2012 AGM Synopsis of Technical Papers - ELGI

Key Speaker
”Life in 2050”
Dr. Ulrich Eberl
Siemens AG Corporate Communications and Government Affairs
Technology Press and Innovation Communications CC MR 1
Dr. Ulrich Eberl is one of the most renowned science and technology journalists in Germany. He studied physics
and received his doctorate from the Technical University Munich for an interdisciplinary thesis on the first trillionths
of a second of photosynthesis. Starting in 1988, he worked as a freelance journalist for various newspapers and
magazines, writing hundreds of articles on topics ranging from evolution and nanotechnology to space research
and the excavation of ancient Troy. After working for Daimler's technology publications from 1992 to 1995, Dr.
Eberl joined Siemens in 1996 as the director of its worldwide innovation communications. His particular interest is
in futurology, and since 2001 he has been the Editor in Chief and publisher of Pictures of the Future, a magazine
for research and innovation that has already won several international awards in Europe and the USA. In a survey
of 900 science journalists that was conducted in 2009, Ulrich Eberl was voted the best media spokesperson for
corporate research in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. In 2007, he acted as co-publisher of the book "Innovative
Minds" which tells the story of 30 innovators and reveals how innovations take shape in a global company. His new
book "Life in 2050" - published in 2011 - vividly describes the key trends that will influence our life in the future and
how we ourselves can help to invent the world of tomorrow.
Life in 2050 – Technologies that will Shape the World of Tomorrow
We are on the threshold of a new era. Our planet’s climate is at risk. The century of oil is coming to an
end, and the world’s energy supply must be put on a new and sustainable foundation. In 2050, the
number of people living in cities will be almost as large as the world’s entire population today — and for
the first time in history, there will be more senior citizens than children and young people.
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That’s why researchers, inventors, and engineers must be more creative today than ever before. Robots
as household servants, sensory organs for electric cars, buildings as energy traders, computers as
medical assistants, farms in skyscrapers, ceilings made of light, power plants in deserts and on the high
seas, supercomputers the size of peas, virtual universities, online factories — these are not visions but
almost tangible realities in laboratories worldwide.
For ten years now, Dr. Ulrich Eberl, head of Siemens’ innovation communications, has published a
magazine called Pictures of the Future which has been exploring the world of tomorrow. Pictures of the
Future has been investigating future trends and identifying the important technologies that will shape our
lives in the coming decades. In his new book Life in 2050. Ulrich Eberl provides for the first time a
compact, clearly structured summary of the key developments that will determine how we live in the
decades ahead. Considered in the light of trends in society, business, and politics, these developments
point the way forward as we journey into the future.
In his presentation at ELGI 2012 meeting in Munich, Ulrich Eberl will give insights into the laboratories of
the people who create the future and exciting glimpses of the world of tomorrow. He will show that the
challenges of the 21st century can be mastered - if we keep our minds open to potential solutions and
have the courage to invent the world of tomorrow.
M: +49 (174) 1560089
ulrich.eberl@siemens.com
Dr. Ulrich Eberl
Siemens AG Corporate Communications and Government Affairs
Technology Press and Innovation Communications CC MR
Wittelsbacherplatz 2
80333 München, Deutschland
Tel.: +49 (89) 636-33246
Fax: +49 (89) 636-35292
Dr. Eberl’s book on Life in 2050 (with video) will be available for 19.95€ at the ELGI AGM in
Munich.www.siemens.com/innovation/lifein2050
Magazine Pictures of the Future: www.siemens.com/pof
Siemens’ innovation website: www.siemens.com/innovation
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Synopsis 2012 Technical Presentations
Grease Production Survey
The 2010 NLGI Production Survey will be presented and reviewed.
