JP7187104B2 - Grease composition for food machinery - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to food machinery grease compositions.

With the automation and mass production of food manufacturing, food manufacturing machines are widely used in food factories. Food manufacturing machines are composed of many sliding mechanical elements such as gears and bearings, and lubricating oil, grease, etc. are indispensable for driving the mechanical elements without damage.
However, when the mechanical elements are driven, it is difficult to completely prevent dripping and leakage of lubricants, greases, etc. from the mechanical elements.

Currently, there are no laws and regulations for food machinery lubricants in Japan. However, many of the general lubricants for food machinery distributed in the domestic market in Japan are products that satisfy standards equivalent to certification by the NSF (National Sanitation Foundation; International Sanitation Science Foundation) in the United States.
There are stages in NSF certification, and in the NSF certification category, H-1 certification is required for lubricants, etc. that are used where there is a possibility of accidental contact with food. H-1 certified lubricants can only be used with NSF certified HX-1 base oils and additives.
NSF HX-1 lists base oils and additives that have little effect on the human body, but excludes chemically active sulfur compounds, organomolybdenum compounds, and organozinc compounds.

Today, from the standpoint of increasing the efficiency and speed of food manufacturing, food machinery is becoming larger and more complex in operation, and the load on mechanical elements is increasing. It's becoming
In addition, compared to paraffinic base oils such as mineral oils and polyalphaolefins, fatty acid ester base oils, which have excellent lubricity, low toxicity, and biodegradability, can be used in greases for food machinery. known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3).

JP 2009-091502 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-138171 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2006-526698

Sulfur compounds, organic molybdenum compounds, organic zinc compounds and the like are widely used as excellent extreme pressure agents for general lubricants other than food machinery. Conventional greases for food machinery using metal soaps, clay minerals, etc., in which the above compounds cannot be used, are difficult to maintain extreme pressure properties equivalent to general lubricants for non-food machinery. .
As a technique for ensuring extreme pressure properties, it is known to maintain an oil film by increasing the viscosity of the base oil. In general, high-viscosity base oils tend to have low fluidity and increase torque, and greases containing high-viscosity base oils tend to have high torque and reduce machine operating efficiency.
Due to the above circumstances, it is very difficult to achieve both extreme pressure properties and low torque properties in greases for food machinery.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a grease composition for food machinery that ensures low torque properties and is excellent in extreme pressure properties.

The present inventors have conducted intensive research to solve the above problems, and as a result, by combining a specific base oil for food machinery and a specific thickener for food machinery, it is possible to ensure low torque and A grease composition for food machinery with excellent extreme pressure properties was found, and the present invention was completed based on this finding.

Means for solving the above problems include the following embodiments.
<1> A food containing at least one selected from fatty acid esters, mineral oils, polyalphaolefins, alkylnaphthalenes and perfluoroalkylpolyethers, and having a kinematic viscosity at 40°C of 20 mm ² /s or more and less than 40 mm ² /s. a mechanical base oil;
and a thickener for food machinery which is at least one of a calcium sulfonate and a calcium sulfonate complex.
<2> The grease composition for food machinery according to <1>, wherein the base oil for food machinery is at least one of mineral oil and polyalphaolefin.
<3> The grease composition for food machinery according to <1> or <2>, wherein the content of the thickener for food machinery is 20% by mass to 80% by mass with respect to the total mass of the composition.
<4> Any one of <1> to <3>, wherein the blending ratio of the base oil for food machinery to the thickener for food machinery is 0.25 to 4.0 on a mass basis. Grease composition for food machinery.

<5> The grease composition for food machinery according to any one of <1> to <4> , wherein the 40° C. kinematic viscosity is 30 mm ² /s or more and less than 40 mm ² /s.
<6> The grease composition for food machinery according to any one of <1> to <5> , which is used in a speed reducer.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the grease composition for food machinery which ensures low torque property and is excellent in extreme pressure property is provided.

