Development of methods for evaluation of lubrication properties of hydraulic aviation oils

Abstract

A method for evaluation of the lubricating and rheological properties of hydraulic oils in tribological contacts has been developed, which consists in online studying samples of commercial batches of oils on a software and hardware complex with visual evaluation of the kinetics of changes in the main tribological indicators of friction contact. Using a roller analogy, the operation of gears in the conditions of rolling with 30% sliding is simulated. Samples of AMG-10 oil from two producers are analyzed. It is established that with increasing temperature of lubricant for Sample 2 (“Kvalitet-Avia” AMG-10), a long-term restoration of protective boundary films of oil is observed and the period of their formation increases by 2.5 times, causing the implementation of a semidry mode of lubrication at start-up. The total thickness of the lubricating layer is 1.27 times less as compared with Sample 1 ("Bora B" AMG-10 oil), regardless of the lubricant temperature. Also, the rheological properties of the oils have been determined. Sample 1 exhibits low shear stresses at the level of 9.4 MPa and high effective viscosity, 4249 and 5039 Pa·s, at a volumetric oil temperature of 20 and 100 ºС, respectively. For Sample 2, with increasing oil temperature to 100 ºC shear stress increases by 1.15 times and the effective viscosity in contact decreases by 1.53 times. Additives present in Sample 1 are characterized by more effective antiwear properties and thus increase the wear resistance of contact surfaces in the conditions of rolling with sliding thanks to strengthening of the surface metal layers during operation, while Sample 2 undergoes strengthening-softening processes which reduce the wear resistance of friction pairs

Keywords

• aviation oils
• lubricating layer
• lubrication mode
• effective viscosity