Thermal oxidation stability of lubricating greases – can a rapid small-scale method replace the classical method?

The article presents the results of tests of the oxidation resistance of 26 samples of selected lubricating greases available on the market. Various types of lubricant samples (according to the type of thickener), produced with oils of different chemical nature and viscosity, were tested. The basic parameters of the greases were determined: the worked penetration and the dropping point. Two different test methods were used to determine the thermal oxidation stability: the classical oxidation method according to PN-C-04143 and the rapid small-scale test method according to ASTM D 8206. The method of determining the correlation between these methods was presented. A correlation was found between the two methods of testing the resistance to oxidation, which can be roughly described using the exponential dependence. For the quick method, better compliance with the classical method was obtained at 140°C than at 160°C, which is confirmed by the determination coefficients determined by the ranking method. Based on the results of the quick method, using the determined exponential dependency, the results of the classical method can be estimated. However, the determined correlation between the PN-C-04143 and ASTM D 8206 methods is insufficient to use these methods interchangeably.