Effect of SiC nanoparticles on the tribological properties of rice bran oil-based lubricant

Abstract

The environmental impact of petroleum products has forced the industry to search for alternative bio-products. Vegetable oils can be considered as an alternative to these petroleum products due to the high viscosity index and excellent boundary lubrication properties. In this work, rice bran oil (RBO) is selected as a base-stock for developing bio-lubricants. The silicon carbide (SiC) nanoparticles were added to RBO in different proportions (0.01 to 0.05 wt. %). The tribological properties were evaluated for different samples using a standard four-ball tribo-tester. The weight percentage of SiC in RBO was optimised based on the tribological results. The optimum concentration of SiC nanoparticles in RBO was found to be 0.03 wt. %. The experimental study also evaluated the tribological properties of chemically modified RBO (MRBO) with 0.03% SiC nanoparticles. It was noted that the tribological properties are better for MRBO with 0.03% SiC nanoparticles.