Lubricants

In all kind of machines the surface of sliding or rolling parts rub against other surfaces. This rubbing shall cause friction. Friction causes very much wear and tear of surfaces of moving parts; and big amounts of energy are dissipated in the form of heat, thus causing loss in the efficiency of machine. Furthermore, the moving parts get heated up, damaged and even sometimes results in seizure (that means welding of two surfaces because of heat). The ill effects of frictional resistance might be minimised by utilizing a suitable substance, which forms a thin layer in among the moving parts. Any substance introduced among two moving/sliding surfaces with a view to reduce the frictional resistance among them, is known as a lubricant. The main cause of a lubricant is to keep the sliding/moving surfaces apart, so that frictional resistance & consequent destruction of material is minimised. The procedure of reducing frictional resistance among moving/sliding surfaces by the introduction of lubricants in between them, is called as lubrication.