A STUDY OF VEGETABLE OILS PERFORMANCE AS A HELICAL GEAR

LUBRICANT

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Contents

LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................... iv

LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................. vi

LIST OF SYMBOLS ............................................................................................................ viii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .................................................................................................. ix

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ....................................................................................................... xi

ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................... xii

ABSTRAK ............................................................................................................................ xiii

1.0 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1

1.1 RESEARCH BACKGROUND .................................................................................. 4

1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT ........................................................................................ 6

1.3 OBJECTIVE ............................................................................................................... 7

1.4 SCOPE OF RESEARCH ............................................................................................ 7

1.5 RESEARCH DETAILS .............................................................................................. 7

1.5.1 RESEARCH OUTCOME ................................................................................... 8

1.5.2 RESEARCH BUDGET ....................................................................................... 8

1.5.3 MILESTONE .................................................................................................... 10

1.5.3 RESEARCH ACTIVITIES ............................................................................... 10

2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................. 12

2.1 FUNDAMENTAL OF LUBRICANT ...................................................................... 12

2.2 GEARBOX LUBRICANT ....................................................................................... 13

2.3 INDUSTRIAL LUBRICATING OIL ...................................................................... 15

2.3.1 MINERAL OIL ................................................................................................. 17

2.3.2 SYNTHETICS OIL ........................................................................................... 18

2.3.3 VEGETABLE OIL ............................................................................................ 21

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2.3.4 ANIMAL OIL ................................................................................................... 22

2.4 VEGETABLE OIL AS A LUBRICANT ................................................................. 23

2.5 VEGETABLE OIL COMPOSITION ....................................................................... 27

2.6 LUBRICANT PERFORMANCE ............................................................................. 31

2.6.1 VISCOSITY ...................................................................................................... 32

2.6.2 TEMPERATURE .............................................................................................. 37

2.7 ADDITIVE ............................................................................................................... 38

2.8 OIL GRADING SYSTEM ....................................................................................... 41

2.9 HELICAL GEAR ..................................................................................................... 44

2.10 GEAR TEST RIG ................................................................................................. 45

3.0 METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................................... 49

3.1 EXPERIMENTAL SETUP .................................................................................... 49

3.1.1 EXPERIMENTAL APPARATUS .................................................................... 49

3.1.2 RESEARCH MATERIAL ................................................................................ 54

3.1.3 EXPERIMENTAL PARAMETER ................................................................... 58

3.2 EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE ....................................................................... 59

3.2.1 GEAR TEST RIG RUN .................................................................................... 59

3.2.2 OIL SAMPLING ............................................................................................... 62

3.3 EXPERIMENTAL MEASUREMENT ................................................................ 65

3.3.1 DENSITY .......................................................................................................... 65

3.3.2 VISCOSITY ...................................................................................................... 65

4.0 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ................................................................................ 67

4.1 RESULTS OF SUNFLOWER OIL ...................................................................... 67

4.2.1 SAMPLE OF CALCULATION ...................................................................... 71

4.2 RESULTS OF SOYBEAN OIL ............................................................................. 70

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4.3 RESULTS OF CORN OIL .................................................................................... 74

4.4 COMPARISON BETWEEN VEGETABLE OIL AND SYNTHETICS OIL .. 84

5.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION ....................................................... 53

REFERENCES ...................................................................................................................... 53

APPENDICES ....................................................................................................................... 58

APPENDIX A: RESEARCH FLOW CHART ................................................................... 59

APPENDIX B: RESEARCH GANTT CHART ................................................................. 60

APPENDIX C : DETAILS DESIGN OF TEST RIG ......................................................... 61

APPENDIX D: TABLE I .................................................................................................... 62

APPENDIX E : GEAR TEST RIG .................................................................................. 63

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 1.1: Research budget allocation. ..................................................................................... 9

Table 1.2: Research milestone. ............................................................................................... 11

Table 2.1: Properties of synthetic oil. ..................................................................................... 20

Table 2.2: Biodegradable level of selective oil. ...................................................................... 25

Table 3.1: Composition of sunflower oil. ............................................................................... 55

Table 3.2: Composition of soybean oil ................................................................................... 57

