Status of New Direction of Liquid Lubricants

The status of liquid lubricants is discussed. Liquid lubricants which continue to be the predominant form of lubrication for machinery are discussed. Petroleum base lubricants comprise a very high percentage of the liquid lubricants in use today. There is a significant movement toward synthetic lubricants driven by crude oil problems coupled with improved additive response, and low temperature performance for the synthetics. Lubricant degradation mechanisms are included for guidance in the selection of lubricant and additive types.