under extreme conditions.
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