WI: Dry lubrication of early machinery?

[trurle]

Seems the methods to bond dry lubricants to metals using a bakelite binder was developed unusually late (patent dating 1960)
https://www.google.com/patents/US3073761
I suspect the dry lubrication would allow higher-temperature machines to be built (dry lubrication is usable to 400C while classical oils decompose at 200C), meaning higher power densities earlier in history.


What is similar process of dry self-lubricating coatings would be developed in ~1917 ? (few years after discovery of bakelite). I think the chemistry is prone to serendipitous discovery (like during experiments trying dry lubricant as mold release agents in variously plated molds). Imagine the engineer discovering what certain surface treatments of mold would cause a counter-intuitive high adhesion of bakelite to mold. And he notice a slippery surface of metal in small coated patches after the bakelite is torn away by brute force.

More detailed questions:
1) Which sorts of machines would be most benefited by such a discovery?
2) Machinery/devices/weapons which were not built or under-performed IOTL but would be fine with the dry lubrication?
3) Any macro effects on the flow of history?

 

[Driftless]

A thousand years ago in the days of my youth....

I remember a non-fiction book about combat photographers with the 8th Air Force using graphite as a lubricant on their cameras, as it was not affected by the extreme cold at high altitude, unlike petroleum based oils or grease. I believe they borrowed that idea from the gunners in the bombers. I don't remember the title or author unfortunately.

 

[trurle]

A thousand years ago in the days of my youth....

I remember a non-fiction book about combat photographers with the 8th Air Force using graphite as a lubricant on their cameras, as it was not affected by the extreme cold at high altitude, unlike petroleum based oils or grease. I believe they borrowed that idea from the gunners in the bombers. I don't remember the title or author unfortunately.

Thank you for data. Yes, i know the powdered dry lubricant was already used by WWII in light-duty applications. Did not knew about bomber machine guns or recon cameras though. It was likely useful but service life was just few hours because powder rapidly fell from most of surfaces. Dry lubricant self-lubricating hard coating, on the other side, can work hundreds of hours (until all coating is worn out), opening more demanding applications.

 

[pdf27]

Umm... power density is one thing it won't help with - if you're worried about power density then your major limit is cooling. Oil can be circulated to an external cooler to help with this (indeed, many oil "lubrication" systems are actually mostly there to provide cooling), but solid lubricants cannot be. There are a handful of applications it helps with, but really not that many - even today the likes of moly disulfide isn't used much: typically for tasks like lubricating bolt threads so that they can be torqued accurately.

 

[trurle]

Umm... power density is one thing it won't help with - if you're worried about power density then your major limit is cooling. Oil can be circulated to an external cooler to help with this (indeed, many oil "lubrication" systems are actually mostly there to provide cooling), but solid lubricants cannot be. There are a handful of applications it helps with, but really not that many - even today the likes of moly disulfide isn't used much: typically for tasks like lubricating bolt threads so that they can be torqued accurately.

How about combining solid lubricant with air cooling? Higher operating temperatures mean smaller fans and ducts. Actually oil coolers are not what good for system power density because of large size of oil radiators. These can be made load-bearing and/or conformal to obtain cooling for "free", but this option is not always available. I remember aircraft of WWII which had overheating of both wing-spanning oil radiators and engine after engine upgrades.
And yes, i actually use a graphite spray for the bushings and lead screws in my machines. It does not reduce average friction force much, but reduce vibrations and peak-to-average of friction force which is important for service life.

 

[Insider]

please remember that many of WWII airplanes was build out of plywood. Upgrading operational temperature from 200 to 400 degrees could cause fire or thermal degradation of glue. The problem with lubrication oil was different. Do you remember any old movie where heroes pull off on the gas station? Station attendant always ask whatever it is necessary to change oil... It is because up to the sixties/seventies the quality of lubricants was poor, they weren't that effective as they are now, and they aged quickly.

I once read that the moratorium on whaling caused rush to develop high quality oil, because whale oil was one used in specialist high end machinery where you couldn't afford frequent changes. However this was "save the whales" publication so it might be that they would state everything to prove their point.

 

[pdf27]

How about combining solid lubricant with air cooling? Higher operating temperatures mean smaller fans and ducts. Actually oil coolers are not what good for system power density because of large size of oil radiators. These can be made load-bearing and/or conformal to obtain cooling for "free", but this option is not always available. I remember aircraft of WWII which had overheating of both wing-spanning oil radiators and engine after engine upgrades.
And yes, i actually use a graphite spray for the bushings and lead screws in my machines. It does not reduce average friction force much, but reduce vibrations and peak-to-average of friction force which is important for service life.

Problem is that air cooling always needs MUCH bigger ducts than any form of fluid cooling, just because the density is three orders of magnitude smaller and this kills you on the overall weight, no matter what small increases you can make in operating temperatures. The critical value is usually the heat transfer coefficient rather than the ducting anyway, and oil is streets ahead here.

 

[Just Leo]

This thread is supposed to discuss possible early applications of dry lubricant in resin suspension, with earlier than 1960 applications. I can think of many applications where miraculous use of terrific non-friction dry lubricant hasn't been used to this very day. I've tried Castrol dry chain lubricant, which is graphite in a suspension which washes it off. I've dabbled with Moly for decades, and discovered that it works well when sealed, and is your enemy when exposed to contamination of any kind. PTFEs are a long story. But this is mostly about MoS2 in phenol binder clinging to a pure gold film, through an elaborate process, and I just have to wonder why I still have to change oil in my lawnmower. There must be some reason why the world still doesn't run on dry-lubricated bearings. Conspiracy, or cost/performance? BTW, I hate sealed-for-life bearings, when they die before I do.

