Tribological characterization of SAE20W40 lubricant added with surface activated nanoparticles (Al2O3 and SiO2)

This research work focuses on the performance characteristics of the standard SAE20W40 lubricant with the addition of nanoparticles (aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and silicon dioxide (SiO2) in equal proportion). The nanoparticles were surface-activated using oleic acid to homogenize the lubricant dispersion. The lubricant was added with 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 wt% of nanoparticles and subjected to a mechano-thermal process to synthesize nanolubricant. The physio-chemical properties (flash point, fire point, thermal stability, kinematic viscosity, acid value, and iodine value) and tribological characteristics (specific wear rate, friction coefficient, and wear mechanism) of the nanolubricant were determined and correlated with dispersed nanoparticles. Instrumental characterization of SEM, EDS, TEM, FT-IR, and UV-Vis tests were performed to validate the surface-activated nanolubricant. The base lubricant demonstrated favorable tribological characteristics when enhanced with 0.1 wt% additives.