Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and

Environmental Effects

ISSN: 1556-7036 (Print) 1556-7230 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ueso20

Tribological behavior of pongamia oil as a

lubricant additive

Yashvir Singh, Rajnish Garg & Ajay Kumar

To cite this article: Yashvir Singh, Rajnish Garg & Ajay Kumar (2016) Tribological behavior
of pongamia oil as a lubricant additive, Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and
Environmental Effects, 38:16, 2406-2412, DOI: 10.1080/15567036.2015.1089341

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/15567036.2015.1089341

Published online: 12 Aug 2016.

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ENERGY SOURCES, PART A: RECOVERY, UTILIZATION, AND ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
2016, VOL. 38, NO. 16, 2406–2412
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15567036.2015.1089341

Tribological behavior of pongamia oil as a lubricant additive

Yashvir Singh, Rajnish Garg, and Ajay Kumar
Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering Studies, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies,
Dehradun, India

ABSTRACT KEYWORDS
This study assesses the friction and wear characteristics of a pongamia oil- Friction; kinematic viscosity;
contaminated bio-lubricant by using a pin-on-disc tribometer. To formulate sliding velocity; wear
the bio-lubricants, pongamia oil was blended in the ratios of 15, 30, and
50% by volume with the base lubricant SAE 20 W 40. Tribological charac-
teristics of these blends were obtained at 1.3 and 2.5 m/s sliding velocity
and the load was 150 N. Experimental results showed that the lubrication
regime that occurred during the test was boundary lubrication while the
main wear mechanisms were abrasive and the adhesive wear. During test-
ing, the lowest wear was found with the addition of 15% pongamia oil, and
above this contamination, the wear rate was increased considerably. With
an increase in load, the viscosity of all the bio-lubricants increases and
meets the International Standard Organization (ISO) VG 100 requirement
at 40°C except PB 50. The addition of pongamia oil in the base lubricant
acted as a very good lubricant additive which reduced the friction and wear
scar diameter during the test. It has been concluded that the PB 15 can act
as an alternative lubricant to increase the mechanical efficiency and con-
tribute to reduction of dependence on the petroleum-based products.

1. Introduction
A lubricant in an engine plays an important role in reducing friction and wear of engine parts such as
the piston ring and cylinder liner (Kodali, 2002). Around the globe, application of renewable resources
in industry has been focused to meet the consumer demands (Tullao, 2007). Use of petroleum-based
products raised concern about the eco-system (Metzger and Huttermann, 2009). About 10–15 million
tons of petroleum-based oleo-chemicals enter the atmosphere (Gawrilow, 2004). Rapid growth in
industrialization and population has led to an increased demand of lubricants. To meet the forecasted
demands of petroleum-based products, vegetable/plant seed oils are comprehended as an alternative
due to the possession of inherent technical properties like being biodegradable and non-toxic. Vegetable
oils possessed properties better than mineral oils such as a higher flash point, better viscosity index, and
less evaporative losses. However, there are limitations related to vegetable oils like lower thermo-
oxidative, hydrolytic stability, and poor cold flow properties. There is a need to modify the structure
of plant seed oils to make them suitable for lubricant applications (Erhan and Asadauskas, 2000).
Following are the possible alternatives to enhance their physical properties to make them an alternative
for bio-lubricant applications such as; additive treatment and the epoxidation process (Sharma et al.,
2008; Li and wang, 2015), transesterification or epoxidation are the solutions to meliorate oxidation
stability at low temperature and deficient property does not affect much in tropical countries (Bokade
and Yadav, 2007; Kleinaite et. al., 2014); hydrogenation of unsaturated part (Cermak et. al., 2006). To
make bio-based lubricants sustainable, there is a need to improve the available range of viscosities

CONTACT Yashvir Singh yashvirsingh21@gmail.com Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering

Studies, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradunm, Uttarakhand, India-248007.
Color versions of one or more of the figures in the article can be found online at www.tandfonline.com/ueso.
© 2016 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
 ENERGY SOURCES, PART A: RECOVERY, UTILIZATION, AND ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS 2407

(Quinchia et. al., 2010). To do so, viscosity modifiers can be used which are friendly with the
environment. Oleogels based on conventional, bio-based lubricants and ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA)
copolymer have been developed. It has been observed that EVA can be used as an effective thickener
agent for bio-based lubricant applications (Martín-Alfonso and Valencia, 2015). The viscosity of a bio-
based lubricant can also be increased by using ethylene-vinyl acetate and styrene–butadiene–styrene
copolymers as they increase some amounts of kinematic viscosities at 40°C and 100°C temperatures
(Quinchia et. al., 2009). In spite of having advantages over conventional lubricants, the attempt made to
develop bio-based lubricants and their applications are very few. The objective of this research work is
to study the friction and wear characteristics of various pongamia-based blended lubricants at different
sliding velocities and to assure its suitability as a bio-lubricant for the automotive applications.

