Abrasion Resistance Testing of Lubricating Oils

Overview

  Lubricating oil is a liquid or semi-solid lubricant used in various types of mechanical equipment to reduce friction and protect machinery and workpieces. It primarily functions in lubrication, cooling, rust prevention, cleaning, sealing, and shock absorption. Abrasion resistance is one of the core performance indicators of lubricating oil, directly affecting the wear degree, operating efficiency, and service life of mechanical equipment. Lubricating oil with anti-wear additives forms a protective film on friction surfaces, significantly reducing friction and wear between metals, and is widely used for lubrication and protection of key mechanical components such as engines and gearboxes.

Experimental Purpose

  Testing the abrasion resistance of lubricating oil helps evaluate the actual lubrication and protection effects of lubricating oils and various anti-wear additives, providing an important basis for the selection, research and development, and quality control of lubricating oils. This test is carried out using the SRH10 Lubricating Oil Friction and Wear Testing Machine, which simulates friction environments under different pressures through weight lever loading to accurately measure the anti-wear and lubricating properties of lubricating oil.

Experimental Samples and Instruments

Experimental samples: Ordinary lubricating oil, lubricating oil with anti-wear additives

Experimental instruments:

1. SRH10 Lubricating Oil Friction and Wear Testing Machine

2. Auxiliary items such as oilstone and cleaning reagents

Operating Steps

1. Polish the friction wheel of the testing machine with an oilstone dampened with ordinary oil until it runs without noise, ensuring a clean friction surface. Prepare the required weights, steel balls, and oil cups for the test.

2. Add the lubricating oil to be tested into the oil cup, install the steel ball and friction wheel assembly, connect the instrument to 220V AC power, start the motor, and gently place the weights for loading after the speed stabilizes at 1400 r/min (about 3–5 seconds).

3. Gradually increase the number of weights, observe the equipment operation, and immediately turn off the power when the motor locks up due to loss of lubricity. Record the number of weights at this point.

4. Observe and record the size of the wear scar on the steel ball surface. After testing one sample, repolish the friction wheel and test different samples in sequence following the same steps. Conduct a no-oil test and a repair test for comparison.

5. After the no-oil test, add a fixed amount of water to the oil box to test the lubricating operation effect of emulsified oil with anti-wear additives in a water-containing environment.

6. Calculate the friction force of the lubricating oil according to the formula:

Force = 13.1 kg × (Number of weights × 0.5 kg) × 9.8 N

Data Analysis and Result Evaluation

  Test results show that ordinary lubricating oil locks up under a small number of weights with large steel ball wear scars, indicating poor abrasion resistance. In contrast, lubricating oil with anti-wear additives withstands significantly more weights before motor locking, with a greatly increased corresponding friction force and noticeably smaller wear scars, demonstrating excellent anti-wear and lubricating performance.

In addition, the emulsified oil with anti-wear additives maintains normal lubrication and stable operation in a water-containing environment, a performance that ordinary lubricating oil cannot achieve. This fully reflects the performance improvement brought by anti-wear additives.

The SRH10 Lubricating Oil Friction and Wear Testing Machine accurately simulates different pressure environments and intuitively reflects the abrasion resistance of lubricating oil through wear scar size and weight load. It delivers accurate and repeatable test results, providing reliable technical support for abrasion resistance testing of lubricating oils.