Wear and Contact Fatigue Properties of a Novel Lubricant Additive Available to Purchase

Lubrication is generally thought to take place in wet conditions, forming a protective tribofilm as a result of metal-to-metal contact and pressure. A novel lubricant additive (Lofrix Dry, LD) is presented here that shows improved wear resistance, strong tribofilm adhesion to steel surfaces, and a reduced coefficient of friction. LD contains a mix of alkanes and chlorinated paraffins in a range of molecular sizes, and it can be applied as a dry coating and even when surfaces are not in contact. The dry-condition and low-temperature application makes LD a unique choice for simplifying the design of components in mechanical contact. This paper presents an outline of future work to identify the nature, characteristics, and repeatability of Lofrix tribofilm.