Lubrication lowers friction and enables moving machine parts to slide past each other smoothly. An automatic lubrication system offers numerous advantages over manual lubrication. In order to maximize the efficiency and life expectancy of any rotating equipment, lubrication is essential. A study conducted by SKF found that over 50% of bearing failures stem from improper lubrication. Learn more about how it leads to extended equipment life, reduced wear, and smaller maintenance bills. Well, in this reading, I’ll be exploring what Lubrication is, diagram, types, its roles, disadvantages & how to use.
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What is Lubrication system?
Lubrication is the control of friction and wear by the introduction of a friction-reducing film between moving surfaces in contact. The act of using a lubricant to minimize wear and tear and friction between two surfaces is known as lubrication. Within the topic of tribology is the study of lubrication, the lubricant used can be a fluid, solid, or plastic substance. Many different substances can be used to lubricate a surface. Additives to lubricants that contain oil can augment, increase, or decrease the qualities of the basic oil. Depending on the kind of oil and the intended usage, different amounts of additives are needed. For example, a dispersant may be added to engine oil.
Insoluble material is kept clumped together by a dispersant so that it may be filtered out during circulation. A viscosity index (VI) improver may be applied to situations that experience temperature extremes, ranging from cold to hot. Through this technique, the oil’s viscosity is altered while retaining its high-temperature characteristics, improving its flow in cold weather. The one issue with additives is that they can run out, and often, the oil volume needs to be increased in order to replenish them to adequate levels. Prevent wear and reduce contamination by transmitting power through hydraulics, ensuring a fluid seal and controlling temperature to reduce friction and protect equipment from corrosion.
How Lubrication System Works?
In order for mechanical systems like pumps, cams, bearings, turbines, gears, roller chains, cutting tools, etc. to function properly, lubrication is necessary. Without it, the pressure between adjacent surfaces would be too high to quickly cause surface damage, which in a condition where the surfaces are coarse enough could literally weld them together, resulting in seizures. The film that forms between the piston and the cylinder wall in some applications, like piston engines, also acts as a seal to keep combustion gasses from leaking into the crankcase.
There would be an oil pump and an oil filter if an engine needed pressured lubrication for things like simple bearings. Splash lubrication would work quite well on older engines (such a Sab maritime diesel), when pressured feed was not necessary. There are three main types of lubrication: boundary, mixed, and full film. These types rely on a lubricant and additives within oils to protect against wear. Mixed lubrication is between the boundary lubrication regime and the whole film electrohydrodynamic regime, with significant hydrodynamic effects.
Electrohydrodynamic lubrication involves elastic stresses at the contact, creating a load-bearing area and creating a flow-induced pressure that serves as the bearing force throughout the contact region. This lubrication regime is an example of fluid-structure interaction due to the close relationship between the hydrodynamic action of the lubricant and the elastic deformation of interacting solids.
Boundary lubrication is the regime when the load is supported by surface asperities rather than the lubricant. When temperature and pressure are raised, the lubricant’s chemically reactive components react with the contact surface to form a boundary film, a highly resilient, tenacious layer that forms on moving solid surfaces. Fluid film lubrication allows the lubricant to completely support the load within the space or gap between components moving relative to one another due to viscous forces. Disadvantages of lubrication include excess heat build-up, product spoilage, bearing seal damage, clean-up issues, and increased downtime.
