Preparation and tribology performance of nano magnetic grease

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to prepare a novel nano magnetic grease with favorable lubricating performance; to contrast the tribology performance of the magnetic grease with the original grease, and to find the lubricating mechanism of the magnetic grease.Design/methodology/approachThe nano Fe3O4 magnetic fluids are added into the general urea grease to synthesize the nano magnetic grease. Tribology performance tests of the magnetic grease and the original grease are contrasted on a MMW‐1 four‐ball tester. Based on three kinds of effects caused by the nano magnetic fluids, the lubricating mechanism of the magnetic grease is discussed.FindingsNano magnetic grease with favorable lubricating performance can be synthesized by adding the nano Fe3O4 magnetic fluids into the general urea grease. The nano magnetic grease has better lubricating performance and more steady bearing capability than the original grease, and is especially available for the lubricating of equipment with high speed and heavy load. The performance improvement of the magnetic grease is owing to the interactions of three kinds of effects as follows: the viscosity increasing effect, the micro‐rolling effect, and the friction weakening effect, which are all caused by the nano magnetic fluids added into the grease.Originality/valueThe paper documents that the nano Fe3O4 magnetic fluids added into the urea grease to synthesize a novel nano magnetic grease has been proved to have quite favorable lubricating performance by the tribology experiments, and the lubricating mechanism of the magnetic grease is also discussed.