Table 3.3: Composition of corn oil ......................................................................................... 58

Table 3.4: Result of dynamic viscosity. .................................................................................. 58

Table 3.5: Result of kinematic viscosity and viscosity index. ................................................ 59

Table 4.1: Result of sunflower oil ........................................................................................... 67

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1.1: Research flow chart. ............................................................................................. 10

Figure 2.1: Reduction of gearing losses and efficiency of synthetic oil. ................................ 18

Figure 2.2: Three dimensional representation of a triglyceride molecule .............................. 27

Figure 2.3: Triglycerides structure in carbon chain ................................................................ 30

Figure 2.4: Determination of viscosity index related to kinematic viscosity .......................... 36

Figure 2.5: Summary of three basic roles of additives ............................................................ 39

Figure 2.6: Common additives used based on related machinery ........................................... 40

Figure 2.7: Viscosity Grade Chart .......................................................................................... 43

Figure 2.8: Helical Gear for right hand and left hand ............................................................. 44

Figure 2.9: Schematic FZG machine ...................................................................................... 46

Figure 2.10: Sample of gear test rig. ....................................................................................... 47

Figure 2.11: Schematic diagram of the gear test rig. .............................................................. 47

Figure 3.1: Gear test rig. ......................................................................................................... 50

Figure 3.2: Left side shows test wheel while right side shows test pinion of helical gear. .... 50

Figure 3.3: Tachometer ........................................................................................................... 51

Figure 3.4: Infrared temperature measuring device ................................................................ 52

Figure 3.5: Brookfield rotational viscometer .......................................................................... 53

Figure 3.6: Sunflower oil with brand of Sunlico. .................................................................... 54

Figure 3.7: Soybean oil as experiment lubricant ..................................................................... 56

Figure 3.8: Corn oil as tested oil with Daisy brand ................................................................. 57

Figure 3.9: Gear shafts ............................................................................................................ 60

Figure 3.10: Maximum load applied to the machine .............................................................. 61

Figure 3.11: Oil filter and drain valve (rounded area). ........................................................... 63

Figure 3.12: Sample of oil sampling ....................................................................................... 63

Figure 3.13: Oil sampling flow chart ...................................................................................... 64

Figure 3.14: Water bath Brookfield viscometer ...................................................................... 66

Figure 4.1 ................................................................................................................................ 67

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viii

LIST OF SYMBOLS

ix

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

OEM

ISO

AGMA

ASTM

API

SAE

x

xi

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

xii

ABSTRACT

xiii

ABSTRAK

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1.0 INTRODUCTION

Gears are used as power transmission dates back several hundred years. Before the

introduction of iron and steel as the material that makes them, gears consisted of circular

wooden wheels with wooden pegs fastened to the rims to serve as teeth. The power that used

to operate these mechanisms were provided by man, animal, water or wind. Wear was not a

major problem with the crude wood-tooth gears, but later, when cast iron gears came into

usage, some form of lubrication is necessary whereby lubrication is other method to reduce

noise. Greasy materials are known used to reduce noise those early days. Animal fats were

about the only lubricants available, so they were used. They served satisfactorily because

speeds and loads were low and mechanical wear on the teeth was not too serious. It was not

causing so much trouble when the broken gear teeth are replaced.

However, by the time the steam engine was invented, gears were made of iron, which

would hold or withstand greater loads and speeds. As the machine begin and continue to

develop, gears of greater precision were required. At first, spur and straight bevel gears were

enough and satisfactory, but with the advent of the steam turbine and electric motor, gear

design became more of a science and the herringbone type was perfected. Then the process

of gear cutting really became an art because precision and strength of metal had to be

coordinated. Other types of tooth design which accompanied the development of automotive

transportation and built in transmission units involved was the helical, spiral, bevel and

worm gears. They paved the way for the hypoid gear which is virtually standard in

automotive equipment today.

The objectives of the designers were to provide smooth running, quiet meshing and

uniform hardness of the gear teeth to withstand wear. These objectives only can be achieved

with effective lubrication. Modern industries today demand for greater power and speed than

ever before to satisfy the increasing demand for more and more production. At the same time

the turbines and engines that produce this power require gears that have greater toughness

and higher precision than ever before. Only then power can be transmitted dependently into

useful channels.