2. Experimental details
2.1. Experimental apparatus
Tribological behavior of various pongamia oil blends were investigated using a Ducom Macro Pad Pin on
Disc tribometer according to standard test methods of ASTM G99 which is connected with a personal
computer having a data acquisition system. Linear variable differential transformer (LVDT) is used for
determination of the wear in micrometers and sensors are mounted to sense the changes in the frictional
forces. The weight of the pin was determined before the test was conducted and after obtaining the test
result. The weight loss of the pin was determined as a function of different loads applied and sliding
distances. Weighing was performed using an analytic balance Shimadzu AX 200 machine with a
sensitivity of 0.1 mg. Specifications of the pin on the disc tribometer are: maximum pin diameter =
12 mm; maximum load= 200 N; maximum disc rotating speed = 2000 rpm.

2.2. Sample preparation

The specimens which were used for the experiment are aluminum silicon alloy with 7% silicon and
EN31 steel with 60 Rockwell C Hardness. The chemical composition of the Al-7 Si alloy is as follows: Si
7.39, Mg 0.356, Fe 0.116, B 0.0011, Sn 0.0027, Ti 0.115, and Al balanced and chemical composition of
EN31 steel is C 1, Si 0.35, Mn 0.5, S 0.05, P 0.05, Cr 1.3, and Fe balanced. The hemispherical aluminum
silicon alloy was used as the pin and the material used for the disc specimen was EN31 steel having a
maximum diameter of 165 mm. The pin and disc specifications were: length of pin = 30 mm; pin
diameter = 08 mm; hemispherical radius of the pin = 04 mm; disc diameter = 165 mm; thickness of the
disc = 08 mm; the limit of disc track diameter = 145 mm. Before conducting each experiment ethyl
alcohol was used to make ensure that the surfaces are cleaned properly.

2.3. Test method

The details are as follows: load = 150 N; ambient temperature was taken; track diameter = 80 mm
(for each experiment); sliding velocities = 1.3 and 2.8 m/s; sliding distance, 3000 m. For each test,
the same track diameter was used and emery paper A350 was used for polishing the disc after
each experiment. After completion of each test, the pin and disc specimen was cleaned ultra-
sonically with ethyl alcohol and stored in a vacuum oven furnace to avoid corrosion of the
material. For the examination of the worn surfaces, a trinocular stereo zoom microscope was
used. The mean average value was used after completing each experiment three times to maintain
the accuracy in the results.
2408 Y. SINGH ET AL.

2.4. Lubricants used

Study of friction and wear behavior was performed with pongamia oil which was mixed with the
conventional lubricant (SAE 20W40) in the ratios: 0 (PB0); 10 (PB15); 30 (PB30); 50(PB50) (% by
volume). The homogeneous mixing was done using a magnetic stirrer.

2.5. Viscosity and the Total Acid Number (TAN) Test

The capillary method and TAN analyzers were used for investigating the degradation of the
lubricant. The kinematic viscosity was measured at 40°C and 100°C according to ASTM D445
standard. For the TAN analysis, c (KOH) = 0.2 mol/l in isopropanol as the titrant was used
according to ASTM D664-81 standard.

3. Results and discussions

3.1. Friction coefficient
Figure 1 shows the coefficient of friction with different sliding velocities considered for different
pongamia oil blends. According to the below mentioned Equation (1), the coefficient of friction was
evaluated:

μ ¼ F=N; (1)
where F = frictional force in Newton; N = load in Newton.
With an increase of sliding velocity, the coefficient of friction decreases for different types of
blends. PB 15 shows the minimum coefficient of friction nearer to the conventional lubricant, i.e. PB
0. The pongamia oil contains large unsaturated fatty acids which develops higher strength in the
lubricant film and acts as a boundary lubricant between the surfaces in contact.

3.2. Wear scar diameter

Figure 2 shows the wear scar diameter of the Al-7% Si alloy pin with pongamia oil blends’ percentage
at different sliding velocities. PB 15 shows a minimum wear scar diameter which was about 2.38 mm
at 3.8 m/s and 2.82 mm at 1.3 m/s sliding velocity among all the blends.

Figure 1. Variation of the coefficient of friction with a sliding distance at 2.5 m/s and 1.3 m/s sliding velocity.
 ENERGY SOURCES, PART A: RECOVERY, UTILIZATION, AND ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS 2409

Figure 2. Wear scar diameter of pongamia oil blends at different sliding velocities of 1.3 m/s and 2.5 m/s.