Paul R Grives
ExxonMobil Oil Corporation
Fuels, Lubricants, and Specialty Chemicals Marketing Company
paul.r.grives@exxonmobil.com
Paul Grives is employed by ExxonMobil as the Global Industrial Marketing Manager located in Fairfax Virginia, USA. He holds a
BS in Chemistry from Fordham University, a BS in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University, an MS in Polymer Science
from Columbia University, and an MBA from the University of Houston. He has over 23 years experience in grease, joining
ExxonMobil in 1989 at the Mobil Research and Development Center, Paulsboro New Jersey, USA as a grease researcher. Over
time, he has held numerous positions within ExxonMobil in research, plant engineering, global engineering and plant design,
production & operations, quality assurance, and technical service before being appointed to his current position in 2011.
Paul has been an active member of NLGI since 1990, obtaining the CLGS Certification in 2006. He has served on the NLGI
Board of Directors since 2009. NLGI awarded Paul the Clarence E. Earle Award in 2000 for his contribution to the technical
literature pertaining to grease and the Shell Lubricants Award for Instructor Excellence in 2011.
Paul has also been an active member of STLE since 1995, obtaining CLS Certification in 1996. He has been a participating
member of ELGI since 2009.
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Future of the Grease Market in Germany
Karl-Josef Minis
Fuchs Europe Schmierstoffe GmbH
Entwicklung Schmierfette/ R&D Lubricating Greases
Mannheim - Germany
Karl-Josef.Minis@fuchs-europe.de
Karl-Josef Minis holds a diploma in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Applied Science Aachen, Germany. From
1984-1987 he was employed as design engineer at Case International, located in Neuss, Germany. In 1988 he joined Fuchs
Europe Schmierstoffe GmbH as an application engineer. Over the years his position changed from Product Manager Lubricating
Greases in 1990 to the Head of Product Management Lubricating Greases for Germany in 1993. Since 2005 he is the Head of
European Product Management Greases.
Synopsis
This presentation will show the current situation of the German grease market compared with the global
and European situation and give an outlook to its future. Focus is set on the challenges which lubricating
manufacturers have to meet according to customers’ demands, but also with regard to availability of raw
materials and legislation. The ongoing discussions concerning the reduced consumption of fossil fuels
and subsequent reduction of carbon dioxide emissions finally reached the lubricating grease
manufacturers who are now forced to raise the efficiency of industrial and automotive components. Due
to the dramatic raw material situation and future increasing demands lubricating greases become more
and more a basic machine element to fulfil complex requirements.
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Influence of Grease Components on the Tribological Behaviour of Rubber Seals
Dipl.-Ing. Max Sommer
Co-authors: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Haas
Institut für Maschinenelemente
Stuttgart - Germany
max.sommer@ima.uni-stuttgart.de
2010: Degree in Mechanical Engineering (Dipl.-Ing.). Since June 2010: Research Assistant at the University of Stuttgart
(Institute of Machine Components, Sealing Technology)
Synopsis
Rolling bearings are more and more lifetime lubricated with grease instead of with oil. Therefore
a reliable sealing of greases is essential. However, the tribological behaviour in the grease
lubricated sealing gap is mostly unknown. But the knowledge of this behaviour is essential for
an optimized design of seals.
The complex tribological system of a rubber seal is reduced to an experimental model and tested on a
ring-on-disc tribometer. This model will be shown. The results of investigations will be presented. The
aim of these investigations is to evaluate the influence of grease components on the temperature and
friction torque of the tribological system.
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Surface Analysis – A Powerful Tool in the Development and Testing of New
Lubricants
Dr. Adam Orendorz
Co-authors: Dr.-Ing. Marius Kuhn, Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Philipp Staub, Dr. Michael Rankl
Klüber Lubrication München KG
Munich - Germany
Adam.Orendorz@klueber.com
2003 Diploma in Physics, University of Kaiserslautern, Germany
2008 Doctoral Degree in Surface Physics, Technical University of Kaiserslautern, Germany
2008 – 2010: Research Trainee at Freudenberg Forschungsdienste KG, Weinheim, Germany
Since 2010: Specialist for material and surface analysis at Klüber Lubrication München KG, Munich, Germany
Synopsis
Generally, new lubricants have to pass tribological and chemical tests before they can be used in a
specific application. Due to shorter product development times, more ambitious specifications and more
rigid environmental laws, the development of new lubricants has become more and more challenging.
