Environmentally Safe Transmission Oil for a Helicopter Tail Gearbox

Abstract

Environmentally safe transmission gear oil based on pentaerythritol esters for the tail gearbox of the MI-26T helicopter is developed. Sulfurized castor oil is used as the viscosity modifier. The lubricant composition with a pour point of –59°C has been chosen, and its physicochemical and tribotechnical characteristics have been studied. It is shown that this lubricating oil has a kinematic viscosity at 100°С amounting to 14.71 mm²/s. Friction surfaces have been studied using scanning electron microscopy and infrared ATR spectroscopy. The features of the formation of secondary surface structures under friction in the medium of the developed environmentally safe transmission gear oil are established.