SELECTING PERFORMANCE GREASE: Ten Crucial Questions

1. SELECTING PERFORMANCE GREASE: Ten Crucial Questions Presented 4-13-2006 By Don Oldiges

2. Principles of Selection • Manufacturer recommendations • Manufacturers usually provide a list of lubricants that meet the operating requirements for their equipment. (note that the equipment manufacturer's recommendation should not necessarily be considered the best selection. • Lubricant producer recommendations • When manufacturers recommend lubricants for their products in terms of specifications or required qualities rather than particular brand names, lubricant producers should be consulted to obtain advice on products that comply with the required specifications. • User selection • The user should follow the manufacturer's specification ensure that applicable criteria are met regardless of who makes the lubricant selection.

3. Challenging Environments Environmentally Friendly Temperature Extremes Heavy Loads High Speeds Long Life Demands on Grease Performance

4. Performance Objectives of Grease • To remain in contact with moving surfaces and provide lubrication even under the stress of gravity, centrifugal action or pressure. • To retain its properties under use conditions at all levels of shear and temperature. • While performing the above, the grease must still be able to flow or be pumped where it is needed.

5. Applications suitable for performance grease. Machinery that is idle for long periods. Moving parts that are “Sealed for Life” Surfaces that are exposed to extreme conditions. Extending the life of worn components. Functional Properties Sealant to minimize leakage Sealant to minimize contamination Rigidity holds it in place where its needed Holds finely ground solid lubricants like moly or teflon. 1: Know When to Use Grease

6. Aluminum, conventional Aluminum, complex Calcium, conventional Calcium, anhydrous Calcium, complex Lithium, conventional Lithium, complex Polyurea Organo-clay Silicone 2: Know the Types of Grease Grease is classified by penetration number and by type of soap or other thickener.

7. Antioxidant Antiwear Antirust Anticorrosion Extreme pressure VI Improver Tackifier Pour Point Depressant Solid Boundary Lubricants Dye Petroleum Oils Polyalpha Olefins (PAO) Polybutenes Esters Polyglycols Polyethers Silicones PFPE Grease Thickener Fluid Lubricant Additive Seller Seller Buyer What is Grease? Soap Lithium, Sodium, Barium, Calcium, Aluminum Non-Soap (inorganic) Clay, Graphite, Silica Carbon Black Non-Soap (organic) Polyurea, PTFE, Wax

8. Grease Compatibility Chart All greases are not created equal, caution must be exercised when replacing or refilling a grease. 12 12 C = Usually compatible. B = Borderline compatibility (probably incompatible). I = Incompatible

9. Al Conventional 0% Other Metal Soaps 1% Al Complex 5% Ca Complex 2% Na Soap 2% Ca Sulfonate 1% Polyurea 5% Ca Anhydrous 1% Organo Clay 3% Ca Hydrated 10% All Others 2% Li Complex 15% Li Conventional 53% What Do Most People Use? 2004 Global Production per NLGI Survey

10. 3: Know your Classifications Professional societies and organizations have established classifications for oil and grease. The most widely encountered are those of the following organizations: • SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) • API (American Petroleum Institute) • AGMA (American Gear Manufacturers Association), • ISO (International Standards Organization) • NLGI (National Lubricating Grease Institute).

11. NLGI grease classification

12. Excellent Good Fair Poor 4: Know the Typical Performance Properties of Each type of Grease

13. EXAMPLES MIL-G-3545High Temperature Grease MIL-G-4343BGrease, Pneumatic System MIL-G-7711General Purpose EP Grease MIL-G-18458Wire Rope Grease MIL-G-21164CGrease, Moly Disulfide MIL-G-25760Synthetic Grease MIL-G-46886Silicone Grease EXAMPLES Category - H1Lubricants - General Incidental Contact Category - H2Lubricants - General No Contact Category - H3 Soluble Oils 5: Know Any Special Requirements • Special Performance Requirements • Federal Specs and Standards • Mil Specs and Standards • Food Grade Specifications • ISO Standards • ASTM Specifications

14. 6: Know the Grease Characteristics Required for the Application • Apparent Viscosity (non-Newtonian) • Bleeding, Migration, Oil Separation • Consistency, Penetration, NLGI Numbers • Corrosion, Rust and Water Resistance • Dropping Point • Evaporation • Oxidation Stability • Pumpability • Shear Stability • Temperature effects • Pressure Effects

15. Typical Grease Tests

16. Common Test Equipment Penetrometer Grease Worker

17. Penetration with respect to a lubricating grease, is the depth (in tenths of a millimeter) that a standard cone penetrates a sample of the grease under prescribed conditions of weight, time, and temperature. Penetration is a measure of consistency of a grease to determine its plasticity. ASTM D-217 What is Penetration?