Therefore, it is necessary to understand how lubricants act in the lubrication gap and whether there are
ways to improve their performance.
Since the 1970’s, surface analysis techniques have been used to characterize processes taking place
between two friction bodies. These techniques are usually very specialized. Revealing a specific kind of
information, e.g. element distribution, structure or topology of a surface, these techniques can help to
understand and to solve tribological problems.
Based on several examples it is shown in which cases applied surface analysis can solve tribological
questions that occur during the testing of lubricants. Furthermore, benefits of coordinated teamwork
between chemical development, surface analysis and tribological testing in the lubricant development
process are pointed out.
Page 6

Tribotesting - A Tool for Quality Management?
Gregor Patzer
Optimol Instruments Prüftechnik GmbH
München - Germany
gregor.patzer@optimol-instruments.de
Gregor graduated from Munich University of Applied Sciences with a master’s degree in engineering physics (Dipl. Ing. FH) in
2010. Before joining Optimol Instruments Prüftechnik as a specialist for wear measurement with radionuclides in 2010 he
acquired additional qualifications in radiometry and radiation protection. Gregor is head of the Tribotesting Institute at Optimol
Instruments and is also responsible for standards development and quality assurance methods for tribotesting equipment.
Synopsis
Tribotesting - a tool for quality management?
Tribological test machines such as the SRV® are employed, amongst other uses, in quality management
and in the performance rating of lubricants. To establish a valid basis for comparison between customer
and supplier, different departments or production sites there is a strong need for test results providing
proven precision.
This paper highlights what the term precision implies in tribotesting and recommends suitable laboratory
work practices ensuring reliable results.
Page 7

Friction and Wear Process within the Grease Film
Prof. Erik Kuhn
MuT Inst. of Eng.Des. and Prod.Dev.
Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
Hamburg - Germany
Erik.Kuhn@haw-hamburg.de
Erik Kuhn studied mechanical engineering (diploma 1978), welding technology (1982) and tribology technology (1985). He
received the Doctors degree in 1987 at Magdeburg University. Since 1991 he worked as Professor for machine elements and
tribology at Hamburg University of Appl. Sciences. He is head of the Laboratory of Machine Elements and Tribology, is teaching
tribology at different universities, is organiser of the Arnold Tross Colloquium, member of different program committee and
editorial board.
Synopsis
Most of the grease lubricated contacts are situated in the state of mixed friction. To quantify the part of
liquid friction which comes from the lubricating grease it is necessary to analyse the contact relation (fluid
element-fluid element) and to get an idea of the irreversible effects caused by friction.
This paper presents some thoughts about the energy consumption during the shear process (friction) of
the grease film. The determination of energy densities is possible with the help of rheometer tests. The
friction process leads to irreversible changes of the grease structure. An interpretation of oscillating
rheometer tests delivers some interesting information about the degradation process. Some further
steps will be presented to model the tribological process in the sense of energy stress-energy release by
using thermodynamic ideas.
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Wear Behaviour of Grease Lubricated Gears
M.Sc. Johann-Paul Stemplinger1 Co-authors: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Karsten Stahl1 , Prof.i.R. Dr.-Ing. Bernd-Robert Hoehn1 , Dr.-Ing. Klaus
Michaelis1 , Dr.-Ing. Hans-Philipp Otto1 , Dr.-Ing. Michael Hochmann2 1: Technische Universitaet Muenchen TUM, Mechanical Engineering, Gear Research Center FZG,
Munich, Germany
2: Klueber Lubrication Muenchen KG, Marketing and Application Engineering, Munich, Germany
sj@fzg.mw.tum.de
Johann-Paul Stemplinger is Associate to Prof. Dr.-Ing. K. Stahl, at FZG since 2009. Studies of Mechanical Engineering, Technical
University Munich, M.Sc.
