From bearings and vehicle gearwheels to gear boxes and agricultural equipment, grease is employed in a diverse range of applications. Providing invaluable benefits to machinery owners and operators alike, it defends equipment from corrosion, provides a protective seal against moisture and reduces friction, which could otherwise lead to wear and tear.
While this might sound like numerous other lubricant types, grease has one unique capability not shared by its less viscous counterparts – unlike many oils and fluids, it can stay in place where other products will simply run off.
In the following sections, we’ll take a closer look at grease and why it is such a useful lubricant that’s still widely used and produced by leading manufacturers like Fuchs, Millers Oils and Mobil.
Composition of grease
Lubricating grease will typically be made up of 80 to 90 per cent base oil, with the oil choice selected having a significant impact on how the grease performs. Both synthetic oils and all-natural mineral oils may be used for this base. As a rule, synthetic oils often lend grease certain properties that a mineral oil isn’t able to, like a broader temperature range, improved chemical resistance or enhanced electrical properties.
On top of the base oil, a thickener is added to grease to hold the lubricant in position. Thickener not only gives the grease its unique viscosity, but it also increases its resistance to water, improving its stability and enhancing its capacity to seal.
The last ingredients involved in grease formulation are the additives. These inclusions will target a specific area of performance that the grease is designed to serve. For example, an additive package in grease may improve its resistance to rust, defend it against contaminants or cut down friction.
Staying in place
High-quality grease should tick a lot of boxes for its users. Along with providing excellent lubrication, reducing abrasion and friction, it must also ensure unwanted contaminants like varnish, dirt and water stay out of the designated lubrication point.
As touched upon earlier, lubricating grease remains exactly where it’s applied, which allows it to reduce the amount of friction and seal off areas that oil would quickly drain away from, leaving them unprotected.
Avoid overlubricating with grease
When applying grease as a lubricant, it’s vital that the correct amount is used and that a careful record is kept of how frequently equipment is treated. When it comes to grease, the amount you apply does not necessarily improve levels of lubricity, not to mention that over-lubricating can be an expensive business that will run down your stores and hike your running costs.
Additionally, overlubricating parts can cause grease to reach higher temperatures, causing products to oxidise. This means that grease will break down far faster becoming less efficiently, causing increased wear to unprotected components. When bearings are overlubricated with too much grease, there is also a danger of seals becoming damaged.
Remember, while grease is suitable for certain applications, the same is also true for oils, and the properties of both should be considered when selecting a solution.
