Solid lubricating materials and technology were first used in aerospace, national defense, and military applications. China began research into solid lubricating materials in the late 1950s. Over the decades, solid lubrication has played an irreplaceable role in defense and military engineering, particularly in the aerospace industry. In recent years, several Chinese research institutes have begun studying the use of new solid lubricating materials in civilian industrial equipment. To address the many problems in machinery lubrication, they have developed composite solid lubricating materials and successfully promoted and applied them.
To achieve the purpose of friction reduction and wear resistance. It breaks through the usage limits of traditional lubricating materials and solves mechanical lubrication problems under special working conditions such as high load, high vacuum, high and low temperatures, strong radiation, and strong corrosion.
In order to promote refined management and improve the level of port equipment production management, research on the application of solid lubrication technology in port equipment was conducted.
1. Research and test on the application of solid lubrication in port equipment
The project team selected suitable ship unloaders, gantry cranes, loaders and conducted a series of solid lubrication field tests in units such as the gantry crane fleet of the Second Company of Rizhao Port Co., Ltd. and the Second Machinery Team of the Third Company. Collect and analyze data such as load and wear amount of the mechanical parts of the equipment that have been tested, and select a group of equipment to be lubricated using traditional lubrication methods and solid lubrication methods respectively. After running for a period of time, the test parts are opened for measurement and comparison of lubrication effects.
1) Open gear anti-wear long-term solid lubrication test.
The traveling gear, rotating ring gear, and luffing rack of the door operator are the key operating parts of the door operator. Due to the heavy load, harsh working environment, and the impact of light and dust pollution, it is difficult for traditional lubrication methods to work.
The project team applied solid lubricating materials to open gearing, including the travel gears, slewing ring gear, and luffing rack, of portal crane No. 6 in the portal crane team of Rizhao Port Co., Ltd., Company No. 2. Portal crane No. 5 used conventional lubrication as the comparison machine. After 4 months, average wear on the travel gears, slewing gears, luffing rack, and other components of crane No. 6 using the new solid lubrication technology was approximately 1/5 that of comparison crane No. 5. A protective solid lubricating film had formed on the friction surfaces of moving components using the new materials, effectively reducing wear in these areas.
2) Solid lubrication of the shaft pins at the joints of the loader.
The loaders of the Equipment Team No. 2 of Rizhao Port No. 3 Port Company have been operating under extreme operating conditions such as heavy loads and heavy dust for many years, and the working environment is harsh. In order to maintain the equipment, grease must be added every working shift. This not only increases the maintenance workload, but also causes a waste of lubricating materials and increases maintenance costs.
The project team selected the 21 No. shanggong zL50 loader from the Second Machinery Team of Rizhao Port Company to conduct the test, and the 22 No. shanggong zL50 loader as the comparison equipment. After the equipment has been running for 3 months, the shaft pins were removed for measurement and comparison. Under the same working conditions, the wear of equipment using solid lubricating materials is much lower than that of ordinary lubricating equipment. Practical applications show that loader-specific solid lubricating materials are efficient lubricants that reduce wear and repair under heavy loads and simplify the lubrication process.
3) Solid lubrication of the shaft pins at the grab joints of the 64-ton ship unloader.
The grab bucket of the 64-ton ship unloader of the ore team of Rizhao Port No. 2 Company is frequently lubricated, with a lubrication interval of 8 hours. The lubrication time is as long as 40 minutes each time, which greatly affects the efficiency of ship unloading.
The project team adopted a solid-lubrication solution provided by the Shandong Gurun Research Institute of New Lubricating Materials, applying solid lubricant to the joints of a 64-tonne grab once every six days. No signs of wear such as heating, squealing, or seizure were observed during use, and lubrication remained fully effective throughout the six-day interval. On-site statistics showed that after adopting the solid lubricant, the lubrication schedule for the 64-tonne portal crane could be changed from shutdown for lubrication every 8 hours to shutdown every 144 operating hours. Unloading a 160,000-tonne-class vessel could be completed more than one hour faster.
4) anti-leakage and long-lasting solid lubrication for gearboxes.
The left-hand hoist reducer on No. 1 gantry crane (25T) in the gantry-crane fleet of Rizhao Port No. 2 Company had persistent oil leakage. Lubricant also had to be replenished or replaced every six months, severely contaminating the working area. To address these problems, the project team revised its solid-lubrication plan in September 2008 and began trials of a dedicated reducer solid lubricant produced by the Shandong Research Institute of New Lubricating Materials.
On the fifth day of the test, the oil leakage problem of the lifting reducer was resolved. The working noise of the reducer is significantly reduced. The working temperature of the reducer is on average about 5°C lower than that of the right reducer in the control group. The effectiveness of lubrication in various parts of the reducer is greatly improved. The solid lubricating film on the surface of the reducer gear is clearly visible. Tests have proven that the lubricating film of solid lubrication is completely lubricated and can solve the problems of high temperature and leakage of the lifting reducer.
2. Analysis of project economic benefits and social benefits
Solid lubrication technology has been used in ports for nearly three years. From the application practice, the economic and social benefits are very significant. Mainly reflected in the following aspects:
Save lubricating materials and extend the lubricant replacement cycle. For example, the loaders of the second equipment team of the third company originally used 2 lithium-based grease, which was refueled 1 times per work shift and 1.5kg every week. After switching to professional solid lubricant materials for loaders, each vehicle uses 1kg of oil per week, and the oil consumption is the original 1/15.
Reduce component wear and save replacement parts. Solid lubricants can form a solid lubricating film that maintains good lubrication even in harsh environments. Solid lubricating materials can therefore effectively reduce component wear and extend service life. For example, the project team conducted comparative tests of tooth thickness on 3 components—the travel drive wheel, luffing rack, and slewing pinion—of portal cranes No. 5 and No. 6 in the portal crane team of Company No. 2. The test data showed that, over the same period and under the same operating conditions, tooth wear without solid lubricating materials was respectively 2 times, 5.28 times, and 5.52 times that of teeth using solid lubricating materials.
Extend the mechanical maintenance cycle and improve work efficiency. Because solid lubricating materials are stable and long-lasting, they do not need to be replaced frequently, which can reduce maintenance time and thus improve production efficiency.
Reduce environmental pollution and reduce labor intensity. The anti-leak function of solid lubricating materials can effectively prevent lubricating oil leakage and improve the port operating environment. At the same time, solid lubricating materials extend the maintenance cycle of the equipment and greatly reduce the labor intensity of workers.
(Source: Internet)