Experimental study on the shear thinning effects of viscosity index improver added lubricant by in-situ optical viscometer

Elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) film is measured under the condition of viscosity index improver added to base oil. In-situ optical contact method using the interference principle make the measuring resolution of ~5 nm possible and enables the measuring range all over the contact area of up to ~300 $\mu\textrm{m}$ diameter. What is more important to the developed method by the author is that the measurement of EHL film thickness is possible in the range from 100 nm to 2 $\mu\textrm{m}$, which is the regime of worst contact failures in precision machinery. Viscosity index improver (VII) is one of the major additives to the modem multigrade lubricants for the viscosity stability against temperature rise. However, it causes shear thinning effects which make the film thickness lessened very delicately at high shear rate (over $10^5 s^{-1}$) of general EHL contact regime. In order to exactly verify the VIIs performance of viscosity stability at such high shear rate, it is necessary to make the measurement of EHL film thickness down to ~100 nm with fine resolution for the preliminary study of viscosity control. In this work, EHL film thickness of VII added lubricant is measured with the resolution of ~5 nm, which will give very informative design tool for the synthesis of lubricants regarding the matter of load carrying capacity at high shear rate condition.