Afton Chemical's Microbotz Grease Guide Sample Content by Afton Chemical

INDUSTRIAL

GREASE

ASIA PACIFIC Afton Chemical Asia Pte. Ltd. 111 Somerset Road #09-05 TripleOne Somerset Singapore 238164 T: +65 6732-0822 F: +65 6737-4123

EMEAI Afton Chemical Limited London Road, Bracknell Berkshire RG12 2UW England T: +44 1344 304-141 F: +44 1344 420-666

LATIN AMERICA Afton Chemical Industria de Aditivos LTDA Avenida Rio de Janeiro 901 (Parte) CEP-20931-675 Brazil T: +55 21 3295-4050 F: +55 21 2580-8647 & 2589-0531

NORTH AMERICA Afton Chemical Corporation 500 Spring Street Richmond VA 23219 USA T: +1 804-788-5800 F: +1 804-788-5184

A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO GREASE

www.aftonmicrobotz.com ©2013. Afton Chemical Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of NewMarket Corporation (NYSE:NEU). AFTON®, HiTEC®, and Microbotz™ are trademarks owned by Afton Chemical Corporation. Passion for Solutions® is a registered trademark of Afton Chemical Corporation in the US.

GREASE 12/13

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

1 GREASE APPLICATIONS • H istory of grease • What are greases used for? • Why use grease rather than lubricating oils? • Challenges for grease users

4 GREASE MARKET ANALYSIS

9 11 14 16

• C onsistency and structural stability • Effect of water • High temperature and oxidative stability • Rheology • Corrosion • Extreme pressure and anti-wear • Compatibility

• • • • • • •

Grease explained 31 Types of grease 32 Grease performance – at-a-glance 42 Grease manufacture 43 Grease additives 46 Grease lubrication methods 49 Examples of grease 51 in-service problems • Introduction to grease classifications 53

75 76 77 78 80 80 81 82

86 88 88 90 92 94 96

THE AFTON GREASE PORTFOLIO 6

OEMS AND 3 MAJOR EQUIPMENT BUILDERS Overview of key grease OEMs Bearings and components Textiles Pulp and paper Metals and steel Cement and mineral Mining Power generation Wind turbine Off-road and agriculture Rail

Global grease production Grease market segmentation Application Thickener selection Base oil selection Additive selection Impact of key trends on grease Grease market segmentation

EY GREASE PERFORMANCE 5 KTESTS EXPLAINED

GREASE LUBRICATION

• • • • • • • • • • •

• • • • • • • •

• Afton Industrial grease portfolio overview • Grease additive package benefits • High performance grease components • Corrosion inhibitors • Structural modifiers • Market segment overview

57 60 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 72

7 APPENDICES • • • •

Grease dictionary Grease acronyms Grease base stocks explained Grease base stock comparisons

101 101

104 106 108 110

115 118 120 122

INTRODUCTION Afton Chemical is a leading global supplier of industrial lubricant additive packages. The Afton Industrial portfolio covers a broad range of industrial lubricant additives, including additive packages developed for Wind Turbine, Industrial Gear, Turbine, Hydraulic, Grease and Slideway applications.

WIND TURBINE

INDUSTRIAL GEAR

TURBINE

HYDRAULIC

GREASE

SLIDEWAY

COLOR CODING FOR APPLICATION GROUPS

This guide focuses on grease and its applications. It covers the different types of grease and market trends in grease composition, the additives and specifications for grease, and some examples of its diverse end use applications. It also presents the Afton Industrial Portfolio. It aims to be a useful reference guide for our customers, our distributors, the original equipment manufacturers and our own internal staff. This guide is the second in a series of guides from Afton Industrial and forms part of a limited edition collectible box set of guides to industrial lubricants, which will be published over the coming months. We hope you will find them interesting and informative! The Afton Industrial Team, December 2013

GREASE APPLICATIONS

History of

Grease

ANCIENT GREASE Analysis of Ancient Egyptian chariot hub scrapings from around 1335 BC has shown the presence of animal fats and lime, suggesting that an early form of calcium soap grease may have been used as a lubricant.

