Experimental investigation into tribological characteristics of bio- lubricant formulated from Jatropha oil

The investigation of Lubricated Friction and Wear is an extended study. The aim of this study is to investigate the friction and wear characteristics of Jatropha oil based biolubricant by using Cygnus Wear Testing Machine under load of 30N, a high rotating speed of 2000 rpm and one hour operation time. In this study, SEA 40 was used as a reference base lubricant. As a biolubricant various blends like 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% of Jatropha oil were mixed with the base lubricant (SEA 40). The experiment was conducted using aluminium pins and cast iron disc which were lubricated with those of biolubricants. The lubricants were characterized by viscosity and elemental analysis using Viscometer and Multi oil analysers (MOA) respectively. To investigate wear and friction behaviour, image of worn surface have been taken by optical microscopy. From the experimental result, it is found that the lubricant regime that occurred during the experiment was boundary lubrication. The abrasive and the adhesive wear were the main wear mechanisms that occurred in the tests. The results of this experiment reveal that the addition of 10% jatropha oil with base lubricant can be used as lubricating oil without any shortcoming, which would help to reduce the global demand of petroleum based lubricant substantially. © 2012 The authors, Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of the Bangladesh Society of Mechanical Engineers