Synopsis
For lubrication of open gear drives applied in rotary furnaces, often gear greases are used as well as for
lubrication of gear boxes in difficult sealing conditions. The selection of the gear grease influences
strongly the wear behaviour.
Investigations with flow greases NLGI 00 were made in a back-to-back test rig determining the weight
loss due to wear according to the standardised procedure ISO 14635 part 3. Different influences like
base oil viscosity, thickener type and additional solid lubricant type were analysed. Only the type and
amount of solid lubricant shows a significant influence on the weight loss due to wear. Finally, a linear
wear coefficient clT according to the calculation method of the wear amount according to Plewe is
derived and can be used to transfer the test results to any gears in practice.
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Specialty Lubricants Tailored for Current and Future Brake System Components
Dr. Detlev Hesse
Dow Corning GmbH
Wiesbaden - Germany
detlev.hesse@dowcorning.com
Detlev graduated 1989 as MSc of chemistry (Diplom Chemiker) from the University Goettingen/Germany. In 1991 he completed
his PhD in science (inorganic chemistry and microbiology) and following employment as scientist at University of
Goettingen/Germany. 1992 he joined Dow Corning as S&T chemist for synthetic lubricants in Munich/Germany. His
responsibilities are Application Engineering and Technical Service (AETS) senior specialist for lubricants Europe; laboratory
supervisor lubricants; AETS for viscous fan clutch fluids EU.
Synopsis
Safety and comfort continue to be growing requirements for brake devices in the automotive market.
Trouble-free performance under changing conditions is mandatory, therefore selection of the right
lubricant is one of the most challenging tasks for brake system designers and engineers. Ordinary
lubricants often cannot meet the increased technical demands. Good lubricity for “wet” lubricants is a key
requirement. In many applications, specialty lubricants are required to perform under extreme
conditions, e.g., low and high temperatures, variable speeds and loads, exposure to water and dust, etc.
Good compatibility with elastomers used in automotive brake systems is also essential. State of the art
lubricants should offer features such as corrosion protection, reduced noise, dampening, sealing, and
insulating properties. Last, but not least, they should be non- toxic, environmentally friendly, and fulfil all
international regulatory requirements.
In friction materials, solid, i.e., “dry” lubricants provide a high and uniform friction coefficient, even under
high temperature conditions. Furthermore, they help to reduce noise and judder.
This paper discusses the use and benefits of several different types of lubricants, including specialty
greases, pastes, compounds, anti-friction coatings, and synergistic solid lubricants in brake system
applications that range “from the brake pedal to the brake pad.”
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Traction Motor Gear Compound: Effect of Base Oil and Additives on Rheological
and Thermal Properties of TMGC
N. K. Pokhriyal, V. Kumar, S. C. Nagar, T. P. George, E. Sayanna, R. T. Mookken, B. Basu and R. K.
Malhotra
Indian Oil Corporation Ltd., Research and Development Centre, Faridabad, Haryana India
pokhriyalnk@iocl.co.in
sayannae@iocl.co.in
Synopsis
In view of the increased power of diesel locomotives and augmented loads on axles and gearboxes,
design of lubricating grease for lubrication of traction motor gearbox of diesel locomotives is a challenge.
Complexity of the nature of inputs used in making such lubricant makes it even more difficult. Due to the
imbalance of components of lubricant, water/dust ingress, poor maintenance, etc., frequent solidification
or leakage of traction motor gear compound (TMGC) during operation is observed. The present study
focuses on preparation and characterization of a Lithium base TMGC and effects on rheological and
thermal properties of TMGC with respect to i) type and viscosity of base oil & ii) additives chemistries
and dosages. Results obtained are discussed on the basis of the matrix homogeneity and dispersion of
additives in matrix.
