Cuskelly, Matthew (2024) Friction and Wear Analysis of Biodegradable Lubricants used with Engine Components. [USQ Project]
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Abstract
In a world dominated by automotive engines, efficient and effective lubrication is key. To ensure that performance is optimised, lubricants must be carefully considered to ensure that they have suitable properties. While lubricants play a key role in engine efficiency and engine durability, focus is also shifting towards producing lubricants that are environmentally friendly. Creating an effective lubricant from a renewable source has several benefits, it is low cost, easy to produce and is environmentally friendly. Vegetable oils fit these criteria well, and while their potential as a bio-lubricant is high, they are yet to be commonly found in the automotive industry. Currently, problems arising from low viscosity leads to high wear rates in engine components. To solve this issue, further research is required into the frictional and wear behaviour of such lubricants. Often, consumable vegetable oils such as canola oil, olive oil and sunflower oil are tested as potential bio-lubricants, however issues associated with human consumption (limited supply, high expenses) would lead to availability issues if this became a widespread application. Therefore, significant work has recently been put in to finding a potential bio-lubricant that is formed from a non-edible vegetable oil. Submitting a potential lubricant under simulated operating conditions is the best way to determine its tribological properties. The study of tribology is mainly concerned with friction and wear, and this report details a form of tribological testing that determines the properties of several variants of a bio-lubricant. Neem Seed oil is used as the base for this bio-lubricant and a 50% ratio of Neem Seed oil to SAE-30 oil was found to have the most promising results. This report discusses these results further and makes recommendations for additional research in this area.
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| Item Type: | USQ Project |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Current – Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Engineering (1 Jan 2022 -) |
| Supervisors: | Yousif, Belal |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechanical) |
| Date Deposited: | 07 Oct 2025 03:25 |
| Last Modified: | 07 Oct 2025 03:25 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | lubricants; biodegradeable |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/53030 |
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