Mechanical parts that continually move against each other need to be lubricated to reduce friction, wear and heat, prevent corrosion and increase machine efficiency. Lube oil has become the most common lubricant in use today because of its wide range of application. Different types of lube oils are manufactured for a variety of purposes. Lube oils typically consist of 90 percent base oil and 10 percent additives. These are categorized based on their viscosity and end use.
Animal oils are extracted from animal fats. These are triglycerides that can be hard fats or stearin and soft fats or lard. Greases are mainly manufactured from animal fats. Common sources of animal oils are whales and seals. There are other animals that are sources of fine oils for other types of lube oils such as porpoises, sharks, dolphins, sheep and cattle. Animal lube oils are stable at normal temperatures, but cannot be used for combustion engines as they will produce fatty acids.
Vegetable oils are biodegradable since these are derived from vegetable sources such as canola, rapeseed, castor, palm, olive, mustard and sunflower seeds. Both vegetable and animal oils have additives to stabilize them and prolong their usability. They have higher flashpoint than mineral oils and have better viscosity although they can become rather unstable due to lack of oxidative stability and can turn into thick and plastic-like consistency. Vegetable oil lubricants, like animal oil lubricants, may quickly erode steel parts.
Mineral oils are by far the most commonly used type of lube oil, and are products derived from processing crude oil. Mineral oils are further broken into different categories. They can be napthenic, aromatic or paraffinic. Napthenic oils are mainly used in the manufacture of metal working fluids and transformer oils. Paraffinic oils are used as base for the manufacture of engine oils and industrial lubricants. These are also used for oils used in paper, textile and rubber industries. Aromatic oils are used in sealing compounds and adhesives.
There are lubricating oils that are created by the combination of mineral, vegetable and animal oils as well as other artificially-made additives to make the products suitable for high-performance engines. These are typically made from crude oil and other materials and used for machineries operating at extreme temperatures like jet and race car engines. Synthetic oils are less evaporative and resistant to oxidation and oil sludge problems which are beneficial in keeping engines clean for better performance. There are various synthetic oil products and each one is manufactured to serve a specific purpose and answer a different need.
