Bearing failure in mechanical systems can result in complete failure or extended down time and can be extremely costly. Bearing failure often results from failure in bearing lubricant caused by destructive oxidation. Use of antioxident additives, such as zinc dialkyldithiophosphates (ZDTPs) can extend lubricant life. However, ZDTPs undergo oxidative degradation so that useful lifetime of ZDTP limits lubricant lifetime. Use of deuterium increases oxidation resistance. This project experimentally investigates the effect of deuteration of ZDTP additives on service life extension. Work has shown that certain deuterated ZDTPs are improved lubricant additives. Improvements in commercial base-stock lubricants will be demonstrated and efforts on product commercialization will be undertaken.