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This question of gear tooth structure is all more important due to the common

practice of deliberately overloading gears two or three times beyond their rated capacity in

order to increase production. This demand for ever increasing production has placed a

heavier load on the gears than perhaps on any other type of mechanism. It has been

obviously shows that overloading will shorten the life of the gears, although it can be

counteracted to a certain extent, but not completely, by the use of heavy duty type lubricants.

The increased cost of gear displacement is felt by many to be justified by increased volume

of goods produced.

Base oil type, oil viscosity, additive type and content have a strong influence on

typical gear failures. In general, it is not possible to quantify the lubricant influenced on load

carrying capacity simply from the knowledge of physical or chemical oil data. For better

efficiency in transmission, lower viscosity grades of gear oils and less oil volumes are used.

The introduction of lubricant properties in load carrying capacity rating requires not only

knowledge of their physical properties as example viscosity, viscosity temperature or

viscosity pressure behavior but also the quantitative influence on an extreme pressure oil

scuffing, wear, micro pitting and pitting of gears (Hoehn et al. 2008).

In some axles, some transmissions, and some transaxles, gears of different designs

are available for variety of service conditions. Selecting a lubricant for specific applications

involves careful consideration of the operating conditions and the chemical and physical

characteristics of lubricant. Gear oil is a lubricant made specifically for transmission, transfer

cases, and differentials in automobiles, trucks, and other machinery. In the selecting of gear

lubrication, consideration has to be given to the end application and the prevention of gear

failure. Gears that demand longer service life operate continuously with high peripheral

speeds; under moderate loads during operation require intermittent lubrication (Totten et al.

2003).

For the past several years vegetable oil has been identified to be used as gear

lubricant. It has same potential as common synthetics lubricant. These oils propose important

environmental benefits with regard to resource renewability and biodegradability, as well as

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provide adequate performance in a broad range of application. Besides, the range price for

vegetable oil is lower than synthetics oil.

Biodegradable means a substance that is able of being decomposed by bacteria and

other living organism. Vegetable oil waste gives no harm effect to environment especially

soil where in a particular time the fluid is converted to a lower molecular weight component.

Environmentally reconcilable lubricants oil is progressively being used, for example in

motor vehicle and equipment in water protection areas and in hydraulic engineering, in

vehicle for agriculture and forestry. This oil is overtly degradable, non-toxicity and the water

hazard is low (Antonsson, 2009).

Application of vegetable oils in industry is to support world concern towards Green

Technology. Due to environmental concerns, vegetable oil finding its solution into lubricants

for industrial and transportation application where scientists, engineers and inventors should

know that green invention and technologies are good to our mother earth and can reduce

energy bill, indeed offer safer and healthier products. Based on Condition Based

Maintenance that has been implemented in nowadays industry, lubricant analysis is one of

the ways to show that equipment is going to work well or fail in term of performance.

Advance inspection can help engineer and maintenance team to identify the performance of

vegetables oil as gear lubricants. The importance of good lubrication usually was not really

been stress until a failure happen and has led to equipment failure and profit loss as the

production was suspended. Bad maintenance practice was one of the main reasons that

caused the problem. Therefore, lubricant analysis is beneficial to promote a good lubrication

practices. The main purpose of the lubricant analysis in this study is to evaluate the

performance of a sunflower oils which is a vegetable based oil is either have a potential in

substituting synthetic lubricants which not readily biodegradable and expensive.

The primary function of lubrication is to help preventing excessive friction.

Maintenance team must hold the responsibility in purchasing lubricants where it should be

purchased on specification not because a matter of price. With the trend toward higher

appreciation on earth has led to many case studies on performance of vegetable oils and its

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chemical structure shows that it has superior benefits. Performance of vegetable oil has its

constraint where its base stock have poor oxidative stability and low temperature

solidification.

1.1 RESEARCH BACKGROUND

In industrial environment, maintenance is one of the few remaining areas of company

expenditure that can be drastically improved upon. Apart from that, there are also other

problems that must be faced in a company that is in operator error, machine design and poor

material specification. Focus in cost maintenance, it is generally accepted and shows over 60

percent of mechanical failure related directly to poor or improper lubricant properties. Other

than that, highly costs are involved to repair machine because the equipment are in failure to

operate. Machine requires maintenance to keep them efficiently producing a quality product.

