Tribocharging in a rotating shaft–oil–lip seal system for different engine base oils, additive, and their blends

Abstract

The paper presents the results of experiments on tribocharging of different mineral, semisynthetic, and synthetic base oils and their blends with additives. An antiwear additive ZDDP (zinc dialkyldithiophosphate) is tested when added to base oils in different percentages by weight. Experiments are carried out on the specially built experimental facility to be a simplified model of an engine crankcase in whose interior an earthed metal shaft rotates at given angular velocities. The potential of a stiffening ring of a lip seal is measured directly with an electrometer. The potential is a measure of tribocharging in a rotating shaft–oil–lip seal system, friction junction, and especially between both interfaces: shaft surface–oil and oil–lip of a lip seal. The experimental results are presented in the form of some characteristics that are relationships of the potential induced in the stiffening ring with oil's temperature for different angular shaft's velocities and additives, contents. The oil's temperature ranges from 60 to 110 °C and is controlled automatically. The angular velocities of a shaft used are 500 and 1500 rpm. The additive contents in the blends with different base oils are 0.1 and 0.2%. The pure base oils of all the types and some lip seals are also examined. Moreover, the influence of an external DC electric field applied between the earthed shaft and the stiffening ring on the braking torque of the shaft is examined for a range of temperatures of the pure oils and their blends with the additive used, angular velocities, and additive contents. The electric field is produced while applying the high DC voltage of both polarities between the shaft and the ring. The absolute value of the voltage is in a range from 500 to 1500 V.