Effect of Lubricant Additives on Water-Accelerated Fatigue

Abstract

A rotating beam fatigue technique has been used to determine the effectiveness of additives for mitigating the deleterious effect of a small quantity of water in a mineral oil on steel fatigue life. The technique exhibits a high sensitivity to the effect of water contamination and provides a means to investigate wide variations in effectivenss of additives. The utility of the measurements as predictors for performance in rolling contact is considered, a rating equation for the additives is proposed, and the mechanisms by which additives may counteract the effect of water are discussed.