Study on Lubrication Properties of Carboxymethyl Cellulose as a Novel Additive in Water-Based Stock

This paper reports cellulose derivative—carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as a novel additive in a water-based stock (water content above 95 wt.%). Cellulose is one of the richest renewable resources on earth and has many peculiar qualities. Several cellulose derivatives such as CMC can easily dissolve in water and form stable thin film on the surface of metal. Several apparatus involving four-ball machine were used to investigate lubrication properties of the based stock containing CMC. The worn surfaces were observed with a scanning electron microscope. As the results, the anti-wear ability of the base stock is effectively increased by addition of a small amount (0.7 wt.%) of CMC. The additive with peculiar molecular structure contributes to abate the adhesion and scuffing of frictional pair effectively, hence improves the antiwear ability of the base stock. Thus CMC provides a potential application in the field of water-based stock lubrication.