Gear oil additives are an essential factor to consider when buying gear oil. That is because the type of additive in the oil dictates how the oil performs.
Additives primarily enhance the useful properties of your existing base oil, suppress the undesirable qualities of your base oil, and add new beneficial properties to the base oil. Therefore, manufacturers use these functions to categorize the additives.
Enhancing
- Corrosion inhibitors– These additives neutralize acids and form a chemical protective layer to keep moisture from metal surfaces, eliminating internal corrosion or rust. Some inhibitors are specific to certain metals, so check before buying your oil.
- Antioxidants– This help extend the operating life of your gear oil. They are sacrificial additives consumed to delay the oxidation process, protecting your base oil.
- Anti-foam agents– These additives have chemicals with low interfacial tension. They weaken the oil bubble wall, allowing the foam bubbles to break more easily. They also indirectly reduce oxidation by reducing air-oil contact.
Suppressing
- Viscosity index improvers– These are large polymer additives to partially keep your oil from thinning out as temperatures rise. They also help improve oil flow at low temperatures, improving fuel economy and reducing wear.
- Pour-point depressants– Oil pour point refers to the approximate lowest temperature at which your oil remains fluid. Pour-point depressants reduce the wax crystal sizes that form at low temperatures, ensuring that your oil flows even at low temperatures.
Imparting
- Extreme pressure additives– These additives are mainly used for iron metals. They react with the metal and form a coating that prevents adhesive wear. However, they can corrode yellow metals, so avoid using them in worm gear or other applications with copper-based metals.
- Tackifiers– These stringy materials help keep the oil from flinging off your metal surface in rotational movements.
Italmatch Chemicals is here to help you achieve optimal results from your machines and other moving equipment parts. Contact them at Lubeperformanceadditives.com to learn more about their products and order tailor-made gear oil additives.
