GG Friction Antidote for Transportation & Fleet

If the engine is the heart of a machine, engine oil is its lifeblood. When it comes to fleet owners and operators, GG understands success hinges upon on-time completion of the job at hand, with minimal cost. Long engine life and efficient, economical operation are critical to achieving this goal.

For vehicles ranging from passenger cars and motorcycles to service vans, utility trucks and long-haul big rigs, GG Friction Antidote exceed manufacturers’ specifications. GG Friction Antidote play a valuable role by ensuring longer equipment lifecycle, less downtime, all-weather performance, extended oil changes and improved fuel economy. Because GG Friction Antidote is designed specifically for reduced friction, you can safely extend drain intervals when used in conjunction with your own oil analysis program. Less metal particulates are generated, oil life is extended, less oil is consumed and less labor is needed to change the oil, fuel consumption is reduced, performance is increased, resulting in lower running cost and a smaller environmental impact. GG Friction Antidote works in all engine oils, transmission fluids and fuels.

History of motor oil

On September 6, 1866 American John Ellis founded the Continuous Oil Refining Company (later to become Valvoline). While studying the possible healing powers of crude oil, Dr. Ellis was disappointed to find no real medicinal value, but was intrigued by its potential lubricating properties. He eventually abandoned the medical practice to devote his time to the development of an all-petroleum, high viscosity lubricant for steam engines – then using inefficient combinations of petroleum and animal and vegetable fats. He made his breakthrough when he developed an oil that worked effectively in high temperatures. This meant no more gummed valves, corroded cylinders or leaking seals. In 1873 Ellis officially renamed the company to Valvoline after the steam engine valves the product lubricated.

Motor oil

Motor oil, engine oil, or engine lubricant is any of various substances (comprising oil enhanced with additives, for example, in many cases, extreme pressure additives) that are used for lubrication of internal combustion engines. The main function of motor oil is to reduce wear on moving parts; it also cleans moving parts from the sludge, inhibits corrosion, improves sealing, and cools the engine by carrying heat away from moving parts. Motor oils are derived from petroleum-based and non-petroleum-synthesized chemical compounds. Motor oils today are mainly blended by using base oils composed of hydrocarbons, polyalphaolefins (PAO), and polyinternal olefins (PIO), thus organic compounds consisting entirely of carbon and hydrogen. The base oils of some high-performance motor oils contain up to 20% by weight of esters.

Synthetic oils

Synthetic lubricants were first synthesized, or man-made, in significant quantities as replacements for mineral lubricants (and fuels) by German scientists in the late 1930s and early 1940s because of their lack of sufficient quantities of crude for their (primarily military) needs. A significant factor in its gain in popularity was the ability of synthetic-based lubricants to remain fluid in the sub-zero temperatures of the Eastern front in wintertime, temperatures which caused petroleum-based lubricants to solidify owing to their higher wax content. The use of synthetic lubricants widened through the 1950s and 1960s owing to a property at the other end of the temperature spectrum, the ability to lubricate aviation engines at temperatures that caused mineral-based lubricants to break down. In the mid-1970s, synthetic motor oils were formulated and commercially applied for the first time in automotive applications. The same SAE system for designating motor oil viscosity also applies to synthetic oils. Synthetic oils are derived from either Group III, Group IV, or some Group V bases. Synthetics include classes of lubricants like synthetic esters as well as “others” like GTL (Methane Gas-to-Liquid) (Group V) and polyalpha-olefins (Group IV). Higher purity and therefore better property control theoretically means synthetic oil has better mechanical properties at extremes of high and low temperatures. The molecules are made large and “soft” enough to retain good viscosity at higher temperatures, yet branched molecular structures interfere with solidification and therefore allow flow at lower temperatures. Thus, although the viscosity still decreases as temperature increases, these synthetic motor oils have a higher viscosity index over the traditional petroleum base. Their specially designed properties allow a wider temperature range at higher and lower temperatures and often include a lower pour point. With their improved viscosity index, synthetic oils need lower levels of viscosity index improvers, which are the oil components most vulnerable to thermal and mechanical degradation as the oil ages, and thus they do not degrade as quickly as traditional motor oils. However, they still fill up with particulate matter, although the matter better suspends within the oil, and the oil filter still fills and clogs up over time. So, periodic oil and filter changes should still be done with synthetic oil; but some synthetic oil suppliers suggest that the intervals between oil changes can be longer, sometimes as long as 16,000-24,000 km (10,000–15,000 mi) primarily due to reduced degradation by oxidation. Tests show that fully synthetic oil is superior in extreme service conditions to conventional oil, and may perform better for longer under standard conditions. But in the vast majority of vehicle applications, mineral oil based lubricants, fortified with additives and with the benefit of over a century of development, continue to be the predominant lubricant for most internal combustion engine applications.

