Basic Precautions for Grease Storage

The property that the viscosity of lubricating grease changes with the shear speed makes it have special adaptability when it is used in machinery with constant speed change. When the speed is high, the viscosity of the lubricant is required to be low. At this time, the damage of the grease structure is intensified, the fiber is oriented, and the viscosity becomes low. 

• When the speed is slow, the viscosity of the lubricant is required to be large, while the viscosity of the grease is relatively large when the shear speed is low. The change of grease viscosity with shear speed basically meets the requirements of mechanical speed change on lubricant viscosity bearing.Basic Precautions for Grease Storage
• The viscosity of grease at very low shear speed is closely related to the starting of lubricated friction parts. Since the viscosity of the grease is high when the shear speed is small, if the viscosity of the grease is too high, the starting resistance will increase. Especially at low temperature, the viscosity of grease increases, which will affect the low-temperature starting and even cause difficulties.
•  In fact, when the machine is started, the force required to overcome the flow resistance of grease at small shear speed is much greater than that required to overcome the strength limit. For example, the shear stress limit of a lithium grease at a temperature of 40 ℃ is no more than 686.5pa (7gf / cm2), while its flow resistance is 2452pa (25gf / cm2) at 2.5s-1 at the same temperature. 
• It can be seen that the viscosity of the grease at low temperature and low shear speed has a great influence on the low temperature starting performance of the grease. For lubricating grease used in low temperature or wide temperature range, its low temperature viscosity needs to be specified.Basic Precautions for Grease Storage

1、 Sliding temperature and oil film holding capacity

• The grease covers the metal surface and prevents the external air and water from contacting with the metal, thus protecting the metal surface. If the covering layer causes the grease to no longer adhere to the metal surface due to the change of ambient temperature, the grease has no protective effect. 
• The slip temperature indicates the high temperature limit of grease adhesion to vertical metal surfaces. The slip temperature of grease depends on the drop point, surface capacity, phase state and viscosity temperature coefficient of grease, as well as the coating thickness on the metal surface.Basic Precautions for Grease Storage
• The surface of ordinary mild steel will rust within 10min if it contacts with water and air at room temperature. Applying protective grease can delay the rusting time. The thicker the oil film, the slower the transmission of oxygen and water vapor. The higher the density of the oil film, the lower the permeability.
•  At a fixed temperature, the weight of the uniform oil film per unit area is measured, which is called the oil film holding capacity. The industry standard SH / t0334-92 is a method for measuring the retention capacity of lubricating grease film.Basic Precautions for Grease Storage

2、 Rust resistance

• Due to its good adhesion characteristics, lubricating grease can maintain enough lipid film on the metal surface to prevent water vapor, air, acidic and corrosive gas or liquid from eroding the metal surface through the lipid film. Therefore, lubricating grease can protect the metal surface from erosion more than lubricating oil. However, the lipid film formed by grease on the metal surface is permeable. Generally speaking, the thicker the lipid membrane, the slower the air and agricultural gas pass. Similarly, the greater the density of the lipid membrane, the lower the permeability.Basic Precautions for Grease Storage