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a method of measuring the power transmission efficiency of a speed reducer. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the correlation between the wear resistance ratio and the power transmission efficiency.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail below.
In this specification, "-" representing a numerical range represents a range including the numerical values described as the upper limit and the lower limit, respectively. In addition, when only the upper limit value in the numerical range represented by "-" is described in units, it means that the lower limit value is also in the same unit.
In the numerical ranges described stepwise in this specification, the upper limit or lower limit described in a certain numerical range may be replaced with the upper limit or lower limit of another numerical range described stepwise. Moreover, in the numerical ranges described in this specification, the upper limit or lower limit described in a certain numerical range may be replaced with the values shown in the examples.
In the present specification, the content rate or content of each component in the composition refers to, when there are multiple types of substances corresponding to each component in the composition, the multiple types of substances present in the composition unless otherwise specified. means the total content or content of a substance.
As used herein, the term “extreme pressure property” means the property of preventing seizure of sliding surfaces when metal members are slid on each other via a grease composition.

As used herein, "power transmission efficiency" means the ratio of the amount of work done when the machine is effectively working to the total energy supplied to the machine.
In the present invention, wear resistance can be evaluated using a wear resistance ratio.
As used herein, the term "wear resistance ratio" means the ratio of operating hours at which the increment from the initial lost motion value exceeds a specified reference value for two or more grease compositions.
In this specification, "lost motion" indicates the total value of the rotation angle of the low-speed shaft that occurs when the high-speed side of the speed reducer is fixed in the rotational direction and a specified load torque is applied to the low-speed side in the forward and reverse directions. .

<Grease composition for food machinery>
The grease composition for food machinery of the present invention (hereinafter also simply referred to as "grease composition") is at least one selected from fatty acid esters, mineral oils, polyalphaolefins, alkylnaphthalenes and perfluoroalkylpolyethers. and a food machinery base oil having a kinematic viscosity at 40° C. of 20 mm ² /s to 70 mm ² /s;
a food grade thickener that is at least one of a calcium sulfonate and a calcium sulfonate complex.
The grease composition may contain other components in addition to the above components.

The grease composition of the present invention contains at least a specific base oil for food machinery and a specific thickener for food machinery, thereby ensuring low torque properties and excellent extreme pressure properties. Furthermore, the grease composition of the present invention also provides seal resistance.
Each component contained in the grease composition will be described below.

<Base oil>
The grease composition of the present invention is a base oil for food machinery (hereinafter also referred to as "specific base oil") which is at least one selected from fatty acid esters, mineral oils, polyalphaolefins, alkylnaphthalenes and perfluoroalkylpolyethers. )including.
The specific base oil contained in the grease composition of the present invention is a base oil registered as HX-1 grade as defined by NSF (National Sanitary Science Foundation).
One type of specific base oil may be used alone, or two or more types may be used in combination.

Examples of fatty acid esters belonging to HX-1 include animal and vegetable oils such as beef tallow, lard, fish fat, rapeseed oil, soybean oil, olive oil, coconut oil, salad oil, and herring oil. fatty acid esters.

The fatty acid ester used in the grease composition of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is an ester of alcohol and fatty acid.
Examples of the alcohol include monoalcohols and polyhydric alcohols having a valence of 2 or more.
Monoalcohols include methanol, ethanol, pentanol, hexanol, oleyl alcohol, lauryl alcohol and the like.
Dihydric or higher polyhydric alcohols include ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, glycerol, aliphatic diols such as neopentyl glycol, trimethylolmethane, trimethylolethane, trimethylolpropane, trimethylolbutane, 1,2,6-hexane. triol, pentaerythritol, dipentaerythritol, and other polyhydric alcohols having a valence of 3 or more;

The fatty acid may be either saturated fatty acid or unsaturated fatty acid. The fatty acid may also be an aliphatic dicarboxylic acid.
The number of carbon atoms in the fatty acid is preferably 4-30, more preferably 4-22.
Specific examples of fatty acids having 4 to 30 carbon atoms include butanoic acid, pentanoic acid, hexanoic acid, heptanoic acid, octanoic acid, nonanoic acid, decanoic acid, dodecanoic acid, myristic acid, pentadecylic acid, and palmitic acid. acids, margaric acid, stearic acid, eicosanoic acid, docosanoic acid, palmitoleic acid, oleic acid, suberic acid, ricinoleic acid, azelaic acid, sebacic acid and the like.

