In Situ Study of Metal Oleate Friction Modifier Additives

There has been debate for many years as to whether long-chain surfactant friction modifier additives reduce friction by forming adsorbed films of monolayer thickness or whether they form films equivalent to several or many multilayers thick. In the work described in this paper, a series of metal oleate friction modifier additives has been synthesized and their film-forming properties compared in rolling-contact conditions by means of ultrathin film interferometry. It has been found that some of these additives form thick boundary films while others do not. It is concluded that thick boundary-film formation results from the formation of insoluble iron(II) oleate on the rubbing surfaces and that, for metal oleates, this occurs only for metals lower than iron in the electrochemical series and is due to a redox reaction involving iron from the steel surface and the metal oleate.