Tribology of drawing lubricants for low carbon steel

Purpose - This paper aims to present a study of frictional characteristics of steel/die steel pair under sliding contact in presence of a set of formulated lubricants. AISI 1010 low carbon steels, although being strong, are less formable grades of steel and require appropriate selection of lubricants in tribological conditions. Design/methodology/approach - A total of three mineral-based lubricating blends were formulated for varying concentration of ester. Plan of experiments, based on Taguchi's analysis technique were performed using dedicated test rig based on "pin-on-disc" principle. Findings - A correlation was established between additive concentration, sliding speed and pressure with coefficient of friction by multiple linear regression. On the basis of experimental results and S/N ratio analysis, ranking of the parameters has been done. A possible regime of working with such lubricants is also suggested. Practical implications - Due to voluminous data involved, a few dominant process parameters were taken into consideration for the study. Originality/value - This paper is highlighting the tribo-effects of additives to render it as suitable lubricant in sliding contact conditions. This paper also suggested an approach for selection of optimum regime of working in the light of "Stribeck Curve" for ester-containing lubricating oils.