The fatty acid ester used in the grease composition of the present invention is preferably an ester of at least one alcohol and at least one fatty acid selected from neopentyl glycol, trimethylolpropane, pentaerythritol and dipentaerythritol.

In the fatty acid ester used in the grease composition of the present invention, for example, when the alcohol is a dihydric or higher polyhydric alcohol, the fatty acid for forming one ester molecule may be a single kind of fatty acid, A plurality of kinds of fatty acids may be used.
For example, the fatty acid capable of forming an ester with a hexahydric alcohol may be a mixture of a straight-chain fatty acid with 8 carbon atoms and a branched-chain fatty acid with 6 carbon atoms, or a straight-chain fatty acid with 8 carbon atoms alone. There may be.

In addition, the fatty acid ester may be synthesized, or a commercially available product may be purchased and used.

Mineral oils belonging to HX-1 include, for example, those refined by appropriately combining refining methods such as vacuum distillation, solvent refining, hydrorefining, solvent escape, solvent deasphalting, sulfuric acid washing and clay treatment.
The mineral oil for food machinery preferably has a sulfur content of 0.03% by mass or less with respect to the total mass of the mineral oil for food machinery.

Polyalphaolefins belonging to HX-1 include those obtained by further polymerizing a linear α-olefin obtained by low polymerization of ethylene or by hydrogenating terminal double bonds.
Incidentally, the polyalphaolefin may be synthesized, or a commercially available product may be purchased and used.

As the alkylnaphthalene belonging to HX-1, compounds represented by the following general formula (1) are preferably used.

In general formula (1), R ¹ , R ² , R ³ and R ⁴ each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 40 carbon atoms, and R ¹ , R ² , R ³ and At least one of ^R4 is an alkyl group.

Hydrocarbon groups having 1 to 40 carbon atoms include alkyl groups, alkenyl groups, aryl groups, alkylaryl groups, arylalkyl groups and the like, and all of R ¹ , R ² , R ³ and R ⁴ are alkyl groups. Among these, alkyl groups having 8 to 30 carbon atoms are preferred, and alkyl groups having 12 to 20 carbon atoms are more preferred. Alkyl groups may be straight or branched.

Specific examples of alkyl groups having 1 to 40 carbon atoms include methyl group, ethyl group, propyl group, butyl group, pentyl group, hexyl group, heptyl group, octyl group, nonyl group, decyl group, undecyl group, dodecyl group, tridecyl group, tetradecyl group, pentadecyl group, hexadecyl group, heptadecyl group, octadecyl group, nonadecyl group, icosyl group, henicosyl group, docosyl group, tricosyl group, tetracosyl group, pentacosyl group, hexacosyl group, heptacosyl group, octacosyl group, nonacosyl group , triacontyl group, hentriacontyl group, dotriacontyl group, tritriacontyl group, tetratriacontyl group, pentatriacontyl group, hexatriacontyl group, heptatriacontyl group, octatriacontyl group, nonatriacontyl group groups, tetracontyl groups, and the like.

The total carbon number of R ¹ , R ² , R ³ and R ⁴ is preferably 8-60, more preferably 12-50, from the viewpoint of thermal oxidation stability.

Examples of alkylnaphthalenes represented by formula (1) include decylnaphthalene, undecylnaphthalene, dodecylnaltalene, tridecylnaphthalene, tetradecylnaphthalene, pentadecylnaphthalene, hexadecylnaphthalene, heptadecylnaphthalene, octadecylnaphthalene, nonadecylnaphthalene, icosylnaphthalene, di(decyl)naphthalene, di(undecyl)naphthalene, di(dodecyl)naphthalene), di(tridecyl)naphthalene, di(tetradecyl)naphthalene, di(pentadecyl)naphthalene, di(hexadecyl)naphthalene , di(heptadecyl)naphthalene, di(octadecyl)naphthalene, di(nonadecyl)naphthalene, di(icosyl)naphthalene and the like.

Perfluoropolyethers belonging to HX-1 are not particularly limited, and commonly known ones can be preferably used.