Bio-based oils

A new process to break down polyethylene, a common plastic product found in many consumer containers, is used to make a paraffin-like wax with the correct molecular properties for conversion into a lubricant, bypassing the expensive Fischer-Tropsch process. The plastic is melted and then pumped into a furnace. The heat of the furnace breaks down the molecular chains of polyethylene into wax. Finally, the wax is subjected to a catalytic process that alters the wax’s molecular structure, leaving a clear oil. Biodegradable Motor Oils based on esters or hydrocarbon-ester blends appeared in the 1990s followed by formulations beginning in 2000 which respond to the bio-no-tox-criteria of the European preparations directive (EC/1999/45). This means, that they not only are biodegradable according to OECD 301x test methods, but also the aquatic toxicities (fish, algae, daphnie) are each above 100 mg/L. Another class of base oils suited for engine oil are the polyalkylene glycols. They offer zero-ash, bio-no-tox properties and lean burn characteristics.

Use

Motor oil is a lubricant used in internal combustion engines, which power cars, motorcycles, lawnmowers, engine-generators, and many other machines. In engines, there are parts which move against each other, and the friction wastes otherwise useful power by converting the kinetic energy to heat. It also wears away those parts, which could lead to lower efficiency and degradation of the engine. This increases fuel consumption, decreases power output, and can lead to engine failure. Lubricating oil creates a separating film between surfaces of adjacent moving parts to minimize direct contact between them, decreasing heat caused by friction and reducing wear, thus protecting the engine. In use, motor oil transfers heat through convection as it flows through the engine by means of air flow over the surface of the oil pan, an oil cooler and through the buildup of oil gases evacuated by the Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) system. In petrol (gasoline) engines, the top piston ring can expose the motor oil to temperatures of 160 °C (320 °F). In diesel engines the top ring can expose the oil to temperatures over 315 °C (600 °F). Motor oils with higher viscosity indices thin less at these higher temperatures. Coating metal parts with oil also keeps them from being exposed to oxygen, inhibiting oxidation at elevated operating temperatures preventing rust or corrosion. Corrosion inhibitors may also be added to the motor oil. Many motor oils also have detergents and dispersants added to help keep the engine clean and minimize oil sludge build-up. The oil is able to trap soot from combustion in itself, rather than leaving it deposited on the internal surfaces. It is a combination of this, and some singeing that turns used oil black after some running.