Taking a different approach, the black slug Arion ater is reported as having been used in Sweden for lubricating wooden axles on carts from the 18th century. On a wider scale, mutton and beef fat remained the major universal lubricants until the mid 1800s, when drilling the first oil well kick-started a move towards petroleum-based greases. The new grease generation was made from mineral oils thickened with soaps, and evolved rapidly to cope with changing operating conditions.

BLACK SLUG, ARION ATER

GREASE LUBRICATION 2

INDUSTRIAL GREASE APPLICATIONS TEXTILES • Loom spindles and machinery • Textile dryers • Stenters

INDUSTRIAL COOLING FANS • Bearings (vibration)

ROBOTS

PULP AND PAPER MANUFACTURE • Wet and dry section bearings

INDUSTRIAL GREASE APPLICATIONS

PRINTING MACHINES

CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT • Linkages, bearings and slip splines • Pins, cables, blades, pulleys, shaft bearings • Oscillating bearings in wheel loaders and integrated tool carriers

SPINDLES • Metal, wood, and stone cutting and grinding spindles (which use roller bearings)

CONVEYOR BELTS • Bearings

ELECTRIC MOTORS • Bearings of all sizes

STEEL MANUFACTURING/ STEEL MILLS • Rolling Mill bearings • Continuous caster FOOD PRODUCTION • Bakeries, breweries, bearings

MINING EQUIPMENT • Vibrating screen bearings • Roll crusher bearings • Open gears

dairies, wrapping machines, multipack cassette bearings, meat/ poultry processing, packaging/canning/ bottling plants, canmaking plants and pellet mills

KEY GREASE PERFORMANCE TESTS EXPLAINED

1. C ONSISTENCY AND STRUCTURAL STABILITY Some of the most well-known tests measure grease consistency, or hardness, and its ability to resist changes to its structural stability.

i. CONE PENETRATION TEST (ASTM D217, ISO 2137, IP 50, DIN 51580; D1403, ISO 2137, IP 310, DIN 51804) This is probably the single most well-known grease test. Grease hardness or softness is quantified by measuring the depth (in tenths of millimeters) that a uniform cone will penetrate into a grease sample under standard conditions. METHOD Typically run at 25˚C, this test uses a cup that holds about 300 grams of grease and a brass cone assembly to release the cone into the grease. Penetration depth is read after 5 seconds; an average of three determinations is reported. Half-scale and quarter-scale penetrometers can be useful for smaller sample sizes, although are not as precise as full-scale measurement. Consistency can be measured with the grease under three different conditions:

The NLGI Classification Scale is a widely used method of classifying grease consistency levels: this assigns an NLGI Grade to different ranges of penetration measurements, as shown in the table:

1. Unworked: this reflects the consistency of an undisturbed grease, as might occur in storage. 2. Worked: a plunger assembly is used to shear the grease in a reproducible manner, typically with 60 double strokes of the worker mechanism.

WORKED NLGI GREASE PENETRATION GRADE CONSISTENCY

3. Worked for a prolonged time: this can give some indication of structural stability under operating conditions. An automatic grease worker applies a set number of double strokes (usually 10,000 or 100,000).

445 – 475

000

400 – 430

355 – 385

310 – 340

265 – 295

220 – 250

175 – 205

130 – 160

SEMI-FLUID

SMOOTH

HARD/BLOCK

CONE PENETRATION TEST AND GREASE WORKER

THE AFTON GREASE PORTFOLIO

Grease

range

Afton Industrial offers a complete grease additive portfolio. From additive packages delivering increasing levels of multipurpose performance, through to additive components delivering specialized performance boosts, our advanced additive technology offers: • Simplicity with a range of packages for formulating multipurpose greases • Flexibility with a range of components for bespoke and specialized grease formulation

FOCUS ON MULTIPURPOSE ADDITIVE PACKAGES Afton Industrial focuses on additive packages for multipurpose greases – by far the largest sector of the grease market – with chemistry solutions designed as first intent grease packages. This sets us apart from the industry norm of adapting automotive gear packages for grease. As well as multipurpose additive packages, Afton Industrial continues to offer a comprehensive range of additive components. These components can be used to formulate grease chemistry from the ground up, or to top treat existing greases to enhance particular aspects of their performance. Our testing capabilities extend from industry standard bench and rig tests, such as EMCOR and Timken, through to research tools such as the rheometer. We even carry out grease manufacturing investigations in our laboratory using an automated five gallon pilot plant grease kettle, so that we always develop and optimize product offerings with the manufacturing process in mind.

