A study of vegetale oils performance as a helical gear lubricant.
A STUDY OF VEGETABLE OILS PERFORMANCE AS A HELICAL GEAR
LUBRICANT
i
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
ii
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
3.0
GEAR TEST RIG ................................................................................................. 45
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
4.2
SAMPLE OF CALCULATION ...................................................................... 71
RESULTS OF SOYBEAN OIL ............................................................................. 70
iii
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
iv
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
v
vi
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
vii
viii
LIST OF SYMBOLS
ix
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
OEM
ISO
AGMA
ASTM
API
SAE
x
xi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
xii
ABSTRACT
xiii
ABSTRAK
1
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.
2
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
3
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
4
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.
5
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).
6
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.
7
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.
8
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.
9
Table 1.1: Research budget allocation.
BUDGET
Budget details
Amount
Amount Used
approved
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 & RM 6,000
Supplies)
Books :
Oil samples :
Testing probes:
Containers :
RM 500
RM 3,000
RM 2,000
RM 500
TOTAL :
RM 6,000
Printing and binding :
TOTAL :
RM 1,000
RM 1,000
Benchtop Resistivity Meter :
TOTAL :
RM 3,000
RM 3,000
Vote 28000
(Maintenance and
Minor Repair Services)
Vote 29000
(Special Services)
RM 1,000
Vote 35000
(Special Equipment Fix Asset)
Vote 36000
(Accessories-Inventory) RM 3,000
TOTAL AMOUNT
RM 14,000
RM 14,000
10
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.
Start
Literature
Review
Contamination analysis
Contamination
α damage of gear
analysis α lubricant
Experimental
evidences
condition
Experimental
Experimental
equipments
parameters
Experimental
design
Data
measurement
Result analysis of new
Result analysis based of
biodiesel oil with and
frequency variables
Report
End
Figure 1.1: Research flow chart.
LUBRICANT
i
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
ii
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
3.0
GEAR TEST RIG ................................................................................................. 45
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
4.2
SAMPLE OF CALCULATION ...................................................................... 71
RESULTS OF SOYBEAN OIL ............................................................................. 70
iii
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
iv
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
v
vi
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
vii
viii
LIST OF SYMBOLS
ix
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
OEM
ISO
AGMA
ASTM
API
SAE
x
xi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
xii
ABSTRACT
xiii
ABSTRAK
1
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.
2
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
3
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
4
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.
5
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).
6
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.
7
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.
8
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.
9
Table 1.1: Research budget allocation.
BUDGET
Budget details
Amount
Amount Used
approved
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 & RM 6,000
Supplies)
Books :
Oil samples :
Testing probes:
Containers :
RM 500
RM 3,000
RM 2,000
RM 500
TOTAL :
RM 6,000
Printing and binding :
TOTAL :
RM 1,000
RM 1,000
Benchtop Resistivity Meter :
TOTAL :
RM 3,000
RM 3,000
Vote 28000
(Maintenance and
Minor Repair Services)
Vote 29000
(Special Services)
RM 1,000
Vote 35000
(Special Equipment Fix Asset)
Vote 36000
(Accessories-Inventory) RM 3,000
TOTAL AMOUNT
RM 14,000
RM 14,000
10
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.
Start
Literature
Review
Contamination analysis
Contamination
α damage of gear
analysis α lubricant
Experimental
evidences
condition
Experimental
Experimental
equipments
parameters
Experimental
design
Data
measurement
Result analysis of new
Result analysis based of
biodiesel oil with and
frequency variables
Report
End
Figure 1.1: Research flow chart.