Study of Boundary Lubrication Oil Performance Using the Oil Activity Surface, EDAX and SEM Data

Friction and wear tests using two fully formulated SAE 10W-30 oils under boundary lubrication were run using the Four-Ball wear test machine. Oil activity surfaces on the basis of molecular tribology were drawn once the effective oil adsorption energy was determined. Oil performance was rated by measuring the effective adsorption energy inside the experimental operation condition space defined for the test set. Scanning Electron Microscope micro photographs (SEM) and Energy Dispersion Analysis by X ray emission data (EDAX) were mapped into such space. Moderate chemical activity corresponds to higher adsorption energy and lower experimental wear rate and wear scar diameter. When excessive chemical activity occurs, high adsorption energy is accompanied with high wear rate and wear scar diameter. Oil activity surfaces may be used as tools in determining experimental conditions for optimal lubricant performance.