Without friction, gravity, wear and other unpredictable problems, machine would operate

effortlessly and run forever (Knotek, 2006).

In a machine, there is one system known as the gear moves to generate movement

generated by a motor. To prevent damage in the gear system, the lubricant should be used to

avoid the damage. In this matter, there are three factors to be considered for selection of

lubricants in term of management, equipment and lubricant (Bannister, 1996). Management

and maintenance staffs have to adopt and commit to ensure proper lubrication techniques and

training are utilized. This is especially important where the lubrication function and

responsibility is passed along to the machine operator.

Energy is transmitted from the power source to a terminal point, through gears that

change speeds, directions, and torque. In other words, a gear is a machine element designed

to transmit power and motion from one mechanical unit to another (Amarnath et al. 2008).

For most of the modern industrial and transportation application, gears are important and are

frequently used as fundamentals components.

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In the development of gear drives in the future, continuous demand for higher

efficiency and reliability, increased load carrying capacity and endurance life, smaller size,

lower weight, lower noise and vibration are the characteristic that the customer need to apply

in their machine (Michaelis & Otto, 2009).

Gear can fail in many different ways, and except for an increase in noise level and

vibration. There is often no indication of difficulty until total failure occurs. In general, each

types of failures leaves characteristic clues on gear teeth and detailed examination often

yields enough information to establish the cause of failure (Osman, 2005). The failure of the

gear can no longer efficiently do the job for which it was designed. It because the failure may

range from excessive wears to catastrophic breakage. In a gear train, many cases can be

prevented. When it does occur, the proper redesign will ensure the trouble free unit and the

most important this is to recognize the type of incipient failures (Eugene, 1967).

Therefore, to avoid failure gears mode in the gear surface, the gear lubricant should

be apply. Lubrication is the process of applying lubricants. Lubricants are substance applied

to mating surfaces to reduce friction, prevent corrosion and wear, provide a barrier against

contaminants and assist in cooling. The main function of lubricants is to form a fluid film

between moving machine components. If a lubricating film separates the solid objects, the

amount of friction is less and the mating surfaces are not abraded through contact with each

other.

Lubrication had affects friction and moving parts called tribology. Tribology is the

science of the mechanisms of friction, lubrication and the wear of contacting surfaces that are

in motion (Knotek, 2006). In the other words, the purposes of lubrication are process to

reduce friction and failure of gear damage between two surfaces and to make smooth or

slippery in gear operating. Besides that, the other functions of the lubricants is to reduce the

high temperatures found in the movement of the gear and also prevent or minimize the

corrosion on the surface of the gear if the system is not functioning (Bannister, 1996).

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Now days, the use of synthetic oil is to use the new technology environmentally

friendly technology, better known as green technology. This technology is the use of the

environmental science to conserve resources becomes more depletion. The green technology

is applied in the manufacture of lubricating oil to replace the mineral or synthetics lubricants.

From example the creation of a versatile vegetable oil to do same things done and same

characteristics by synthetic oils even further especially in the use of oil as lubrication to gears

in machining operations. The source of vegetable oil can be renewed because this oil was

produced from vegetation like fruit, nuts and flower.

Generally, friction is a major factor for failure and cause damage to gear in operating.

It’s proven why lubrication should be in the gear system. In the manner of friction occurs and

it causes the warming at the surface of the occurrence of hot gear. When there is heating,

expansion will occur in gear rottenly made from iron material. If the both surfaces are in

touch, impending break off will happen known as brittle. So, it is essentially by applying

lubricant in the gear system in the right amount, place and time.

1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT

Common synthetics lubricants which are widely used in industrial application are

made from mineral resource such as petroleum. However, this resource is become less in the

future. Vegetable oils are reserve to find their way to fulfil the demand of industrial lubricant

application. Besides that, rapid depletion of world fossil fuel reserves and increasing concern

for environmental pollution from excessive mineral oil use and their disposal has increase the

need of renewable and biodegradable lubricants such as vegetable based lubricant. Common

synthetics lubricant show low biodegradability compare to vegetable based lubricant. For

century, synthetic oils have predominant lubrication and today the environmental issue start

to arise as synthetic oil is not readily biodegradable. Vegetable oil composes good physical

properties to replace synthetics oil but its performance is questionable.

