QUARTZ CRYSTAL MICROBALANCE STUDIES ON FRICTION MODIFIERS FOR LUBRICANT APPLICATIONS

Lubricants are used in numerous applications to control friction and protect moving parts from fatigue. These fluids consist of a variety of surface active chemistries competing for the surface to provide performance. In order to develop fluids that meet the ever-increasing requirements (from legislation and manufacturers), techniques that can provide insight into surface adsorption, in real time, and relate it back to performance are critical. The objective of this work is to determine if Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation (QCM-D) is an effective technique to investigate surfactant adsorption in regimes that are common to the transportation lubricant industry. QCM-D is employed to quantify the mass, characterize the morphology, and quantify the kinetics of adsorption of common friction modifiers. The adsorption information is then compared to macroscopic properties (friction and corrosion prevention) to determine if this technique can aid in formulating future lubricants