Frictional Characteristics of the Lubricants Formulated with Non-Conventional Base Stocks

Use of high-quality basestocks is increasing to produce high-performance lubricants. However, their tribological characteristics have not been understood clearly yet. In this study, a newly developed basestock from a fuel hydrocracker and a poly-alpha-olefin are selected and investigated on the properties of lubricants formulated with them. The Lubricants are prepared by blending the basestocks with typical additives such as a zinc dialkyldithiophosphate, a dispersant, a detergent and a dispersant-inhibitor package. Frictional and wear-preventing properties are investigated using an oscillating-type wear-testing machine. The contact is a ball-on-disk mode and the testing temperature is varied from room temperature to 200$^{\circ}$C. The results show that their frictional property is varied significantly and that the non-conventional oils result in lower friction and lower wear compared with conventional lubricants, especially at the higher temperatures.