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1.3 OBJECTIVE

The objective of this research is to evaluate performance of vegetable oils which are

sunflower oil, soybean oil and corn oil as a lubricant for helical gear application. From the

finding, the performance of vegetable oils will be compare to the performance of synthetic

lubricant. Finally, we will know how good vegetable oils as a gear lubricant for an

alternative for synthetic lubricant.

1.4 SCOPE OF RESEARCH

The experimental testing will be done using gear test rig. The oil sampling method is

used to take the oil sample from gear test rig. The evaluation of oil performance as a gear

lubricant of three types of tested oil which are sunflower oil, soybean oil and corn oil are

done by using viscometer. The data findings will be compared to the ideal synthetic gear

lubricant. The experimental testing will be held at Maintenance Laboratory, Faculty of

Mechanical Engineering (FKM) in Industrial Campus, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka

(UTeM).

1.5 RESEARCH DETAILS

1.5.1 RESEARCH REGISTRATION

The research is conducted under Sustainable Maintenance Engineering Research

Group (SuSMe) register under Short Term Grant no. PJP/2012/FKM(30A)/S01033

sponsored by Centre for Research and Innovation Management (CRIM), UTeM with

research duration from 1 June 2012 to 30 November 2013.

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1.5.1 RESEARCH OUTCOME

a. Novel theories/New findings/Knowledge

The evaluations of a vegetable oils performance as a gear lubricant by comparing the

performance characteristic analysis of vegetable oils to the synthetic lubricant are

established. Beside, how good vegetable oils usages as a lubricant in gear application are

now known.

b. Research Publications

These findings are produced an article which are submitted to three conferences;

1. 6th International Engineering Conference on Energy and Environment (ENCON

2013), Organized by Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.

2. Seminar Kebangsaan Aplikasi Sanins dan Matematik 2013 (SKASM 2013),

Organized by Fakulti Sains, Teknologi dan Pembangunan Insan, Universiti Tun

Hussein Onn Malaysia.

3. 3rd International Conference and Exhibition on Sustainable Energy and Advanced

Material (ICESEAM 2013), Organized by Faculty of Mechanical Engineering,

Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka.

c. Specific or Potential Applications.

The vegetable oils performance development as a lubricant in a gear application.

1.5.2 RESEARCH BUDGET

Research budget allocation approved by University Research & Innovation

Committee is shown in Table 1.1.

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Table 1.1: Research budget allocation.

BUDGET

Budget details Amount

approved

Amount Used

Vote 29000 (Temporary & Contract Personnel )

Vote 21000 (Travelling Expenses and Subsistence)

RM 4,000

Travelling & Accomodation : RM 1,700 Conference Fee : RM 2,300 TOTAL : RM 4,000

Vote 24000 (Rental)

Vote 27000 (Research Meterials & Supplies)

RM 6,000

Books : RM 500 Oil samples : RM 3,000 Testing probes: RM 2,000 Containers : RM 500

TOTAL : RM 6,000

Vote 28000 (Maintenance and Minor Repair Services)

Vote 29000 (Special Services)

RM 1,000

Printing and binding : RM 1,000 TOTAL : RM 1,000

Vote 35000 (Special Equipment -Fix Asset)

Vote 36000 (Accessories-Inventory)

RM 3,000

Benchtop Resistivity Meter : RM 3,000 TOTAL : RM 3,000

TOTAL AMOUNT

RM 14,000

RM 14,000

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1.5.3 RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

In the process of carry out this experiment, Flow chart as shown in Figure 1.1 and

Gantt chart as shown in Appendix A are prepared to assure the work is implemented as plan.

Figure 1.1: Research flow chart.

Start

Literature

Review

Contamination analysis

α damage of gear

Contamination

analysis α lubricant

condition

Experimental

evidences

Experimental

parameters

Experimental

design

Experimental

equipments

Data

measurement

Result analysis of new

biodiesel oil with and

Result analysis based of

frequency variables

Report

End