18. Shear or mechanical stability of a grease is its ability to withstand repeated working with minimum change in its structure or stability. The shearing action in the test apparatus simulates the working of the grease in service. The consistency is measured after 60 strokes and repeated after 10,000 or more strokes. ASTM D-217-A Grease Shear StabilityMotor-Matic Grease Worker Test

19. The test is the determination of the load-carrying capacity of a lubricant in kilograms applied to a system of four steel balls in the form of a tetrahedron. The results are used to evaluate the EP characteristic of the lubricant by a load scar curve and weld point. The procedure consists of a series of 10-second runs made at pre-selected and successively higher loads until the welding of the four balls occurs. ASTM D-2783 Four Ball EP Test

20. This device measures fluid viscosity at fixed rotation speeds by driving a measurement tool ("spindle"), immersed in the test fluid, through a calibrated torsion spring. Viscous drag of the fluid against the spindle causes the spring to deflect, and this deflection is correlated with torque. The calculated shear rate depends on the rotation speed, the tool geometry, and the size and shape of the sample container. Conversion factors are needed to calculate viscosity from the measured torque, and are typically pre-calibrated for specific tool and container geometries. Simple Rotational Viscometer ("Brookfield type")

21. Saybolt Viscosity Universal Seconds @ 100°F Kinematic Viscosity cSt @ 40°C 2,000 10,000 1,000 5,000 500 3,000 2,000 300 200 1,000 500 100 50 300 200 30 100 20 60 10 ISO/ASTM Viscosity AGMA Grades SAE Crank Case Oils SAE Gear Oil Viscosity Grade Comparisons

22. 7: Know how the Grease is Applied • Automatic lubricating systems • Pressure Injectors • Metering pump • Hand operated grease applicator • Cartridge Grease Gun • Grease Filler Pump • Brush

23. Example of a Large Automatic Lube Application System

24. 8: Know the Packaging Required & Available Cartridges Small Containers Aerosols Pails Drums or Totes

25. Performance Grease SUPPLIER 9: Know the Marketing/Supply Channel Where do I go to get “Good” grease? CO-OP/ BUYING GROUP PRIVATE LABELER GREASE MAKER DISTRIBUTOR

26. Renewable & Safe Distribution Warehouse Consumer Performance Grease Packaged Grease Environmentally Responsible Disposal Raw Materials 10: Know the Life Cycle Fate

27. QUESTIONS???

29. Anhydrous Calcium Grease Excess Ca Hydroxide Hydroxyl from 12-HSA Ca Stearate

30. Bentonite Clay Grease Quaternary Amine Hydrocarbon SiO2 Hydrocarbon

31. Calcium Complex Grease Ca Hydroxyl Ca Carboxylate Excess Ca Hydroxide Ca Acetate

32. Lithium Complex Grease Ketostearate Excess Li Hydroxide Hydroxyl from 12-HSA Lithium Doublet Hydrocarbon

33. Lithium 12-Hydroxy Grease Excess Li Hydroxide Ketostearate Hydroxyl from 12-HSA Lithium Doublet Hydrocarbon Hydrocarbon

34. Aluminum Complex Grease Aluminum Hydroxyl Aluminum Triplet Aluminum Stearate Hydrocarbon

35. Silicone Grease Hydrocarbon SiO2

36. Fluorosilicone Grease

37. Polyurea Grease Amine Hydrocarbon

38. Fatty Acids for Grease

39. Grease Reactions

40. Trimer Reaction

41. PAO 4

42. PAO 40

43. ExxonMobil Synthetic Oils