Publication: Analysis of tribological and vibration performance of palm olein-based grease containing molybdenum disulphide additive
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Date
2024-07-01
Authors
Nadiah Aqilahwati, Abdullah
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Abstract
The detrimental effects of the mineral-based lubricants and their non-renewable resource has urged the effort in developing a safe and environmentally friendly lubricants. In this study, the effect of additive concentration and particle size was investigated. Three concentrations (0.25, 0.50 and 0.75 wt.%) micro MoS2 was added to the palm olein grease to find the optimum concentration. Based on the optimum concentration, the MoS2 was added in micro and nanoparticles (1-3 µm and 90 nm). The worn surface was analysed by evaluating their coefficient of friction (COF), wear scar diameter (WSD), wear depth, wear volume, wear micrograph image and elemental distribution after a four-ball test. Next, the greases were evaluated by utilising a small-scale spur gear rig. The performance of the palm grease was compared with commercial grease by measuring the gear mass loss, surface characteristics and vibration level. From the four-ball test, palm grease with 0.50 wt.% MoS2 nanoparticles was the optimal grease where it reduced the COF, WSD, wear depth and wear volume for 18.41%, 25.51%, 22.52% and 61.25% compared to grease without additive, respectively. For the gear test, the palm olein grease had 29.04% lower COF but 2.30% higher WSD. The developed palm grease had the lowest roughness difference, mass loss, vibration, and surface damage compared to dry and commercial grease. The findings shows that the developed grease has a good potential to be utilised as a lubricant for a suitable working condition. The performance of the palm olein grease is also on par with the commercial grease.