Development and tribochemical evaluation of biobased antiwear additive

Seed oils are renewable resources, environmentally friendly non toxic fluids, pose no work place health hazards and are readily biodegradable. The amphiphilic character of these oils makes them an excellent candidate as lubricants and as specialty chemicals. Industrial application of seed oils is limited due to poor thermo-oxidative stability, poor low temperature fluidity, and other tribochemical degrading processes that occur under severe conditions of temperature, pressure, shear stress, metal surface and environment. This work describes the development and tribochemical evaluation of seed oil based antiwear additive through chemical modification. The current process retains the seed oil structure, eliminates poly-unsaturation in the molecule, and adds polar functional groups that significantly improve adsorption on metal surfaces. These compounds also contribute to the formation of protective films through chemical reaction during the tribochemical process. Comparative tests with commercial products demonstrate its effectiveness.