METHOD OF EVALUATING LOW-TEMPERATURE PROPERTIES OF SEMIFLUID LUBRICANTS Russian patent published in 2024 - IPC G01N3/18 G01N25/58 G01N33/30 

FIELD: measurement.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to the field of studying the physical-chemical and operational properties of lubricants, in particular to methods for evaluating low-temperature properties of semifluid lubricants for heavy-duty friction assemblies using a bearing assembly model and can be used in development of semifluid lubricants for automotive and special equipment, including wheel and caterpillar, used in municipal, construction, oil and mining sectors, in industrial equipment at extremely low temperatures. Bearing is filled with tested lubricant, bearing filled with tested lubricant is placed in module for retention on drive shaft, which is installed inside the tested lubricant cooled to the lower operating temperature, thermostating is carried out at this temperature for 120 minutes, bringing the shaft into rotation, fixing in first 10 seconds the maximum resistance to rotation of the bearing, which determines the starting torque, and the steady-state torque is determined as the average value of the strain gage values recorded with a certain periodicity for 60 minutes. Ball bearing is used for tests. Before filling with the tested lubricant, the bearing is fixed with possibility of free removal on a horizontal flat metal support so that the axis of rotation of the bearing is perpendicular to the horizontal plane of the support. Bearing is filled with analysed semifluid lubricant, brought in individual refrigerating chamber to temperature at which lubricant reaches the value of penetration, which allows eliminating its leakage and ejection from friction assembly, and held for 60 minutes. Bearing is released from the horizontal metal support and placed into the module for holding on the drive shaft, wherein the steady-state torque is determined for 60 minutes by taking current readings from the strain gauge every second.

EFFECT: wider range of investigated and developed lubricants due to exclusion of the possibility of changing rheological characteristics of the semifluid lubricant during operation of the friction assembly.

1 cl, 3 tbl