How to reduce the friction?

Friction will hinder the movement of objects, consume energy, wear parts, and cause the temperature of equipment to rise due to frictional heat. Therefore, in the industrial field, it is often necessary to reduce the friction of equipment during operation. We all know that reducing the friction coefficient of the contact surface, that is, making the contact surface smoother, can reduce friction. However, no matter how smooth the surface of the component is processed, we can observe under a microscope that their surface is still uneven, and some points will be more convex. If they contact each other and move relative to each other, scratches and bites will occur. In addition, the broken metal chips that fall off during the bite will also become a source of wear. They can be carried to other parts with the movement, causing abrasive wear. In order to avoid wear of components, it is usually necessary to prevent the convex points on the surface of the components from contacting each other, that is, to place a layer of lubricant between the surfaces of the components to prevent them from contacting each other. This is the principle of lubricants (such as lubricating oil/grease).

There are usually three ways to reduce friction:

1. Use low-shear materials on the surface of the parts, such as copper and lead, which have less scratches on other metals.

2. Use rolling instead of sliding, such as using rolling bearings.

3. Use lubricants, and different lubricants have different effects. In use, lubricants should consider the appropriate viscosity grade, and greases should choose the appropriate NLGI consistency grade and the appropriate base oil viscosity grade. Under the premise of appropriate viscosity and consistency, different ingredients (base oil type, additive type, etc.) will also affect the lubrication and wear reduction effect of the lubricant.