Open AccessExperimental studies on viscosity and tribological characteristics of blends of vegetable oils with CuO nanoparticles as additive
Author(s) -
Sajeeb Ayamannil,
Krishnan Rajendrakumar Perikinalil
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
micro and nano letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.25
H-Index - 31
ISSN - 1750-0443
DOI - 10.1049/mnl.2018.5595
Subject(s) - lubricant , materials science , base oil , mineral oil , tribology , viscosity index , viscosity , nanoparticle , base (topology) , synthetic oil , friction coefficient , composite material , vegetable oil , chemical engineering , metallurgy , nanotechnology , organic chemistry , chemistry , scanning electron microscope , mathematical analysis , mathematics , engineering
High biodegradability, renewability and low toxicity of vegetable oils make them excellent lubricating base oils. Coconut oil (CO) when used as a lubricant at metallic interfaces exhibits a low coefficient of friction but high wear rate compared to mineral oils, which limits its application as a commercial lubricant, whereas mustard oil (MO) exhibits better wear resistance. The main objective of this work is to obtain an optimal blend of MO and CO to be used as an environment‐friendly base oil and to add an optimal concentration of nanoparticles as an additive to improve the viscosity and reduce the friction and wear rate. The experiments are performed on the blends with MO/(CO + MO) ratio ranging from 10 to 50% and the addition of CuO nanoparticles with concentrations ranging from 0 to 0.4 wt.%. The viscosity and tribological analyses of the CO, MO, their blends, and mineral oil (SAE20W40) are carried out and compared. Both the coefficient of friction and wear scar diameter are found to be lower than those of mineral oils. Further improvements in the tribological characteristics of the blends are attained by the addition of CuO nanoparticles in small concentrations, 0.2 wt.% being optimal.