Study of Wear on AISI E52100 Steel Using a Lithium Complex Grease and a Calcium Sulfonate Grease

The purpose of this work was to study the antiwear and extreme pressure properties of two synthetic greases, one of them consists of lithium complex as a thickener, it is classified in the standard ISO 6743-9 as LX and the other has calcium sulfonate as a thickener and it is classified as CS. Both greases are widely used to lubricate bearings under high loads and high speeds operating conditions. Experimental wear results in show that the two greases have similar wear protection. However, extreme pressure tests show that calcium sulfonate grease offers better performance at high contact pressures, because this can work in short times at a maximum contact pressure of 8741 MPa without the presence of the seizure wear mechanism, while the lithium complex supports lower contact pressure around 7.08 GPa with features of seizure.KeywordsSeizureComplex of lithiumSulfonate of calcium