 

[riggerrob]

To our Polish friend:
From a Canadian perspective only a small percentage of RCAF airplanes were made of wood.
Tiger Moth trainers were traditional sticks-and-fabric construction.
Anson trainers had Duramold airframes.
The only front-line wooden airplane was the DHC Mosquito.

Any engine installation requires steel motor mounts and firewalls to prevent melting or burning the rest of the airframe.

Up until the 1970s automobile drivers routinely checked engine oil levels because engines leaked. They also burned any oil that escaped (upwards) past piston rings.
Modern air-cooled, piston-pounding airplane engines still burn or leak a litre of oil every few hours because they are so "loose" to compensate for uneven heating and cooling.
Oil also helps cool cylinder heads on modern Continental and Lycoming engines. Continental and Lycoming engines are also fuel-cooled by gasoline evaporating in combustion chambers. After switching to liquid-cooled engines (e.g. retrofitting a liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, Corvette car engine into a Republic Seabee) reduces fuel-burn by 40 percent.
Only the cylinder heads are liquid-cooled on 900 series Rotax engines. The latest Rotax engine ask benefits from electronic fuel-injection, which reduces fuel consumption by 40 perecent compared with carbureted Rotaxes. Reduced fuel consumption allows Rotax-powered drones to loiter (over targets) for several more hours.

As for whaling: whale oil lubricated the early industrial revolution, but by 1900 whale stocks were severely depleted. The only reason whaling continued after WW2 was because people in the UK and Japan were starving.

An alternate POD would have Canadian bush pilots discovering a variety of low-temperature lubricants for days when air temperatures dipped below -40 degrees.

 

[marathag]

It is because up to the sixties/seventies the quality of lubricants was poor, they weren't that effective as they are now, and they aged quickly.

While motor oils are improved, engines were worse too.
Poured babbit for mains, and rings weren't so great, then talk about cork or paper and shellac for gaskets.
So besides leaks and blowby into the combustion chambers, those engines had what were called road draft tubes, a pipe from the top end rand down low to get suction to pull fumes. Not till the '60s were things tight enough to try rerouting crankcase ventilation back to the intake manifold.

 

[ComradeHuxley]

As for whaling: whale oil lubricated the early industrial revolution, but by 1900 whale stocks were severely depleted. The only reason whaling continued after WW2 was because people in the UK and Japan were starving.

Sounds like the story behind jojoba oil:

"Jojoba oil is used as a replacement for whale oil and its derivatives, such as cetyl alcohol. The ban on importing whale oil to the U.S. in 1971 led to the discovery that jojoba oil is "in many regards superior to sperm whale oil for applications in the cosmetics and other industries."[1]"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jojoba_oil#History

 

[trurle]

This thread is supposed to discuss possible early applications of dry lubricant in resin suspension, with earlier than 1960 applications. I can think of many applications where miraculous use of terrific non-friction dry lubricant hasn't been used to this very day. I've tried Castrol dry chain lubricant, which is graphite in a suspension which washes it off. I've dabbled with Moly for decades, and discovered that it works well when sealed, and is your enemy when exposed to contamination of any kind. PTFEs are a long story. But this is mostly about MoS2 in phenol binder clinging to a pure gold film, through an elaborate process, and I just have to wonder why I still have to change oil in my lawnmower. There must be some reason why the world still doesn't run on dry-lubricated bearings. Conspiracy, or cost/performance? BTW, I hate sealed-for-life bearings, when they die before I do.

Gradually, world drifts to wider usage of dry lubricants. A question of engineering culture and tradition. 15 years before my machinery did use only oil. But all the hassle with debris adhesion and oil-resistant gaskets..right now i am looking on linear actuator and cannot find any oiled part.

As about 1960 year patent description, i think it intentionally (for obfuscation) list one of the most complicated and ineffective pathways to create dry self-lubricated coating. And any dry lubricant can be suspended in resin, not just the MoS2
Physical process in patent is (roughing-priming-weakly adhering gold-priming with ether based coupling agent-coating).
The best current process i know is (priming-mercaptane based coupling agent-coating).

 

[trurle]

As for whaling: whale oil lubricated the early industrial revolution, but by 1900 whale stocks were severely depleted. The only reason whaling continued after WW2 was because people in the UK and Japan were starving.

An alternate POD would have Canadian bush pilots discovering a variety of low-temperature lubricants for days when air temperatures dipped below -40 degrees.

I agree. Whale meat in Japan is currently an "elite food" but the taste is such what a vast majority of even Japanese would not eat it unless actually starving.

So let`s me summarize the discussion so far:
1) The machines benefiting from dry lubricant coatings would be mostly high-altitude and polar aviation (no freezing at low temperature).
2) Machine guns, cameras, landing gears, wing mechanization would benefit from dry lubricants - but not the engines.
3) The earlier and less dangerous polar exploration compared to OTL are possible with dry lubricants. In particular, easier rescue missions. McMurdo station opened in 1940 instead of 1956?