FUTURE-PROOFING GREASE Our demonstrated commitment to the development and the supply of grease chemistry includes providing up to date expertise and technical support to Afton Industrial customers all over the world. We have invested in grease testing equipment in North America, Europe, China and India, so that insight and understanding is never far away.

APPENDICES

Grease

dictionary Additive

material added to a grease to improve its properties, Any characteristics or performance.

Additive Package/Concentrate

Liquid containing a carefully formulated mixture of additives, added to a grease to improve its performance.

Antioxidant

A molecule that inhibits the oxidation of other molecules, usually by removing or isolating free radical intermediates, or decomposing unstable hydroperoxides that would otherwise break down into free radicals.

Anti-wear

Additive that prevents wear by forming a protective (usually phosphorus) surface layer, preventing metal-to-metal contact and abrasion.

Apparent Viscosity

Ratio of shear stress to shear rate of a non-Newtonian fluid: i.e. the measured viscosity when stress is applied to a fluid.

Base Stock

base fluid, usually a refined petroleum fraction or selected The synthetic material, into which base grease and additives are blended to produce a finished grease.

Bearing Load Ratio

ratio between the bearing’s basic dynamic load rating, The C (in Newtons) and its actual equivalent dynamic load, P (in Newtons), reported as C/P.

Bearing Speed

Usually referenced as the maximum speed at which a bearing can operate. Dimensions such as cage design, metallurgy, lubrication type, bearing load, alignment and seal type can all affect bearing speed.

Bleeding

See Oil Bleed

Brinelling

Material surface failure resulting from excessive Hertzian stress causing surface deformation.

Churning Phase

Operational condition in which newly replenished grease finds its way inside a bearing.

Clay Grease Non-soap thickened grease formed from certain clays such as Montmorillonite or Bentonite. Complex Soap Thickener

Grease thickener formed by the co-crystallization of several compounds.

Cone Penetration Test Test designed to measure grease consistency – see Chapter 5 for details. Consistency Resistance of grease to deforming under pressure. Corrosion Inhibitor

Additive that protects lubricated metal surfaces from chemical attacks by water or contaminants.

Dropping Point

temperature at which a grease passes from a semi-solid The to a liquid state under specific test conditions – see Chapter 5 for details.

115

INDUSTRIAL

GREASE

ASIA PACIFIC Afton Chemical Asia Pte. Ltd. 111 Somerset Road #09-05 TripleOne Somerset Singapore 238164 T: +65 6732-0822 F: +65 6737-4123

EMEAI Afton Chemical Limited London Road, Bracknell Berkshire RG12 2UW England T: +44 1344 304-141 F: +44 1344 420-666

LATIN AMERICA Afton Chemical Industria de Aditivos LTDA Avenida Rio de Janeiro 901 (Parte) CEP-20931-675 Brazil T: +55 21 3295-4050 F: +55 21 2580-8647 & 2589-0531

NORTH AMERICA Afton Chemical Corporation 500 Spring Street Richmond VA 23219 USA T: +1 804-788-5800 F: +1 804-788-5184

A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO GREASE

GREASE 12/13

INDUSTRIAL

GREASE

ASIA PACIFIC Afton Chemical Asia Pte. Ltd. 111 Somerset Road #09-05 TripleOne Somerset Singapore 238164 T: +65 6732-0822 F: +65 6737-4123

EMEAI Afton Chemical Limited London Road, Bracknell Berkshire RG12 2UW England T: +44 1344 304-141 F: +44 1344 420-666

LATIN AMERICA Afton Chemical Industria de Aditivos LTDA Avenida Rio de Janeiro 901 (Parte) CEP-20931-675 Brazil T: +55 21 3295-4050 F: +55 21 2580-8647 & 2589-0531

NORTH AMERICA Afton Chemical Corporation 500 Spring Street Richmond VA 23219 USA T: +1 804-788-5800 F: +1 804-788-5184

A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO GREASE

GREASE 12/13