TABLE OF CONTENTS

How is Friction affected by lubricants?

Darshil Shah

Page 2 – Introduction

Page 3 –
I. AIM
II.HYPOTHESIS
III.EQUIPMENT
IV.METHOD
V.RESULTS

Page 4 –
VI.ANALYSIS OF RESULTS
VII.DISCUSSION
VIII.CONCLUSION

OPEN ENDED INVESTIGATION REPORT

1
 How is Friction affected by lubricants?
Darshil Shah
Friction is the force between two surfaces rubbing together. It is high if the surfaces
are dry and rough and it is low if the surfaces are smooth and wet. Friction can bee
seen in both ways, good and bad, but there are some things which cannot exist
without friction and some things where friction is the main obstacle. For instance,
without friction, walking would be too hard, and there would be no stop once
started. However, machines all over the world suffer from friction which slows down
or limits the functionality.
There are two main types of friction; Static and Kinetic Friction. Static Friction occurs
when two objects are not moving relative to each other (like a rock on a table).
Along with this, there is rolling friction which occurs when one object rolls on
another (like a cars tyre on the road). Kinetic friction occurs when two objects are
moving relative to each other (like a sled on the ground). If ground has force going
the opposite side, and the object put on the ground has force greater than or equal
to the opposing force (on the ground) then negative work is produced. However if it
is the opposite, positive work is produced. In any kinetic friction movement, heat is
produced, and because of the heat objects are slowed down or have to be operated
differently. There are also other effects of friction such as noise and wear and tear,
but heat is what causes the most damage or complications. Friction can also be
caused by the surface texture, which causes a “rough” bond between the two
objects.
Reducing the amount of friction in a machine increases the machine’s efficiency.
Less friction means less energy lost to heat, noise, and wearing down of material.
People normally use two methods to reduce friction. The first method involves
reducing the roughness of the surfaces in contact. For example, sanding two pieces
of wood lessens the amount of friction that occurs between them when they slide
against one another.
Applying a lubricant to a surface can also reduce friction. Common examples of
lubricants are oil and grease. They reduce friction by minimizing the contact
between rough surfaces. The lubricant’s particles slide easily against each other
and cause far less friction than would occur between the surfaces. Lubricants such
as machine oil reduce the amount of energy lost to frictional heating and reduce the
wear damage to the machine surfaces caused by friction.
In this investigation, the aim is to find how friction is affected by the use of
lubricants. The lubricants can reduce the friction between two objects which can
prevent heat, noise and wear and tear. Lubricants can be used to keep moving
things apart, and prevent fatigue between two moving parts. This is used in all
machinery, in hard drives all the way to the airbuses. Lubricants also help reduce
friction, and hence reduce heat, transfer heat (radiator in cars), carry away
containments/debris (filtering system in engines), transfer power (hydraulics), and
prevent corrosion by forming a chemical bond to prevent rust.
Friction can only reduce when a lubricant is applied. There are many types of
lubricants, but they are mainly liquid and typically contain 90% base oil and less
than 10% additives. Additives deliver reduced friction and wear, increased
thickness, improved viscosity index, resistance to corrosion and oxidation, aging or
contamination, etc. There are also non liquid lubricants such as grease, powders,
and Teflon. This can be used in areas where there is a joint connection.
Friction can do well, and can do bad, but in most cases, lubricants have to be used
to ensure friction, wear & tear and heat is reduced. Lubricants help reduce the
friction between two moving objects and provide great efficiency for the machines
that everyone depends on today. Without lubricants, there would be no machines,
and mass production would never occur.

2
I. AIM:
To find how friction is affected by lubricants
II. HYPOTHESIS:
Friction will be reduced when any lubricant is applied to the two moving objects. In
the case of the wheel and bearing, the wheel will be able to turn faster and easier.
In the case of the gears and grease, the gears will turn smoother without must noise
and limitation. Lastly in the case of the lever, the oil will aid the joint to bend
(open/close) faster and easier.
III. EQUIPMENT:
Vegetable oil spray, grease, bearings, 1 skateboard wheel, 2 gears, battery powered
motor, 1 arch lever (from file).
IV. METHOD: 1. Take the wheel and turn it.
2. Observe the effects without lubrication (bearing).
3. Apply the bearing to the wheel and observe how fast and smooth it
turns
4. Record both observations
5. Take the 2 gears and connect it to the motor.
6. Observe the turning of both gears.
7. Apply the grease and observe the turning of the gears.
8. Record both observations
9. Take the arch lever and open and close it 10 times.
10. Observe the ease of closing and opening.
11. Spray the vegetable oil twice on the lever and open and close it
10 times.
12. Observe the difference.
13. Repeat the test
14. Record the results in a table.
V. RESULTS:
Test 1
(observations) Without LubricantWith Lubricant Potential Difference
Gears More strength Less strength Phenomenal
Required to turn, Required to turn, Reduction in heat
Produced heat. Heat is almost gone. And less energy is
Required to run it.
Wheel Slow turning, noise,
Smooth, fast, heatMore speed,
Heat produced. Reduced. Reduced noise,
Reduced heat.
Arch Lever Less flexibility More flexibility Larger range of
Squeaking and Noise gone, less Angles and more
Struggle Power required toEfficient.
Operate
Test 2
(observations) Without LubricantWith Lubricant Potential Difference
Gears More strength Less strength Phenomenal
Required to turn, Required to turn, Reduction in heat
heat. Heat is gone. And less energy is
Required to run it.
Wheel Slow turning, noise,
Smooth, fast, heatMore speed,
Heat produced. Reduced. Reduced noise,
Reduced heat.
Arch Lever Less flexibility More flexibility Larger range of
3
 Squeaking and Noise gone, less Angles and more
Struggle/signs Power required toEfficient.
Of tear Operate
VI. ANALYSIS OF RESULTS:
The Results show that wherever a lubricant is used, any type of common friction is
reduced in that movement. The results are repeated in both tests which mean that
the results are accurate, and reliable. Lubrication on any type of movement has not
only reduced friction but also in some cases eliminated it.
VII. DISCUSSION:
The results in this experiment are ensured to be reliable and accurate by doing two
tests and having controls for each test. The accuracy and reliability can be
improved by having more than three different types of movements which require
different lubricants and ultimately produce different types of friction.
VIII. CONCLUSION:
Friction is present everywhere, and in some cases, it’s the only thing helping us
walk, but in some cases it’s only something that limits us in further technologies
and the optimal use of machinery. Over the years, Lubricants have been discovered
which either naturally or synthetically help reduce or completely get friction out of
the picture. Lubricants are in use against friction reduced friction, either
dramatically or the slightest bit which in the long term improves efficiency. Without
lubricants the operations of some vital devices in everyday life it would make it
impossible to live with a world of machinery.
XIV. BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761569794/Friction.html