Choosing a Grease for Your Design

Quick Overview

The grease you choose for your

design plays a key role in ensuring
that your part performs the way
you want it to during durability
testing and for lifetime service in
the marketplace.

This Quick-Study explores major

factors involved in selecting a
grease that’s formulated to match
the load, speed, operating
temperatures, available power,
and materials of construction
specified in your design.
The Basics: What is grease and how does it work?

Oils Lubricate. They form a protective film

between two surfaces to prevent friction
and wear.

Thickeners hold the oil in place, much like

a sponge holds water. When mated parts
move, the thickener is sheared and
releases oil to form a lubricating film
between moving parts. Thickeners
reabsorb oil when motion stops.

Additives enhance critical performance

qualities of a grease, such as low
temperature torque, corrosion protection,
and oxidation resistance.

Solid Lubricants like PTFE, MoS2, and

graphite are load-carrying additives that
improve the lubricity of a grease, especially
on start-up.
 First Step: Choosing the Oil and Its Viscosity
Viscosity vs. Temperature Temperature
Synthetic Hydrocarbon Silicone
 Heat generated by a moving part and the ambient
100,000
operating temperature determine the type of oil you
need in your grease. Choose a synthetic oil for
10,000 temperatures below -30°C and higher than 100°C.
Kinematic Viscosity (cSt)

1,000  Temperature changes the viscosity of the oil. The right

viscosity ensures the oil does not get too thin to
100 prevent wear at high temperatures or too thick to
lubricate properly at low temperatures.
10

Viscosity and Load

1
 Heavier loads require higher viscosity oils to form a
Temperature (°C) continuous lubricating film between two surfaces.

A Note on Viscosity Index (VI)

 Lubricity additives and solid lubricants can enhance the
The viscosity of an oil gets thicker at natural viscosity of the oil and component performance.
low temperatures and thinner at higher
temperatures. Viscosity Index indicates how much
viscosity changes from -40°C to 100°C. High VI Viscosity, Speed, and Power
indicates small viscosity change, as in the silicone
plot above. Low VI indicates large viscosity change  High-speed and low-power devices require lighter
with temperature. High VI ensures more consistent viscosity oils to reduce drag while still providing the
part performance over wide temperature ranges. lubricant film needed for lifetime wear protection.
Lubricating Oils: Capabilities and Costs

Operating Temperatures for Oils Operating Temperature Determines

Mineral -30 to 100°C
Cost of Base Oil
 As temperature ranges of the base oil expand, cost
PolyAlphaOlefin (PAO)
increases. Don’t “buy” more than you need “as a
Synthetic HydroCarbon (SHC) -60 to 150°C buffer.” Oil temperature ranges can be considered
accurate during the design phase.
Ester -70 to 150°C

PolyAlkylene Glycol (PAG) -40 to 180°C  Each additional ingredient (thickener, additives, and
solid lubricants) also impacts the cost of the finished
Silicone -75 to 200°C grease.

PerFluoroPolyEther (PFPE) -90 to 250°C

Consider oil blends to increase temperature
performance at lower costs
 Mineral oil can be blended with PAOs and esters, but
not with other oils.

 Esters and PAGs are compatible.

 Silicones and PFPEs are not compatible with other

oils.
Check oil compatibility with plastics
A Guide to Oil-Plastic Compatibility Some oils and plastics don’t mix
Plastic Mineral PAO Ester PAG Silicone PFPE  PAO is safe with nearly all plastics, but
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrenes ABS l l l l l l they may or may not work with PPE, PP,
or PVC.
Polyamides (nylons) PA l l l l l l
Polyamide-imides PAI l l l l l l  Silicone and PFPE are safe with any plastic.
Polybutylene Terephthalates PBT
l l l l l l
(polyesters)  PAGs and esters don’t mix with
Polycarbonates PC l l l l l l polycarbonates, polyphenylene oxides and
Polyethylenes PE l l l l l l sulfides, polysulfones, polypropylene, and
Polyetheretherketone PEEK
polyvinyl chlorides.
l l l l l l
Phenol-formaldehyde (phenolics) PF l l l l l l
Polyimides PI l l l l l l
Poly-oxymethylenes (acetals) POM l l l l l l
Polyphenylene oxides PPO l l l l l l
Polyphenylene sulfides PPS l l l l l l
Polysulfones PSU l l l l l l
PolyPropylene PP l l l l l l
PolyTetraFluoroEthylene PTFE l l l l l l
Polyvinyl chlorides PVC l l l l l l
Thermoplastic Polyurethane TPU l l l l l l

l Should be safe l May or may not work l Don’t try it

Check oil compatibility with elastomers
A Guide to Oil-Elastomer Compatibility Some oils and elastomers don’t mix
Elastomer Mineral PAO Ester PAG Silicone PFPE  Silicone is safe with all elastomers, except
Polyacrylate Rubber ACM l l l l l l fluorosilicone rubber.
Vamac AEM l l l l l l  PAO is safe with most elastomers, except
Polychloroprene CR l l l l l l EPDM, Butyl, Buna S, and Natural
Ethylene Propylene Diene EPDM
Rubber.
l l l l l l
Monomer
 PFPE oils are safe with all elastomers.
Fluoroelastomers FKM l l l l l l
FluoroSilicone Rubber FVMQ l l l l l l
Hydrogenated NBR HNBR l l l l l l
Butyl IIR l l l l l l
Nitrile (Buna N) NBR l l l l l l
Buna S SBR l l l l l l
Silicone VQM l l l l l l
Natural Rubber l l l l l l

l Should be safe l May or may not work l Don’t try it

Step 2: Choose a thickener that’s compatible with the oil, operating
temperatures, and conditions
How Thickeners Perform under Operating Conditions Some oils and thickeners don’t mix well
 Mineral, PAO, and ester oils mix with any
thickener.