From the viewpoint of sealing resistance, the specific base oil is preferably at least one of mineral oil and polyalphaolefin.

From the viewpoint of lubricity, the content of the specific base oil is preferably 20% by mass to 80% by mass, more preferably 20% by mass to 55% by mass, relative to the total mass of the grease composition. .
A preferable aspect of the content of the specific base oil may be 20% by mass or more and less than 45% by mass with respect to the total mass of the grease composition. Also, from the viewpoint of low torque, the content of the specific base oil may be 20% by mass to 40% by mass with respect to the total mass of the grease composition.
Moreover, from the viewpoint of achieving both power transmission efficiency and wear resistance, the content of the specific base oil is preferably more than 45% by mass and 55% by mass or less.

The 40° C. kinematic viscosity of the specific base oil contained in the grease composition is 20 mm ² /s to 70 mm ² /s.
If the 40° C. kinematic viscosity of the specific base oil exceeds 70 mm ² /s, the fluidity tends to be too low, the torque performance tends to be high, and the operating efficiency of the food machine may be low.
If the 40° C. kinematic viscosity of the specific base oil is less than 20 mm ² /s, the lubricity tends to significantly decrease.

From the viewpoint of sufficiently obtaining low torque performance, the 40° C. kinematic viscosity of the specific base oil is preferably 20 mm ² /s to 65 mm ² /s, and more preferably 20 mm ² /s to 50 mm ² /s. more preferred.
Also, from the viewpoint of sufficiently obtaining low torque performance, the 40° C. kinematic viscosity of the specific base oil is preferably 40 mm ² /s to 70 mm ² /s, and more preferably 40 mm ² /s to 65 mm ² /s. It is more preferably 40 mm ² /s to 50 mm ² /s.
In this specification, the 40° C. kinematic viscosity of the base oil indicates a value measured according to JIS K 2283 (2000) "Kinematic Viscosity Test Method".

From the viewpoint of power transmission efficiency and wear resistance, the 40° C. kinematic viscosity of the specific base oil is preferably 20 mm ² /s or more and less than 40 mm ² /s, more preferably 30 mm ² /s or more and 40 mm. ² /s, more preferably 32 mm ² /s to 39 mm ² /s.

The grease composition of the present invention can improve power transmission efficiency by containing a specific base oil having a kinematic viscosity at 40° C. of 20 mm ² /s or more and less than 40 mm ² /s.
On the other hand, when the grease composition contains a relatively low-viscosity specific base oil with a 40° C. kinematic viscosity within the above range, the lubricating film formed on the metal surface tends to be thin, and wear resistance may decrease. have a nature.
In order to improve wear resistance, it is generally considered to add sulfur-based or phosphorus-based antiwear additives to grease compositions. However, sulfur-based or phosphorus-based antiwear additives cannot be used as grease compositions for food machinery applications.
The grease composition has a 40° C. kinematic viscosity of 20 mm ² /s or more and less than 40 mm ² /s from the viewpoint of sufficiently forming a lubricating film to improve wear resistance and also being excellent in power transmission efficiency. It preferably contains a specific base oil and at least one of calcium sulfonate or calcium sulfonate complex described later as a thickening agent.

In the grease composition of the present invention, when using a mixture of two or more specific base oils, even if the 40 ° C kinematic viscosity of each specific base oil is outside the above range, the specific group after mixing It is sufficient that the 40° C. kinematic viscosity of the oil is within the above range.

<Thickener>
The grease composition of the present invention contains a food machinery thickener (hereinafter also referred to as "specific thickener") that is at least one of calcium sulfonate and calcium sulfonate complex. When the grease composition contains a specific thickener, it exhibits excellent extreme pressure properties.
The specific thickener is synthesized using a raw material registered as HX-1 grade stipulated by NSF (National Sanitary Science Foundation) or a raw material certified by NSF.
The specific thickener may be used singly or in combination of two or more.

The calcium sulfonate is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include calcium salts of alkylbenzenesulfonic acids such as dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid and octadecylbenzenesulfonic acid, and calcium salts of petroleum sulfonic acid.

