ESTIMATION OF VISCOSITY ENGINE OILS USING ROTATIONAL RHEOMETER

Abstract

The operating criteria, the assurance of energy-efficiency and environmental protection impose very diversified rheological requirements on the parameters of work of car engine oils. The aim of the work was the estimation of rheological parameters of selected car engine oils at controlled shear stress in a wide range of temperatures, using a rotational rheometer. Investigated mineral engine oils, semi-synthetic and synthetic ones that belong to different viscosity classes. The characteristics of viscosity in relation to temperature in the testing node were determined. The results of tests at sub-zero and low temperatures indicate significant differentiation of rheological properties of engine oils. It can be claimed that in the exploited friction nodes, especially in the conditions of fluid and mixed friction, the smallest viscosity is characteristic to the fully synthetic oils from the tested group 5W and the semi-synthetic oil Orlen Gas Semisynthetic 10W-40. Semi-synthetic oil Platinum Rally Sport 10W-60 stands out as its viscosity values at sub-zero and low temperatures are greater than the ones of mineral oils from the tested group 15W-40. At high temperatures one can distinguish the oil called Elf Sporti SRI 15W-40 whose viscosity very slightly decreases. The conducted oil tests confirmed their catalog parameters and affiliation to viscosity classes.

Keywords

• engine oils
• viscosity
• temperature
• exploitation
• tribology