Aluminum Complex

Calcium Sulfonate
Amorphous Silica

Calcium Complex

Sodium Complex
Lithium Complex
Barium Complex
 Silicone oil mixes only with lithium, silica, and
Aluminum

PTFE.

Bentonite

Polyurea
Calcium

Lithium

PTFE
 PFPE oil can be thickened only with PTFE.

Adhesive l l l l l l l l l l l l l
Thickeners begin to degrade at specific
Autophoretic Paint Process l l l l l l l l l l l l l
temperatures
Corrosion l l l l l l l l l l l l l
 Aluminum <80°C.
Dropping Point l l l l l l l l l l l l l
Fretting l l l l l l l l l l l l l
 Barium Complex and Lithium <135°C.
Low Friction l l l l l l l l l l l l l  Aluminum Complex, Calcium Complex, Calcium
Sulfonate, and Lithium Complex <175°C.
Salt Water l l l l l l l l l l l l l
Water l l l l l l l l l l l l l
 Extreme-temp thickeners include Polyurea
Wear l l l l l l l l l l l l l
(<200°C), PTFE (<275°C), and Amorphous
Worked Stability l l l l l l l l l l l l l Silica (<300°C).

l Should be safe l May or may not work l Don’t try it Some thickeners are better suited to some
operating conditions
 Low-temperature performance, corrosion,
fretting, low friction, salt water, and wear
prevention are all factors to consider when
selecting a thickener. See table on left.
The Stick-Slip Phenomenon

Every day examples of Stick-Slip you’ve

probably heard
 Jerky motion of windshield wipers.

 Loose drive belts.

 Music from bowed instruments or a “glass harp.”

Parts typically subject to Stick-Slip

Stick-Slip is a spontaneous jerking motion that
can occur while two objects are sliding over each  Hydraulic cylinders, lathes, and other components where
other. Stick-Slip not only increases wear; it’s often something needs to slide smoothly and noiselessly on a
noisy, which impacts perceived quality of the part. slideway.

 Stick-Slip occurs when static friction (“stick phase”) is

greater than kinetic friction (“slip phase”).

Stick-Slip Solutions
 Increase the viscosity of the base oil.

Design Note  Oil additives can improve oil lubricity.

Lubricants don’t work
very well when placed between  Solid lubricants may help to reduce intermittent static
two ultra-smooth, polished friction build-up and the accelerated wear and noise it
surfaces. causes.
Frequent Start-Stop Components

Lubrication Regimes How Greases Work

(Type of Lubrication from Start to Stop)
 Load and speed release oil from the thickener, which
creates a fluid film to reduce friction between two
surfaces.

3 Phases of Lubrication from Start to Stop

 Boundary: Two surfaces mostly in contact, even
Boundary Mixed Film Elastohydrodynamic though an oil is present.
(Thick Film)
 Mixed: Two surfaces partly separated by oil.
 EHD: Two surfaces separated by a thin fluid film.
Representation of Stribeck Curve
(Correlation of Friction Losses to the 3 Regimes)  Note: The thickness of the fluid film determines the
lubrication regime.

Focus on Additives for Boundary Regime

Boundary Lubrication
Coefficient of Friction

 Friction and wear is highest at start-up, when oil does

Mixed-Film not completely separate two surfaces.
Lubrication
 Extreme pressure additives fortify the oil during
boundary lubrication.
Fluid-Film Lubrication
 Solid lubricants like MoS2, graphite, and PTFE added
µ V/W to the thickener provide an additional, non-abrasive
“cushion” between two surfaces during start-up in the
boundary regime.
Fretting Wear and Fretting Corrosion

Fretting wear is caused by thermal expansion,

contraction, or nearby motion
 Small amplitude vibrations cause the microscopic
asperities on “stationary” metal parts to rub against
each other and “break off,” which produces wear
debris that impedes performance.

 Close-fit metal parts are especially susceptible, but

fretting is also known to deform plastics.

Fretting corrosion is the oxidation of fretting

wear debris
 Fretting wear continually exposes fresh layers of metal
surface to oxygen, producing abrasive metal oxides that
further accelerate substrate wear.

Lubricants Retard Wear and Corrosion

 Metal deactivator additives help reduce fretting wear,
but will not likely stop fretting altogether.

 In most fretting situations, the lubricant acts

as an oxygen barrier. It prevents oxygen from reaching
the fretting surface, reacting with wear debris, and
producing abrasive oxides.
Source
Add some color to the grease?

Four reasons to consider adding color to

a grease
 High Speed Manufacturing. A UV dye enables in-
line quality inspection with IR vision systems.

 Manual Assembly. Grease with color aids visual

inspection by line workers.

 Color-coding. Colors help to ensure the right

grease is chosen from inventory.

 Market Perception. Color doesn’t matter with sealed

components, but if the grease is exposed, its color
may influence buyer perception.

3 ways to change the color of a grease

 Dyes. For your choice of color, use a dye. There are a
rainbow of colors! Dyes rarely affect grease
performance.

 Additives. Some oil additives add color to a grease,

though it’s not their primary function. Make sure the
color change doesn’t have a negative impact on market
perception.

 Solid Lubricants. Like oil additives, solid lubricants

like MoS2 or graphite blackens the grease. PTFE will
lighten the color of a grease.
Contact ECL

ECL Lubricant Seminars

Lubricant Engineering Chart

ECL Website

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