Study of the Mechanism of the Transformation and Transfer of Contact Layers in the Lubricating Medium–Surface Tribopair System

With the purpose of improving the method for the in-place-repair of the surfaces of machinery parts and reducing friction and wear parameters due to the action of a reductive lubricating composition (RLC), the mechanism of the transformation and transfer of contact layers in the bulk of the lubricating medium between the RLC components and the reconstructed surface is studied. A hypothesis of how the contact layers of the lubricating medium are transformed and transferred and are consecutively subjected to deformation, shear, and removal into the bulk, being then replaced by new contact layers of lubricating medium, is put forward. A theoretical analysis shows that the most important factors for increasing the efficiency of RLC are the structuring of the lubricating medium by nanosized metallic elements and the selective aggregation and removal of wear products and oil oxidation products on a filter. These conditions are provided by increasing the effectiveness of the traditional RLC and other additives and by introducing into the lubricating medium a mixture of nitrogen-containing components, such as ammonium hydroxide and urea. Adding the modified oil composition into commercial oil makes it possible to double its repair-recovery and antiwear capabilities. The additives proposed are effective at low dosages (3 vol % in oil), being, in addition, nontoxic and posing no hazard when handled and transported.