Page 11

The Financial Implications of Data Generation for Chemical Registration under
REACH
Paul Whitehead
WCA Environment Limited
paul.whitehead@wca-environment.com
Paul Whitehead is a Principal Consultant for wca environment ltd, an independent consultancy company providing
advice on the fate and effects of chemicals in the natural and industrial environments. Paul is an American Board
Certified Toxicologist and has spent many years practising toxicology in various industries, including the chemical
and pharmaceutical sectors. He has previously worked in the lubricants business sector for 11 years and currently
works closely with the ERGTC (European REACH Grease Thickener Consortium). Paul is also a Fellow of the
British Toxicology Society, Fellow of the UK Royal Society of Chemistry, and Chairman of its Environment, Health
& Safety Committee.”
Synopsis
REACH (the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation of Chemicals) is a complex and expensive piece of
European legislation which is now well into its second phase. The cost to industry for compliance is very
high, and there are specific requirements to avoid the use of experimental animals for data generation as
far as practically possible. This presentation will review the options to fulfil REACH data endpoints by the
use of surrogate data, category justification, read-across, etc. The vulnerabilities of such approaches will
also be explored.
Page 12

Low Temperature Tribology – A Study of the Influence of Base Oil Characteristics
on Friction Behaviour under Low Temperature Conditions
Mehdi Fathi-Najafi
Senior Technical Coordinator –Nynas AB
Co-authors: Pär Nyman; Statoil Lubricants R&D / Daniel Hedlund; Process Technology -Nynas AB
Thomas Norrby, Prof; Statoil Lubricants R&D
mehdi.fathi-najafi@nynas.com
Mehdi Fathi-Najafi holds a M.Sc. from Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden, as well as a Licentiate of
Engineering in Chemical Technology (also from Chalmers). Mehdi worked within the grease industry for almost 13 years as a
Senior Development engineer, before he joined Nynas AB as a Senior Technical Coordinator in 2008. Mehdi has one patent
and has published articles in a dozen publications covering a variety of specialist areas, including filtration, grease composition
and applied rheology.
Keywords: Tribology, Coefficient of friction, Rheology, Low temperature, Naphthenic oil, Paraffinic oil,
Base oil, Differential Scanning Calorimetery.
Synopsis
A literature review of tribology at temperatures below zero degrees centigrade suggests that very little
work has been done in this field. Publications in this field are mainly focused on lubricants for refrigerant
compressors, space and aeromotive applications. In the Northern hemisphere there are numerous
applications which are subjected to low temperatures such as automotive transmissions and hydraulic
systems for outdoor use etc. for extended periods during the winter season.
This study aims to increase the understanding of low temperature tribology. It relates tribological
phenomena to test data from rheology measurements and data from calorimetric studies of phase
transitions at different temperatures. Results indicate that there indeed is a relationship between these
three quite different methods of characterizing oils at low temperatures. Studies have been made on six
different base oils and one additive.
The measured coefficient of friction (μ) as a function of the sliding speed and temperature show different
behaviour for the base fluids, depending on the applied temperature and the sliding speed. At low sliding
speeds, μ is rather constant for all the samples, whereas at higher speeds some of them show both
increased and decreased μ depending on parameters such as the rheological behaviour of the fluid
Page 13

Understanding the Additive Requirements for Formulating a High Performance
Ecolabel Grease
Paul Robinson
Research Chemist / Applied Sciences
Lubrizol Ltd.
United Kingdom
paul.robinson@lubrizol.com
Paul is a Research Chemist in the Applied Sciences department at Lubrizol’s Hazelwood site in the UK. Paul’s work includes
supporting the Driveline and Industrial lubricant business segments with technical support and innovation. Paul is the technical
lead on several long-term research and development projects in the areas of Manual Transmission Fluids (MTF) and Grease
lubricant products. Paul joined Lubrizol in 2008 after completing his studies at Loughborough University, where he gained a BSc
(Hons) degree in Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry before completing his Ph.D research in the area of Organic Synthetic
Chemistry at the same institute. Paul is a Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry (MRSC), Energy Institute (EI) grease test
method working groups and is currently transitioning into a new role as a Technology Manager in the Engine Oils business
segment.
