Starvation and Reflow of Point Contact Lubricated with Greases of Different Chemical Formulation

• DOI: 10.1007/s11249-014-0376-2
• Publication Date: 2014-07-23T09:55:54Z
• Authors: Lu Huang; Dan Guo; Shizhu Wen
• Keywords: 2. Zero hunger; 02 engineering and technology; 0210 nano-technology

Starved film thickness measurements are presented in grease-lubricated point contact under pure rolling condition. The starvation process of different types of greases is recorded and analysed in detail. Results show that the film decay rates for lithium greases and SiO2 greases are quite similar regardless of the rolling speed. Urea grease shows strong adsorbability to the metal surface, which can be clearly observed during the test. Oil separation tests and scanning electron microscopy observations proved the differences in structure and stability of the tested grease. A close relationship between starved film thickness and oil bleeding rate is found in the present research.