Friction and wear of Jatropha curcas oil using a four balls tester

The tribological characterization of the oil and biodiesel from different sources such as palm, animal fat, coconut, soya, has been the focus of several works in other countries. In many applications, vegetable oils have been used either as biolubricant or biodiesel. Jatropha curcas has attracted the attention of various research organizations, governments, public and international developmental agencies and industries in the tropics and subtropics due to its adaptability to semi-arid marginal sites; the possibility of using the oil as a biodiesel substitute and its role in the erosion control. Jatropha curcas oil (JCO) has been produced and processed to obtain biodiesel, however, little research has been conducted on the tribological performance of the oil and biodiesel. With the use of four ball test rig, it is possible to simulate the anti-wear and anti-friction properties of oils, thus the test method provides a clear indication of the performance of oils and oil mixtures tested. The lubricants used for the test were mineral engine oil SAE-15W40 (EO) and JCO crude and refined JCO. The tests were conducted for 100% EO and 100% JCO and the mixtures at 5, 10, 15, 20, and 50% JCO refined and crude as an additive. The 100% JCO had a very good lubricating property, reducing the friction coefficient in both refined and crude, but the terms of use is not recommended yet. It is interesting to find the optimum mixture of engine and JCO between 5 and 10%, as the mixtures yielded better result in the friction coefficient and wear scar. This is an abstract of paper presented at the 2013 STLE Annual Meeting and Exhibition (Detroit, MI 5/5-9/13).