In general, the overbased calcium sulfonate, which is the raw material of the specific thickener, contains amorphous calcium carbonate, and in the process of producing the grease composition, the calcium carbonate transforms into crystalline calcite. It is considered. When this calcite is contained in the grease composition, it becomes possible to impart wear resistance and load bearing performance to the grease composition, like solid lubricants such as molybdenum disulfide and graphite.

Calcium sulfonate complexes include complexes (complex soaps) in which calcium sulfonates are combined with calcium salts other than calcium sulfonates.
Calcium salts other than calcium sulfonate are not particularly limited, and examples include calcium carbonate, calcium borate, higher fatty acid calcium salts such as calcium dibehenate, calcium distearate, calcium dihydroxystearate, calcium acetate, and the like. and lower fatty acid calcium salts of.
Calcium salts may be used singly or in combination of two or more.

The content of the specific thickener is preferably 20% by mass to 90% by mass with respect to the total mass of the grease composition.
When the content of the specific thickener is within the above range, the worked penetration can be adjusted within the range of 140-420.
From the above viewpoint, the content of the specific thickener is more preferably 20% by mass to 80% by mass, more preferably 30% by mass to 75% by mass, relative to the total mass of the grease composition. preferable.

The mixing ratio of the food grade thickener to the food grade base oil is preferably 0.25 to 4.0 on a mass basis.
When the mixing ratio of the thickener for food machinery to the base oil for food machinery is within the above range, the extreme pressure properties and low torque properties tend to be excellent.
From the above viewpoint, the mixing ratio of the food grade thickener to the food grade base oil is preferably 0.42 to 3.0 on a mass basis.

<Other additives>
The grease composition of the present invention, in addition to the specific base oil and the specific thickener, is registered as an HX-1 grade specified by NSF (National Sanitary Science Foundation) as other components used in ordinary grease compositions. , Additives used in raw materials certified by NSF (hereinafter also referred to as "other additives") can be used, and other additives within the content range specified by NSF They can be blended as appropriate.
Other additives include, for example, antioxidants, extreme pressure agents, rust inhibitors, and the like.

As antioxidants, antioxidants such as phenol antioxidants, amine antioxidants, and phosphorus antioxidants can be contained.
Extreme pressure agents include, for example, tricresyl phosphate.
Rust inhibitors include, for example, alkenyl succinic acid and its derivatives, esters such as oleyl sarcosine, wax oxides, neutral barium sulfonate, sorbitan triol, paraffin and the like.

The content of the above additives is not particularly limited as long as the effects of the present invention can be obtained, and the total content of the additives is usually 0.5% by mass to 5% by mass with respect to the total mass of the grease composition. %, more preferably 1% by mass to 4% by mass.

<Worked penetration>
The grease composition of the present invention preferably has a worked penetration of 140-420, more preferably 200-400, even more preferably 250-350.
A small value of the worked penetration indicates that the grease is hard, and a large value indicates that the grease is soft.
The worked penetration can be obtained based on the JIS K 2220 (2013) penetration test method.

The grease composition of the present invention may be used in speed reducers, speed increasers, other power transmission devices, and the like.
Among them, the grease composition is particularly suitable for use in strain wave gearing.
From the viewpoint of superior low torque properties, extreme pressure properties, power transmission efficiency and wear resistance, a grease composition containing a specific base oil having a kinematic viscosity at 40°C in the range of 20 mm ² /s or more and less than 40 mm ² /s It can be suitably applied to the machine.

The power transmission efficiency when the grease composition of the present invention is applied to a speed reducer can be expressed as a percentage of the ratio between the product of the input torque and the speed reduction ratio and the output torque. The power transmission efficiency η _γ (%) in this case can be obtained from the following formula.
－Power transmission efficiency－
η _γ (%) = Τ ₀ / (Τ _ι × R) × 100
η _γ : Power transmission efficiency (%)
Τ _ι : Input torque Τ ₀ : Output torque R: Reduction ratio

As a method of measuring the power transmission efficiency, as shown in Fig. 1, the driving device arranged on the high speed side is driven, the torque is applied by the load device arranged on the low speed side, and the torque is detected on each of the high speed side and the low speed side. The torque value can be measured by the instrument. By substituting the obtained torque value into the above formula, the power transmission efficiency can be obtained.

