Improving tribological characteristics of solid lubricants by modification with fluorinated surfactants

The deficit of effective domestic lubricants with high performance properties urges the need to develop the technology of producing solid lubricants. The mill drawing technology requires solid lubricants to prevent the contact of rubbing surfaces and localization of shear deformations in the lubricant layer. The authors carried out research to develop a technology of producing competitive lubricant with high adhesive properties, capable of continuous separation of the rubbing surfaces, preventing the formation of scoring, ricks and wire breaks. Calcium soap, modified graphite GS-1 and calcium hydroxide were selected as lubricant components. Graphite was modified with a fluorine-containing surfactant. The quantity of components in the grease composition was adjusted depending on the results of tribological studies on the ChMT-1 friction machine. The produced grease for drawing was compared with the Italian prototype Panlube. The authors used a designed lever system to apply the grease to the rotating roller. A modernized friction machine of “Amsler MI-1 type was used for synchronous measurement of wear rate and moment of friction forces according to GOST 23216-84. The results showed that the obtained grease based on modified graphite has higher tribological characteristics than its foreign counterpart: at the same wear spots, the welding load for the tested sample amounted to 700 kgf, while for the foreign one - 400 kgf. Industrial tests of the lubricant on the drawing mill confirmed its compliance with the requirements of the technical specifications. At the drawing speed of more than 5 m/s, it was possible to obtain high quality products with the predictable wear reduction of the drawing die channel.