Exploration of potential of graphite particles with varying sizes as EPA and AWA in oils

This paper reports about comparative performance evaluation of oils with and without graphite particles (nanometre, sub-micrometre and micrometre), in order to understand the influence of size of particles on anti-wear (AW) and extreme pressure (EP) properties as well as the physical properties of oils. The results indicated that the nano-particles (NPs) exhibited highest improvement as AWA (50%) and EPA (80%). The scanning electron microscopy on worn surfaces, however, proved to be least effective to correlate the wear performance with the surface topography and size of particles in oil. AFM, proved to be very effective in correlating the tribo-performance with sizes of particles and understand the wear mechanisms. Surface characterization was also carried out by XPS to understand the film compositions.