Synopsis
The Ecolabel is a European Union voluntary scheme which was established in 1992 aimed at promoting
environmentally friendly products. The Ecolabel encompasses many different product and service
categories but it wasn’t until 2005 that a new product class was added for lubricant products. In recent
years there has been a growth in interest in the EU Ecolabel and the number of products available has
increased. The number of Ecolabel lubricants currently on the market is 97, but less than 10% of those
are grease products.
There is some scepticism in the market place regarding eco-friendly lubricants and there is an
assumption that they will provide lower performance in both the bench testing used to meet
specifications, and in the actual field of use. Our work detailed in this paper will present the challenges
faced when formulating an Ecolabel grease with a high level of performance. Thickener and base fluid
type must be carefully selected in order to meet the strict Ecolabel criteria, but also to yield a base
grease in which additive technology can be used to provide a high level of performance.
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Currently the EU Ecolabel document stipulates that a grease should have a performance level ‘fit for
purpose’. This could be open to interpretation and may potentially lead to eco-friendly greases having
lower performance compared to often more cost efficient mineral based products. So for the purposes of
this paper we will define a high level of performance as meeting the ASTM D4950 GC and LB criteria for
wheel bearing and chassis grease respectively.
A range of un-additised base greases were produced in base fluids suitable for Ecolabel certification.
These base greases were initially evaluated against the GC-LB test criteria and several areas of
underperformance were discovered. Base grease response to current commercially available additive
packages was then carried out and this yielded several interesting findings. The design of a specific ecofriendly
additive package was then undertaken in order to meet both Ecolabel criteria and GC-LB
performance.
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A Centrifiltergram Maker for Solid Debris Separation from used Grease Samples
as for Predictive and Proactive Maintenance of Greased-Lubricated Bearings
Surapol Raadnui
Faculty of Engineering, KMUTNB, Thailand
s_raadnui@yahoo.co.uk, srr@kmutnb.ac.th
Surapol Raadnui received his first degree in Engineering from Prince of Songkhla University, Thailand, in 1985. He worked for
six years as a Maintenance Engineer in the Royal Thai Naval Dockyard before taking up a position with the King Mongkut’s
University of Technology North Bangkok (KMUTNB), Thailand as a lecturer. He had his PhD from the University of College of
Swansea, United Kingdom, in 1995. His research interests are: Fundamental Tribology, Wear Particle Tribology, Used Oil and
Grease Analysis, Proactive & Predictive Maintenance, Maintenance Management. He is an author/co-author of 60 international
papers and three international patents (WIPO).
Synopsis
The Centrifiltergram maker is designed to separate solid particles from used grease samples for viewing
under a microscope. A simple centrifuge unit centrifuges the diluted used grease sample through a set of
filter patches and dried them quickly to allow for immediate examination. One used grease sample will
provide multiple patches (large particles, medium size particles & small size solid particles). In addition
multiple used grease samples can be processed simultaneously. This procedure involves “centrifuging” a
diluted grease sample passing through a series of filter elements to produce more than one
centrifiltergrams simultaneously utilization of the Particle Separating Tube (PST).
Page 16

Grease Analysis in Rotor and Blade Bearings of Wind Turbines
Steffen Bots
Co-author: Peter Weismann
Oelcheck GmbH
Germany
sb@oelcheck.de
Steffen Bots studied industrial engineering at the University of Applied Science in Rosenheim. He graduated in 2004 with a diploma thesis on an
internet based application for publishing and organising fresh oil information. Since 2004 he has been working as a member of the Technical
Department at Oelcheck as an engineer with the following fields of responsibilities: evaluation of the laboratory results; creating diagnostic
statements on laboratory reports; consulting services regarding questions about the laboratory reports; general tribological problems in the field
of proactive maintenance. His experience is based on the evaluation of nearly 100.000 samples and he shares his experience during training
courses and conferences.
