The Development of Hydraulic Fluids for Earthmoving Machines Complying with Ecolabel Requirements

The use of environmental friendly lubricants is driven by the emergence of regulations appearing in many countries. The absence of water toxicity is of prime importance. To meet the stringent toxicity requirements, it is important to minimize the amount of additives which are potentially toxic. Base stocks of stable fatty chemicals were selected because the inherent properties closely matched the fluid properties required. This would necessitate the use of a minimum amount of additives.

Particular attention has been devoted to the following : low temperature stability, proper viscosity, elastomers swelling, resistance to oxidation and parking brake friction.

Complex neopolyol esters based on blends of linear saturated fatty acids are good candidates since they closely match the requirements of hydraulic fluids meeting the ecolabel specification. Comparisons with unsaturated derivatives and synthetic petrochemical esters base oils show their advantages.