Rubbing of metal engine parts inevitably produces some microscopic metallic particles from the wearing of the surfaces. Such particles could circulate in the oil and grind against moving parts, causing wear. Because particles accumulate in the oil, it is typically circulated through an oil filter to remove harmful particles. An oil pump, a vane or gear pump powered by the engine, pumps the oil throughout the engine, including the oil filter. Oil filters can be a full flow or bypass type. In the crankcase of a vehicle engine, motor oil lubricates rotating or sliding surfaces between the crankshaft journal bearings (main bearings and big-end bearings), and rods connecting the pistons to the crankshaft. The oil collects in an oil pan, or sump, at the bottom of the crankcase. In some small engines such as lawn mower engines, dippers on the bottoms of connecting rods dip into the oil at the bottom and splash it around the crankcase as needed to lubricate parts inside. In modern vehicle engines, the oil pump takes oil from the oil pan and sends it through the oil filter into oil galleries, from which the oil lubricates the main bearings holding the crankshaft up at the main journals and camshaft bearings operating the valves. In typical modern vehicles, oil pressure-fed from the oil galleries to the main bearings enters holes in the main journals of the crankshaft. From these holes in the main journals, the oil moves through passageways inside the crankshaft to exit holes in the rod journals to lubricate the rod bearings and connecting rods. Some simpler designs relied on these rapidly moving parts to splash and lubricate the contacting surfaces between the piston rings and interior surfaces of the cylinders. However, in modern designs, there are also passageways through the rods which carry oil from the rod bearings to the rod-piston connections and lubricate the contacting surfaces between the piston rings and interior surfaces of the cylinders. This oil film also serves as a seal between the piston rings and cylinder walls to separate the combustion chamber in the cylinder head from the crankcase. The oil then drips back down into the oil pan. Motor oil may also serve as a cooling agent. In some constructions oil is sprayed through a nozzle inside the crankcase onto the piston to provide cooling of specific parts that undergo high temperature strain. On the other hand, the thermal capacity of the oil pool has to be filled, i.e. the oil has to reach its designed temperature range before it can protect the engine under high load. This typically takes longer than heating the main cooling agent — water or mixtures thereof — up to its operating temperature. In order to inform the driver about the oil temperature, some older and most high performance or racing engines feature an oil thermometer. Due to its high viscosity, motor oil is not always the preferred oil for certain applications. Some applications make use of lighter products such as WD-40, when a lighter oil is desired, or honing oil if the desired viscosity needs to be mid-range.

Other additives

In addition to the viscosity index improvers, motor oil manufacturers often include other additives such as detergents and dispersants to help keep the engine clean by minimizing sludge buildup, corrosion inhibitors, and alkaline additives to neutralize acidic oxidation products of the oil. Most commercial oils have a minimal amount of zinc dialkyldithiophosphate as an anti-wear additive to protect contacting metal surfaces with zinc and other compounds in case of metal to metal contact. The quantity of zinc dialkyldithiophosphate is limited to minimize adverse effect on catalytic converters. Another aspect for after-treatment devices is the deposition of oil ash, which increases the exhaust back pressure and reduces fuel economy over time. The so-called “chemical box” limits today the concentrations of sulfur, ash and phosphorus (SAP). There are other additives available commercially which can be added to the oil by the user for purported additional benefit. Some of these additives include: EP additives, like zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP) additives and sulfonates, preferably calcium sulfonates, are available to consumers for additional protection under extreme-pressure conditions or in heavy duty performance situations. Calcium sulfonates additives are also added to protect motor oil from oxidative breakdown and to prevent the formation of sludge and varnish deposits. Both were the main basis of additive packages used by lubricant manufacturers up until the 1990s when the need for ashless additives arose. Main advantage was very low price and wide availability (sulfonates were originally waste byproducts). Currently there are ashless oil lubricants without these additives, which can only fulfill the qualities

of the previous generation with more expensive basestock and more expensive organic or organometallic additive compounds. Some new oils are not formulated to provide the level of protection of previous generations to save manufacturing costs. Lately API specifications reflect that some molybdenum disulfidecontaining additives to lubricating oils are claimed to reduce friction, bond to metal, or have anti-wear properties. MoS2 particles can be shear-welded on steel surface and some engine components were even treated with MoS2 layer during manufacture, namely liners in engines. (Trabant for example). They were used in World War II in flight engines and became commercial after World War II until the 1990s. They were commercialized in the 1970s (ELF ANTAR Molygraphite) and are today still available (Liqui Moly MoS2 10 W-40). Main disadvantage of molybdenum disulfide is anthracite black color, so oil treated with it is hard to distinguish from a soot filled engine oil with metal shavings from spun crankshaft bearing.

