Investigation of the Effects of Boron Additives on the Performance of Engine Oil

Baş H., Karabacak Y. E.

TRIBOLOGY TRANSACTIONS, vol.57, no.4, pp.740-748, 2014 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 57 Issue: 4
  • Publication Date: 2014
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/10402004.2014.909549
  • Journal Name: TRIBOLOGY TRANSACTIONS
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.740-748
  • Keywords: Boric Acid, Oil, Boron Nitride, Friction Coefficient, Boron Compounds, Oil Additives, Internal Combustion Engine, Lubricant, MOLYBDENUM-DISULFIDE
  • Karadeniz Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

In this study, the effect of boron compounds on lubrication oils was investigated using a pin-on-disc type test apparatus. For this purpose, base oils containing two types of boron compounds were studied at different concentrations. The results were evaluated from the point of formation of a tribofilm in boundary or mixed lubrication conditions. The obtained results showed that the addition of boron compounds decreased the coefficient of friction from 10 to 50% under different test conditions. The optimum concentration ratio was determined as 4wt% for boric acid (H3BO3) and 4wt% for hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). Fuel consumption experiments were also carried out for both optimum concentration ratios using a 170-kW diesel engine. Results indicate a decrease of 3.6 and 2.7% in fuel consumption with boric acid and boron nitride additives, respectively.