[Method for producing grease composition]
The method for producing the grease composition of the present invention is not particularly limited. The grease composition of the present invention can be produced, for example, by the following method.
At least the specific base oil, the specific thickener, and if necessary, other additives are put into a stirring vessel and stirred and mixed to obtain the grease composition.
In addition, a well-known stirrer etc. can be used for stirring and mixing.

In the method for producing the grease composition, when adding other additives, the additives may be stirred for a period of time during which the additives can be dissolved or dispersed. or you can add it later.

EXAMPLES Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to Examples. In addition, the present invention is not limited at all by these examples.

(Examples 1-7 and Comparative Examples 1-7 , 11-13 )
In the examples and comparative examples, grease compositions containing the following components *1 to *13 and *15 to *17 in proportions (% by mass) shown in Tables 1 to 3 were prepared. .
The thickeners of *1 to *4 are obtained by mixing the raw materials of the thickeners and the base oils used in the grease compositions of Examples and Comparative Examples, as described below, and adding the raw materials in the base oils. A thickener was prepared by reaction or dispersion.
In Tables 1 to 3, "-" means that the component is not included or an unmeasured value.

―Thickener―
*1: Calcium sulfonate This calcium sulfonate was prepared as follows.
First, overbased calcium sulfonate, sulfonic acid, propylene glycol, acetic acid, and various base oils were placed in a heat-resistant container and heated to 80° C. with stirring. After that, water was added, and the mixture was stirred while maintaining the temperature around 90°C. Further, the mixture was heated to a maximum temperature of 150° C. and cooled to room temperature to obtain calcium sulfonate as a thickening agent.

*2: Organized bentonite This organized bentonite was prepared as follows.
First, an organic bentonite (trade name: "BENTONE34", manufactured by Elementis) and a base oil were added to a heat-resistant container and stirred. Ethanol was further added, heated to 120° C. and stirred. Further, the mixture was heated to a maximum temperature of 140° C. and cooled to room temperature to obtain organic bentonite as a thickening agent.

*3: Lithium soap In a heat-resistant container, put the base oil (polyalphaolefin B described later) and lithium-12-hydroxystearate (trade name: "S7000H", manufactured by Sakai Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) in Table 2. and melted at about 200° C., more base oil was added and cooled. After that, the crystals of lithium-12-hydroxystearate were optimized by milling.

*4: Calcium soap Put the base oil (polyalphaolefin B described later), water, calcium hydroxide and beef tallow-based stearic acid in Table 2 into a heat-resistant container and heat to dissolve at around 130°C. A base oil was added and allowed to react. After that, the heating was stopped, the temperature was lowered to about 100°C, water was added, and the temperature was further cooled. After that, the crystals of calcium stearate were optimized by milling.

* 15: Polyurea * 16: Al complex soap

-base oil-
* 5: Fatty acid ester (trade name: “RADIALUBE FL 7538”, manufactured by Oleon, viscosity grade: ISO VG68)
*6: Polyalphaolefin A (trade name: “DURASYN 145”, manufactured by INEOS, viscosity grade: ISO VG22)
* 7: Polyalphaolefin B (trade name: “DURASYN 170”, manufactured by INEOS, viscosity grade: ISO VG68)
*8: Polyalphaolefin C (trade name: “DURASYN 174R”, manufactured by INEOS, viscosity grade: ISO VG320)
* 9 a : Mineral oil A (trade name: “YUBASE8”, manufactured by SK Lubricants, viscosity grade: ISO VG46)
*9b: Mineral oil B
*9c: mineral oil C
*9d: mineral oil D
*10: Alkylnaphthalene (trade name: “SYNESSTIC 5”, manufactured by ExxonMobil, viscosity grade: ISO VG32)

*17: Synthetic oil

－Extreme pressure agent－
* 11: Tri (di-tert-butylphenyl) phosphate (trade name: "Irgafos168", manufactured by BASF)
* 12: Amine phosphate (trade name: "Irgafos349", manufactured by BASF)
*13: Triphenoxyphosphine sulfide (trade name: “NALUBE AW-6509”, manufactured by King)

[evaluation]
Using the grease composition prepared above, the following tests were conducted and each evaluation was performed. The results are shown in Tables 1 to 3, respectively.