Synopsis
The analysis of used greases is much more complicated as the used oil analysis. Only a few laboratories
in the world are specialized in an in-depth analysis of used greases based on extremely small sample
volumes.
Page 17

False Brinelling Test (Riffel) for Wind Turbine Grease
Jaime Spagnoli
ExxonMobil Products Research & Technology
USA
jaime.spagnoli@exxonmobil.com
Jaime received his B.S. in Engineering Technology from Trenton State College, New Jersey. He has spent Thirty-six years
working at ExxonMobil in technical services and lubricant research and development with over 25 years of experience in grease
R&D. He is currently working as a Senior Researcher in the Industrial Lubricants & Grease Section at ExxonMobil Research
and Engineering. He is a member and active participant in STLE, NLGI and ELGI activities and past Chairman of ASTM Sub
Committee G. He is the recipient of the NLGI Chevron Author award in 2010. He is an NLGI Certified Lubricating Grease
Specialist (CLGS).
Synopsis
The Riffel test has been developed to simulate the bearing conditions seen in wind turbine applications.
In particular, a common finding is that blade bearings require specialty greases to protect against false
brinelling, which is a result of frequent vibration and limited distribution of grease in the bearing. In
addition, wind turbine applications are exposed to wet environments as more off-shore wind farms are
established. Based on its intended application of being able to simulate these harsher environments, the
Riffel test has become a key performance requirement for obtaining wind turbine builder approvals. The
Riffel test is a fretting wear and corrosion test where a stationary ball bearing is subjected to an
alternating load while an aqueous solution is injected into the bearing. After completion of the test, the
bearing is analyzed for wear scar depth and a visual corrosion rating. This presentation will review the
operating parameters of the test.
Page 18

Testing Greases to Determine their Suitability for the Long Term Lubrication of
Electrical Grid Circuit Breakers
Paul Bessette
Triboscience & Engineering
USA
Paul is currently president of Triboscience & Engineering, Inc. and has been involved with synthetic lubricants for thirty-two
years. TS&E was established in 2000 and initially provided consulting services. Since 2005, TS&E has gravitated towards
manufacturing specialty lubricants for both domestic and foreign customers with an emphasis on PFPE’s Bessette spent
twenty-four years at Nye Lubricants and three years at Ciba-Geigy. Vice Chairman of NLGI Grease Education Course for ten
years. NLGI Fellows Award, Meritorious Service Award, Achievement Award, Clearance E. Earle Memorial Award and Author’s
Award. He is currently an associate editor for Tribology, Transactions, Journal of Synthetic Lubricants and peer reviewer for
NLGI. He is a member of STLE, NLGI, and ASTM. BS Chemistry form Lowell Technological Institute, Graduate work polymer
chemistry Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, MBA University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. Clients have included Engineered
Custom Lubricants, DuPont, Castrol, Lubrication Technologies, Kyodo Yushi, Honeywell, HP, NASA and others. Research
interests include: improving methods of grease filtration, vapour pressure of synthetic lubricants, thermooxidative stability, low
temperature rheology of oils and greases, and advanced rolling element bearings greases.
This paper discusses ongoing research to determine the suitability of grease for the long term lubrication
of industrial circuit breakers. Circuit breakers require greases for cams, shafts, gears, and rolling
element bearings. The application requires a grease to remain serviceable for twenty years, the
response of a circuit breaker must be almost instantaneously after prolonged periods of inactivity, and
temperatures range from frigid to tropical. However, new models are fitted with internal heaters
maintaining a temperature of 40ºC. Mineral oil grease, synthetic hydrocarbons and silicone greases
were evaluated for thermooxidative stability by pressure differential scanning calorimetry, volatility by
thermogravimetric analysis, long term oil separation, and tribological effectiveness by four ball
tribometry. Results are reported along with a brief discussion of the difficulties correlating accelerated
laboratory tests with expected performance in the field
Page 19