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The screening of lube oil performance prior to field trials is the most significant for the formulation of novel lubricants. This paper aims to investigate the efficacy of trimethylolpropane trioleate oil (TMPTO) based lubricants with different additives.

In this endeavor, initially five lubricating blends along-with TMPTO based oil with variable additives were evaluated for their tribological performances using ASTM standards. Out of these, the top three best-performing oils were further investigated for possible physical or chemical synergies among lube oils, additives and ball surface using SEM. The molecule structures of TMPTO based lube oils were confirmed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR).

The wear preventive and extreme pressure characteristics of different TMPTO based samples were evaluated and compared for compatibility and synergy of additives. Morphological analysis of SEM images was used to understand the wear behavior of the worn surfaces.

Further investigation of TMPTO oil on its oxidation stability at high temperature and pressure to make it technologically competitive and commercially viable metal-working lubricant is suggested.

This paper highlights the tribo-effects of TMPTO to be rendered as a suitable lubricant for metal-cutting operations. The surface morphology of the worn-out surface significantly demonstrates the effect of loading conditions.

Low performance life and increased machine downtime due to wear of resistance welding copper electrode is of major concern in fin–tube resistance welding in waste heat recovery boilers. The purpose of this study is to investigate an alternative material with good wear resistance to replace the currently utilized C11000 electrolytic tough pitch (ETP) copper electrode.

In this study, a Cu-Cr-Zr ternary alloy was developed for fin-to-tube welding electrode by melting commercial grade electrolytic copper (99.9% purity) plates, chips of chromium, powder of zirconium at 1100°–1300°C, followed by hot forging and precipitation hardening at 450°–550°C to attain appropriate grain flow. Microstructures of Cu-Cr-Zr alloys were analysed using scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive backscatter electron spectrometry.

Wear performance of Cu-Cr-Zr and C11000 ETP Cu was evaluated using pin-on-disc set-up with Taguchi’s L₈ orthogonal array. Ranking of the parameters was done, and it was observed that the material and temperature play a very significant role in controlling the wear of an electrode.

Rate of fin–tube resistance welding was increased by 26% with Cu-Cr-Zr alloy. Further investigation on effect of plasma on the metallurgical characteristics of Cu-Cr-Zr is recommended.

Tribo-mechanical performance of newly developed Cu-Cr-Zr ternary alloy was compared with C11000 ETP copper.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-04-2023-0092/

Formulation of mineral-based specialty lubricants without anti-wear (AW) and extreme-pressure (EP) additives is a challenging task. This study aims to propose an environment friendly alternative to mineral-based lubricants with superior wear preventive characteristics.

In this study, analysis of wear under trimethylolpropane trioleate (TMPTO)-based lube using operating parameters of four-ball tester was done. The effects of type of lube oil, temperature, load and speed on specific wear rate were investigated using Taguchi L27 orthogonal array. Based on the Taguchi experimental results and single-to-noise ratios, ranking of the four ball parameters was done. The surface analysis of worn steel balls was carried out using optical microscopic images of wear scar and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS).

Results depict that the blend of sulfurized additives with TMPTO base oil showed a synergistic effect in terms of reduction in specific wear rate by the formation of protective film layer on the surface. The possible physical or chemical interactions between base oil and additives were studied based on the surface morphology of test balls.

The formulated lubricant has the potential to be used as a tapping/broaching oil.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the paper is a novel study investigating the effect of different additive in TMPTO. The results could prove beneficial in making TMPTO-based lube oil a viable replacement of mineral-based oils.

This paper aims to present a study of frictional characteristics of steel/die steel pair under sliding contact in presence of a set of formulated lubricants. AISI 1010 low carbon steels, although being strong, are less formable grades of steel and require appropriate selection of lubricants in tribological conditions.

A total of three mineral-based lubricating blends were formulated for varying concentration of ester. Plan of experiments, based on Taguchi’s analysis technique were performed using dedicated test rig based on “pin-on-disc” principle.

A correlation was established between additive concentration, sliding speed and pressure with coefficient of friction by multiple linear regression. On the basis of experimental results and S/N ratio analysis, ranking of the parameters has been done. A possible regime of working with such lubricants is also suggested.

Due to voluminous data involved, a few dominant process parameters were taken into consideration for the study.

This paper is highlighting the tribo-effects of additives to render it as suitable lubricant in sliding contact conditions. This paper also suggested an approach for selection of optimum regime of working in the light of “Stribeck Curve” for ester-containing lubricating oils.