Publication: Analysis of tribological characteristics and performance of palm olein-based grease containing copper nanoparticles
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Date
2024-04-01
Authors
Arif Izzuddin Bin Muhammad
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Abstract
The harmful environmental effect of commercial mineral greases has been raising
concerns in the community. Many had reported on the benefit of mineral grease,
however, the toxicity and depletion of mineral grease had led to the interest in
developing a more sustainable and environmentally friendly grease lubricants. In
addition, without nanoparticles such as copper and graphene in grease lubricants,
bearings can be exposed to friction and wear faster. Therefore, the aim of this study is
to investigate the tribological characteristics and performance of the developed palm
olein-based grease with added copper nanoparticles additive. In this study, palm olein based grease was developed using palm olein as base oil and lithium stearate as a
thickener. The copper nanoparticle additive was dispersed in the palm olein grease at
concentrations of 0.25 and 0.50 wt% and the optimum concentration with the best
performance is investigated. The palm olein grease was produced to NLGI 2 grade
consistency, which is widely used and suitable for multipurpose applications. This
grease is expected to be suitable for a wide range of industries, including agriculture
and forestry applications, where the machineries are subjected to environmental
exposure. The tribological tests were conducted using a four-ball tribometer to
evaluate the wear and friction characteristics of the formulated grease. Further work
has been done to investigate the performance of the developed grease by performing
an experimental work using a roller bearing test rig. The performance of the palm olein
grease was compared with a commercially available mineral grease lubricant. Surface roughness and wear characteristics of the inner race of the roller bearing were analysed
periodically and the vibration level was measured. The formulated palm olein grease
with copper nanoparticles additive demonstrated enhanced wear resistance,
comparable performance to commercial mineral greases during the four-ball friction
test with small friction value and wear, and superior performance to commercial
mineral grease during the roller bearing test with reduced vibration levels and lower
surface degradation. These findings contribute to the knowledge and understanding of
palm grease formulations and their potential applications in tribological systems.