Tribological performance of palm olein with additive using linear reciprocating tribotester

Abstract

As engine oil supplies deplete and prices rise, study on alternative vegetable oil bases is becoming one of the most important studies in applying green technology. However, due to the lack performance of the vegetable oil as lubricant, previous researcher indicates that additives is needed in order to provide excellent lubricity efficiency. This research is aim to use a linear reciprocating tribometer to study the effect of the coefficient of friction (COF) and wear behaviour of Palm Oil with the addition of Molybdenum Disulfide (MoS2). The sample of 2 cm diameter plate material used in this experiment is steel SKD-11, and the material for the ball bearing is tool steel with a diameter of 10 mm. For each load, the tribological properties of PO + 0.05wt% MoS2 will be compared to RBD Palm Olein (PO) and benchmark lubricant Engine Oil SAE10W-30 (EO). According to the findings of this study, the COF for PO + 0.05wt% MoS2 increases from 0.055 to 0.069 at loads ranging from 50 N to 150 N, but decreases marginally to 0.063 at loads above 150 N due to wear debris that serves as a defensive layer on surfaces. At load 200 N, PO + 0.05wt% MoS2 has a 4.5% COF and a 5.5% smaller wear scar diameter than PO.