Wear Response of Aluminum Using a Mixture of Graphite and Snail Slime as Lubricant

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of a mixture of graphite and snail slime as a lubricant on the wear performance of aluminum. Environmental concerns associated with conventional lubricants have led to current attention on bio-based lubricants. Bio-based lubricants have several positive effects on the environment that include: biodegradability, lower carbon footprint, non-toxicity, and minimal waste generation. The current study considers the prospective of using snail slime as lubricants. The experimental setup involved subjecting aluminum samples to various wear tests, with the use of different graphite and snail slime mixture as lubricant. The wear test was done using a pin on disc tribometer, with aluminum as the pin. Through experimental testing and analysis, it was found that this mixture exhibits promising results in terms of reducing material loss, volume loss and wear rate in aluminum-based systems. Snail slime and graphite ratio of 2: 1 improves the lubricating effect of graphite by 89.84% with the application of 10 kg load. The results show that the wear resistance of aluminum significantly improves with the addition of the graphite and snail slime lubricant, compared to traditional lubricants. The incorporation of graphite and snail slime has shown to improve the lubricating properties of the graphite, thereby enhancing the performance of aluminum in various applications. This innovative lubricant has the potential to revolutionize the field of tribology and contribute to the development of more efficient and environmentally-friendly lubricants. Further research is required to fully understand the mechanism behind the improved lubrication and to optimize the composition of the mixture for different types of aluminum alloys. This study presents a novel and effective solution for improving the wear response of aluminum, making it a valuable contribution to the academic literature on tribology. The results of this research shed light on the potential of using unconventional lubricants, such as snail slime, to enhance the wear performance of aluminum in various applications.