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Aviation History
1952
1952 - 1226.PDF
FLIGHT, 2 May 195* No Fatty Degeneration BY BERNARD HOLIOWOOD AFEW years ago aircraft could make do on almost any good old grease. They took their fat ration, as it were, and asked no terribly awkward questions about corrosion, friction, consistency, mobility at low temperatures, resistance to water, resistance to separation and so on. But times have changed. Modern aircraft are as choosey about their greases as they are about their fuels, lubricating oils and air hostesses. And for very good reasons—(a) they have more powerful engines, (b) their airframe accessories operate at higher speeds, loads and temperatures, (c) they fly higher and through unheard-of temperature ranges (-60X. to 100CC, for example). So better greases are essential. Essolulely essential ! Consider the case of landing-wheel bearings which are now (on braking) often invited to withstand moment arily temperatures of 150CC. and more after flying for several hours with the bearings held at temperatures of -30 C. Well, heavily loaded bearings call for greases capable of maintaining what we copy-writers call a lubricating film. There must be no wear and tear, no leakage, no excessive friction and no loss of power. No fatty degeneration. How are such greasy paragons produced ? It's not so easy. Normal greases are simple mixtures of a lubricating oil and a certain type of soap, but special-agent greases are more than mere melanges—they're the end-products of the finesse and know-how of an esoteric bunch of researchers. In the Esso labs., of course. These wise-boys dabble with the conventional mineral oils, synthetic oils, and soaps based on sodium, calcium and lithium. In general, the sodium and calcium base greases handle the lubrication problems of aircraft equipment operating without the use of overmuch power, while the new lithium greases are particularly good performers at high temperatures. Lithium, I am happy to state, is a metallic element of the alkali group ; and lithia-water has been known to relieve gout as well as the lubricating ills of modern aircraft—but that is by the way. The number of greases used in the modern aircraft i* .. . well, perhaps too many. The researchers in the Esso labs, are dead keen on rationalisation (repeat Rationalisa tion—with an " R **) and live in hopes of reducing the number of greases to (say) three ... or two ... or even one. That would make life easier for a good many people, wouldn't it ? For maintenance crews, aircraft designers and manufacturers, copy-writers and other old greasers—yes, and for the knotty-browed researchers. Anyway, they're hard at work improving the constituents of the mix, the lubricating fluid and the soap. Meanwhile, gout or no gout ... fr pays fo say FOR ALL PETROLEUM PRODUCTS ESSO PETROLEUM COMPANY. LIMITED. 36 QUEEN ANNES GATE, LONDON. S.W.I
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