Future Trends

If the business of providing proper lubrication for  gears and transmissions were a  static one, people  would  lose  interest in it, and  there  would  be no  purpose  in this volume. However, as indicated by the just preceding, there are problems in connection with gear lubrication and gear lubricants. While  the immediate reaction  to a complaint  or a  problem  of this  sort  is to  blame  the lubricant, it  should be  again  pointed  out  that  perhaps  only  ten  per cent  of   such  complaints are due to  deficiencies  in either  the lubricant or the  application. In spite of this , the  industry  does  have problems and since they  will not  always solve  themselves, it  is necessary  to give  thought  to the  future  when  solution of  the  immediate  problems will be possible  but new  ones  will be  confronted.

Since a little  adversity is good  for the soul, these  problems stimulate  thought  and are the  cause  of many  improvements  and  advancements  in   all industry. In the lubrication of   gearing, the problems do not always take the form of complaints but often of suggestions. Whatever the form,  such  questions do indicate that  modification of  not  only  present  products  but  also  present  thought may be  necessary if the  lubrication industry  is  to  play  a part  in continually improving  the world.

No matter how  did  wild  dreams about providing  different  or better lubricants for gears may  be,  they  would  come  to naught  if  practical considerations are not  kept  in mind. These  include  the economy  of   the suggestion,  the  availability  of  the  necessary  components of the  composition, the  ease of  application, compatibility  with other  materials, and  acceptance  by  other industries  and  by the public. Any or all of these factors may change with time; hence, it is well to dream.    

Designation and recommendation of gear lubricants

While  industrial  gear  lubricants  are  often  marketed  under  trade  names, information  is  always  available  as  to  how  these  products  conform  to  AGMA  numbers . Therefore, little   difficulty occurs   with the designation of this time of gear oils.

However, in  the  case  of automotive  transmission  and  axle  types  of  oils the  marketing  designation  has  not  always  been  clear  and is, in fact, sometimes  misleading. The SAE  Handbook, in  about  1924, started  to  include SAE  viscosity  numbers  for  such  lubricants, and when , in 1951, API approved  definitions  for ‘Regular-Type Gear  Lubricant,’’ ‘Mild  Type  EP  Gear  Lubricant,’’ and  ‘Multipurpose Type  Gear  Lubricant’’ these  terms  were  suggested  for  use  by  SAE. With the  availability  of   improved  EP  gear  oils, as  mentioned  above,  the  API   Lubricating  Committee, in 1957,agreed  that  such  products  should  be  known  as  ‘Multipurpose  Type  Gear  Lubricants (API  Service  GL 4).” Such oils were described as follows:

“This  term  designates  Lubricants  which  have  adequate  load  carrying  ability  and  other   required  properties  to protect  hypoid  gears  in  sustained  high   speed  and /or  high  torque  service  in  modern  high  powered  passenger  cars  and  trucks.  Also  suitable   for  use  in  spiral   bevel  gears, many  transmissions, and  worm  gears  in  some  types  of  service.  Such Lubricants are identified as meeting ‘A.P.I. Service GL4’.’’

The  consumer   of  gear  lubricants  should  bear  in  mind  that   such  products  are  like  other  commodities, in  that , while  a  conscious  organization  may  set  tolerances  for  material   to  be  supplied  under  a  given  designation, some  products  offered  will  barely  meet  the  required  specifications. Therefore, the  purchaser  or  user  of  gear  oils  should   deal  only  with  reputable  firms.