Comparative studies of the tribological characteristics of conventional SAE 40 and blended SAE 40 lubricants

Samuel, Joseph and Kaisan, Muhammad Usman and Sanusi, Yinka Sofihullahi and Aliyu, Abdulkabir and Experience, Akhigbe Efeosa (2025) Comparative studies of the tribological characteristics of conventional SAE 40 and blended SAE 40 lubricants. Progress in Engineering Science, 2 (100112). pp. 1-12. ISSN 2950-4252

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Abstract

The rising prices, pollution, and harmful environmental impacts of mineral-based lubricants have necessitated the need to search for alternatives. This study compared the tribological properties of conventional SAE 40 lubricant and Shea butter blended SAE 40 lubricant on a pin and disc tribometer. The Shea butter base oil was produced using the double transesterification method- that is converting fatty acids to polymethyl esters. The produced bio-lubricant was blended with SN 500 mineral oil and viscosity improver to form Shea butter blended SAE 40 lubricant. The tribological properties such as the coefficient of friction, coefficient of friction at the start, specific wear rate and wear scar of the Shea butter blended SAE 40 lubricant were then compared with a reference SAE 40 lubricant using two control parameters (i.e. load between 3 and 8 N and sliding speeds between 5 and 15 cm/s) using a pin-on-disc tribometer. A two-way analysis of Variance (ANOVA) statistical tool was further used to compare the tribological performances of the two samples. Results show that the coefficient of friction (COF) are similar for the two lubricants considered at high sliding speeds. The COF of the conventional SAE 40 is however higher than that of the blended SAE 40 by 88.5 % at a sliding speed of 5 cm/s and 8 N load. The result of ANOVA analysis shows that there is no significant difference in the coefficient of friction, specific wear rate and wear scar for the conventional SAE40 and the Shea butter blended SAE 40. This study shows that vegetable oil (Shea butter oil) has the potential to be an alternative source of raw material for lubricant base oil and the blended SAE 40 produced can be used as a substitute for the conventional SAE 40 in automotive applications.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Bio-lubricant, Lubricant, Shea butter, Coefficient of friction, Specific wear rate, Wear scar, ANOVA, SAE 40
Divisions:	Faculty Of Mechanical Technology And Engineering
Depositing User:	Norfaradilla Idayu Ab. Ghafar
Date Deposited:	12 Dec 2025 02:15
Last Modified:	12 Dec 2025 02:15
URI:	http://eprints.utem.edu.my/id/eprint/29249
Statistic Details:	View Download Statistic

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