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Dependency of Lithium Complex Grease on the Size of hBN Particles for Enhanced Performance

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Abstract

Industries continue to seek novel eco-friendly additives for developing greases for enhanced tribo-performance and multi-functionality. A lot is reported on the potential of nanoparticles in this aspect, but very limited on the “size effect” of particles, especially on an exploration of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) particles. In this work, three sizes (micron, sub-micron, and nano) of hBN particles (each ten times bigger than the earlier ones) were used (4 wt.%) in grease to determine the size effect of hBN particles on performance properties, including tribological. Developed greases were examined for tribological properties using a four-ball friction tester, SRV tester, and four-ball EP tester. The results indicated that the greases containing nanoparticles (NPs) of hBN exhibited the best anti-friction (AF), anti-wear (AW), and extreme pressure (EP) properties. These proved more effective as AFA and AWA (~ 60% improvement) rather than EPA (~ 25% improvement) compared to the Li-grease. The morphology and chemical compositions of the films formed on the worn steel balls’ surfaces were examined using the scanning electron microscope, EDAX, Raman spectrometer, and 3 D profilometry. Results indicated that easy penetration of smaller-sized hBN particles into the clearance space of a tribo-couple facilitated the formation of beneficial coherent tribo-film that protected the tribo-surfaces, as evident from SEM-EDAX, and Raman data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Automotive Research and Tribology (CART), (Formerly ITMMEC), Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, 110016, India

    Nikhil Kumar, Vinay Saini & Jayashree Bijwe

  2. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, R&D Centre, Mumbai, 400015, India

    Nikhil Kumar

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  1. Nikhil Kumar
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Correspondence to Jayashree Bijwe.

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Kumar, N., Saini, V. & Bijwe, J. Dependency of Lithium Complex Grease on the Size of hBN Particles for Enhanced Performance. Tribol Lett 71, 20 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-022-01691-3

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