A lubricant (sometimes referred to as "lube") is a substance (often a liquid) introduced between
two moving surfaces to reduce the friction between them, improving efficiency and reducing wear. It may also have the function of dissolving or transporting foreign particles and of distributing heat. Typically lubricants contain 90% base oil (most often petroleum fractions, called mineral oils) and less than 10% additives.
lubricant oil products...
One of the single largest applications for lubricants, in the form of motor oil, is protecting the internal combustion engines in motor vehicles and powered equipment.
Lubricants are typically used to separate moving parts in a system. This has the benefit of reducing friction and surface fatigue together with reduced heat generation, operating noise and vibrations.
Lubricants achieve this by several ways. The most common is by forming a physical barrier i.e. a thin layer of lubricant separates the moving parts. This is termed hydrodynamic lubrication. In cases of high surface pressures or temperatures the fluid film is much thinner and some of the forces are transmitted between the surfaces through the lubricant. This is termed elasto-hydrodynamic lubrication.
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