Deterioration mechanism and health status prediction of hydrocarbon lubricants under high temperature and humid environment

Abstract

Abstract In practical engineering applications, high temperatures and water ingress seriously affect the service life of hydrocarbon lubricants. In this study, the deterioration process of hydrocarbon lubricants under high temperatures and humid environments was investigated, and a new health state prediction model was proposed. Simulation of hydrocarbon lubricant Polyalpha-olefin (PAO) molecules using the ReaxFF force field to analyse the high temperature thermal oxidation process of lubricants. The rheological properties of oil-water emulsions were determined by observing the morphology of oil-water two-phase mixtures with different water contents. A multiparameter fusion viscosity prediction model was proposed using a linear model of the viscosity of aqueous fluids as affected by temperature and water content fitted with the Andrade viscosity-temperature equation to predict lubricant viscosity changes under multiple parameters. On-line validation tests were carried out on a compound planetary transmission system, and the surface topographical parameters of the transmission components were further discussed. The experimental results show that the linear correlation with the improved lubricant viscosity prediction model is 0.966, and the surface wear of transmission components is consistent with the trend of lubricant quality change. These findings provide a fundamental basis for the assessment of lubricant service life in high temperatures and humid environments.