Effect of Nano SiO2 as an Additive in Cotton Seed Oil

Abstract

Vegetable oil can be a deserving candidate as an eco-friendly lubricant because of its properties like biodegradability, non-toxicity, excellent lubricity, Viscosity Index and low volatility. But they have some unsatisfactory tribological properties. The lubricant used in this investigation is cottonseed oil, focused on the issues related to environmental pollution, toxicity and its cost. Even though cottonseed oil lubricant is one of the best choices for lubrication purpose, however the properties are slightly lesser than mineral oil. To improve the lubricant properties, nano Silicon dioxide additive is added in different concentrations. Four ball Tribotester is used for conducting anti-wear test according to ASTM standard D 4172. This paper describes the effect of Silicon dioxide nano additives on tribological properties of refined cottonseed oil. The refined cottonseed oil with 2 % of Silicon dioxide shows good results which are very close to 20W50 oil.