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2
Types and Properties
of Lubricating Oils
2.1 TYPES OF LUBRICATING OILS
There are two main types of lubricants: (1) those that are petroleum-based and
(2)those that are manufactured as a synthetic product (Chapter 1). Each of these is
suited for particular purposes and conditions. The different types are also subject to
varying levels of oxidation and degradation, and are compatible with only certain
types of machinery components, demands, and environments.
The motor oil in an automobile’s engine is commonly a petroleum-based lubricant
(Speight and Ozum 2002; Hsu and Robinson 2006; Gary et al. 2007; Speight 2014).
The hydrocarbon-based or ...