Suitability of Alternative Lubricants for Automotive Gear Applications

摘要

Rising environmental concerns due to the problems associated with conventional mineral lubricants has renewed interest in usage of alternative resources. Various attempts have been made to explore the possibilities of utilizing vegetable oils for range of applications. Properties like excellent viscosity features, higher biodegradability, lower toxicity, better renewability natural lubricity etc shows its potential as lubricants inspite of certain technical problems. Critical issues like lower oxidation stability , poor cold temperature properties affects the performance of vegetable oils and restricts its application to limited range . Gear oils are the hidden workhorses of automotive applications. This article highlights the suitability of various vegetable oils for lubricant formulation as an alternative in automotive gearing applications.