3.3. Wear rate

Figure 3 shows the specific wear rate of all the pongamia oil blends. At the initial start of the
experiment, the wear rate was higher as the conditions prevailed during the experiment take time
to get stable at about 1000 m sliding distance. The minimum wear was observed at 15% addition
of pongamia with conventional lubricant. This is attributed to the fatty acid composition of the
pongamia oil based lubricants. These fatty acid compositions consist of molecules which form a
long chain covalently bonded hydrocarbon chain and act as efficient barriers for protecting
sliding surface contact and provide better wear protection than convention hydrocarbon-based
lubricants. The wear rate decreases with an increase of sliding velocity and better anti wear was
observed with PB 15. The reason behind the better results at higher sliding velocity is the increase
of temperature which reduces the viscosity making it responsible for the formation of an
excellent tribo layer. As the velocity increases, this tribo layer will act as a barrier or lubricant
between the two surfaces decreasing the coefficient of friction, wear rate, and pin weight loss
(Shahabuddin et. al., 2013).

Figure 3. Specific wear rate of pongamia blended lubricants at different sliding velocities.
2410 Y. SINGH ET AL.

3.4. Lubricant characterization

As observed from Figure 4, the coefficient of friction increases with load. The maximum friction
coefficient was observed with PB 50 and minimum with PB 0. The boundary lubrication regime for
the lubricants lies from 0.0001 to 0.2. As per the range, all the pongamia oil blends occur in the
boundary lubrication regime which means that there was no breakage of the lubricant film created
by the different pongamia oil-based lubricants between surfaces in contact.
The viscosity is a significant factor in determining the degradation of lubricants as it provides a
protective film thickness between the surfaces in contact and protect wear of metal surfaces during
sliding. Figure 5 shows the kinematic viscosity of different pongamia oil blends. It can be observed
from the figure that for the contamination of pongamia oil with lube oil, the highest value was stated
for 15%, which means, 15% of pongamia oil was the best contamination with lube oil in order to

Figure 4. Elasto hydrodynamic lubrication regime of different pongamia oil blends.

Figure 5. Pongamia oil-based blended lubricant variation with kinematic viscosity @ 40°C and 100°C.
 ENERGY SOURCES, PART A: RECOVERY, UTILIZATION, AND ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS 2411

Table 1. Viscosity grade requirements according to the International Standard Organization (ISO) (Shahabuddin et al., 2013).
Kinematic viscosity ISO VG32 ISO VG46 ISO VG68 ISO VG 100
40°C >28.7 >41.3 >61.3 >90
100°C >4.1 >4.1 >4.1 >4.1

Figure 6. Worn surface images of pongamia oil blends (a) PB 0, (b) PB 15, (c) PB 30, (d) PB 50 at 1.3 m/s sliding velocity.

maintain the anti-wear characteristic such as kinematic viscosity. The figure also showed that
normally the values of kinematic viscosity for all samples at 40°C were higher than 100 centistokes
(cSt.). The lower value was observed at 100°C which is below 20 cSt. The lower value of kinematic
viscosity was affected by the temperature. The higher the temperature, the lower the kinematic
viscosity will be due to the liquidity of the sample lubricant. Table 1 shows viscosity grade
requirement for the lubricants according to International Standard Organization (ISO)
(Shahabuddin et. al., 2013). According to this, it can be revealed that PB 50 did not meet the
standard ISO VG 100 requirement while PB 0, PB 15, and PB 30 meet all the International standard
organization requirements.

3.5. Worn surface characterization

Abrasive wear and marks on the surface appear as shown in Figure 6. PB 50 shows the maximum
wear while PB 15 shows the minimum wear as compared to other blends. In protecting the surface
wear, chemical reactivity of additives contributes to significant factor. Anti-wear additives protect
metal-to-metal surface contact resulting in less adhesive wear (Maleque et. al., 2000). An increase in
bio-lubricant percentages results into a decrease of anti-wear additives due to which PB 50 shows the
maximum surface wear.

4. Conclusion
Assessments of the friction and wear behavior were carried out using a pin-on-disc tribometer. The
results are as follows:

(1) The specific wear rate of various percentages of pongamia oil-based bio-lubricants was
different. Among all the blends, PB 15 show the minimum specific wear rate.
(2) Among various percentages of bio-lubricants, PB 15 shows a better result in terms of friction
behavior. However, all the blends come under the prevalence of the boundary layer regime
(µ = 0.0001-0.2).
(3) The wear scar diameter (WSD) decreases with an increase of sliding velocity. The results
shows that the contaminations of lube oil at 50% of pongamia oil at 1.3 m/s sliding velocity
and 150 N load give higher WSD. At 15% of pongamia oil, the value of WSD stated that it
was the lowest which means 15% of pongamia oil got the lesser scars and made it the best
anti-wear.
2412 Y. SINGH ET AL.

(4) For the contamination of pongamia oil with lube oil, the highest value of kinematic viscosity
was stated for 15% at both two temperatures tested (40°C and 100°C). All the bio-lubricants
meet the ISO VG 100 requirement at 40°C except PB 50.
(5) The maximum increase in the TAN value is obtained for PB 50 and PB 15 shows almost
closer values to the conventional lubricant PB 0 (20 W 40).

Acknowledgment
The author would like to thank the Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering Studies, University
of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun, India to make this study possible.

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