In the 1980s and 1990s, additives with suspended PTFE particles were available, e.g., “Slick50”, to consumers to increase motor oil’s ability to coat and protect metal surfaces. There is controversy as to the actual effectiveness of these products, as they can coagulate and clog the oil filter and tiny oil passages in the engine. It is supposed to work under boundary lubricating conditions, which good

engine designs tend to avoid anyway. Also, Teflon alone has little to no ability to firmly stick on a sheared surface, unlike molybdenum disulfide, for example. Various extreme-pressure (EP) additives and antiwear additives. Many patents proposed use perfluoropolymers to reduce friction between metal parts, such as PTFE (Teflon), or micronized PTFE. However, the application obstacle of PTFE is insolubility in lubricant oils. Their application is questionable and depends mainly on the engine design — one that cannot maintain reasonable lubricating conditions might benefit, while properly designed engine with oil film thick enough would not see any difference. PTFE is a very soft material, thus its friction coefficient becomes worse than that of hardened steel-to-steel mating surfaces under common loads. PTFE is used in composition of sliding bearings where it improves lubrication under relatively light load until the oil pressure builds up to full hydrodynamic lubricating conditions. EP additives may be incompatible with some motorcycles which share wet clutch lubrication with the engine.

Reliability solutions for motor oils

GG recommends taking care of your motor oil with our oil analysis program. As a preventative maintenance tool, oil analysis helps save engines from on-road catastrophes by diagnosing potential problems before they happen, ensuring dependable and reliable service from your engine.

GG Friction Antidote produces unmatched and comprehensive efficiency that extend reliability and robustness in OEMs, help our clients minimize Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of plants, through significant reduction of maintenance schedules, energy consumption and increased process uptimes.

Unearth the benefits of GG Friction Antidote – An investment that pays off and your benefits at a glance:

Innovative tribological solutions are our passion. We’re proud to offer unmatched friction reduction for a better environment and a quick return on your investment. Through personal contact and consultation, we offer reliable service, support and help our clients to be successful in all industries and markets.

Profitability:

Switching over to a high-performance lubricant pays off although purchasing costs may seem higher at first, less maintenance and longer vehicles/machinery parts lifecycle may already mean less strain on your budget in the short to medium term.

Continuous production processes and predictable maintenance intervals reduce production losses to a minimum. Consistently high lubricant quality ensures continuous, maintenance-free long-term lubrication for high plant availability. Continuous supply of fresh GG Friction Antidote treated lubricant to the lubrication points keeps friction low and reduces energy costs.

Safety:

Longer lubrication intervals reduce the frequency of maintenance work and the need for your staff to work in danger zones. Lubrication systems can therefore considerably reduce occupational safety risks in work areas that are difficult to access.

Reliability:

GG Friction Antidote treated lubricants ensure reliable, clean and precise lubrication around the clock. Plant availability is ensured by continuous friction reduction of the application. Lubrication with GG Friction Antidote treated lubricants help to prevent significant rolling bearing failures.

Need a good ROI? How about 3,900%?

It may sound too outrageous to be true, but the Institute of Mechanical Engineers estimates every $1,000 spent on proper lubrication yields $40,000 in savings.

INSTANT ROI FOR OPTIMIZING YOUR LUBRICATION REGIMEN

How many kilometers do you travel monthly?

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How many kilometers or hours do you run per oil change?

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What’s the cost of oil to you monthly?

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The information in this literature is intended to provide education and knowledge to a reader with technical experience for the possible application of GG Friction Antidote.  It constitutes neither an assurance of your vehicle/machinery optimization nor does it release the user from the obligation of performing preliminary tests with GG Friction Antidote. We recommend contacting our technical consulting staff to discuss your specific application. We can offer you services and solutions for your heavy machinery and equipment.

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