A lubricant, or "lube," as it is commonly called, is any type of oily, greasy substance used to reduce friction between solid surfaces. When a lubricant is applied to a rough surface, it undergoes a chemical reaction with the abrasive dirt and other surface molecules on the solid.
During this reaction, the lubricant absorbs abrasive molecules off the surface of the object to which it is applied to make the surface smoother. As a result, while lubricants do cut down the friction between two surfaces, they also typically serve as good cleansers.
Other reasons people generally use types of lubricants can include to:
In this section, we will take a closer look at different types of lubricants. Our articles will highlight the specific uses, potential hazards and appropriate disposal methods associated with each type of lubricant.
Liquid lubricants refer to any lube that has a liquid base. The primary ingredient, which makes up about 60 percent to 90 percent of these types of lubricants, is always some base oil or other liquid. The remainder of the ingredients for liquid lubricants, usually referred to as "additives," changes from manufacturer to manufacturer. Often times, the unique combination of additives is responsible for the nuanced, special features of different types of liquid lubricants.
For example, while special additives can make one type of liquid lubricant water-resistant, a different combination of additives can make another lube especially thick, or more "viscous."The word viscous is commonly used to describe lubricants: The less viscous a liquid lubricant is, the more watery it is and, therefore, easier to pour.
Popular bases for liquid lubricants may include:
Because these lubes can have such varying ingredients, their particular uses also vary, depending on the exact composition of the liquid lubricant.
While solid lubricants are not used nearly as often as their liquid counterparts, you can find them among some household items you use daily. In fact, the Teflon™ that lines your pans to prevent food from sticking as you cook is one of the most common types of solid lubricants that people regularly come across.
Technically known as Polytetrafluoroethene (PTFE), Teflon™ is often used to coat the surface of cookware, as well as pipework, due to the fact that it almost never reacts with foreign substances. In practical terms, this means that food, chemicals and even waste products won't stick to or wear down Teflon™ surfaces.
Mineral solid lubricants are another type of solid lube. While these lubricants can be useful in extremely hot conditions when others fail, they do rust quickly. As a result, they aren't widely used because they tend to be too costly. More research needs to be done before minerals can be used as efficient solid lubricants.