(1) 40° C. Kinematic Viscosity of Base Oil The 40° C. kinematic viscosity of the base oil was measured based on JIS K 2283 (2000) "Kinematic Viscosity Test Method".

(2) Worked penetration Measured based on JIS K 2220 (2013) penetration test method.

(3) Extreme pressure property The extreme pressure property of the grease composition was evaluated by the following method. A four-ball type load bearing capacity (welding load) test was performed based on the Standard method for measurement of extreme-pressure properties of lubricating grease (four-ball method) specified in ASTM D 2596, and the value (N) of the welding load was measured. did.
The higher the welding load, the better the extreme pressure properties. The value of the welding load is more preferably 3923N or more.

(4) Low Torque The torque of the grease composition was tested using a pusher type torque sensor (ATP-100MN (equipment type), manufactured by Sugawara Laboratories). The test conditions were a rotation speed of 1800 rpm (revolutions per minute) , an axial load of 20 N, a temperature of 23° C. to 27° C., a JIS bearing number of 6204, and a grease filling rate of 35% of the bearing space volume.
The bearing was rotated for 10 minutes and 40 seconds, and the average value of the slope of the rotational torque for the last 10 seconds was taken as the torque of the grease composition.
When the torque value of the grease composition is 20 mN·m or less, it can be said that the low torque property is ensured.

(5) Seal resistance A seal immersion test was performed based on the vulcanized rubber immersion test method specified in JIS K 6258 (2003). SRE-NBR/L, a low nitrile rubber material according to ISO 13226, was used as the sealing material. A sealing material was immersed in the above grease composition maintained at an immersion temperature of 100° C. for 72 hours, and the volume of the sealing material before and after immersion was measured to obtain a volume change rate (%).
When the volume change rate (%) is within ±5%, no expansion or contraction of the sealing material is observed, and the grease composition hardly leaks, which is good as a grease composition for food machinery.

(6) Power Transmission Efficiency The power transmission efficiency of the grease compositions prepared in Example 7 and Comparative Examples 7 and 11 to 13 was calculated under the following test conditions.
The grease compositions prepared in Example 7 and Comparative Examples 7 and 11 to 13 were enclosed in a reducer (Harmonic Drive Systems Co., Ltd., strain wave gearing (model number: CSF-20-100-2A-GR)). did.
As shown in Fig. 1, the speed reducer is driven at an input rotation speed of 2,000 rpm by the drive device arranged on the high speed side, and the load torque is set to 40 Nm by the load device arranged on the low speed side. The values (Nm) of the input (high speed shaft) torque and the output (low speed shaft) torque under the condition of 40° C. were measured by torque detectors respectively installed on the high speed side and the low speed side.
Using the obtained measured values, the power transmission efficiency was measured according to the following formula.

－Power transmission efficiency－
η _γ (%) = Τ ₀ / (Τ _ι × R) × 100
η _γ : Power transmission efficiency (%)
Τ _ι : Input torque Τ ₀ : Output torque R: Reduction ratio = 100
It should be noted that the larger the value of the power transmission efficiency, the better the power transmission efficiency.

(7) Abrasion Resistance The grease composition prepared in Example 7 was sealed in a reducer (Harmonic Drive Systems Co., Ltd., strain wave gearing (model number: CSF-20-100-2A-GR)).
The lost motion was defined as the sum of the rotation angles of the low-speed shaft generated when the high-speed side of the speed reducer was fixed in the rotational direction and a specified load torque was applied to the low-speed side in the forward and reverse directions under the following conditions.
When the grease composition of Example 7 was sealed, the time when the amount of increase in lost motion from the initial stage exceeded the reference value was measured, and the value at this time was defined as 1. The wear resistance ratio can be obtained from the ratio of this value to the time when the amount of increase in lost motion from the initial stage when another grease composition is filled exceeds the reference value.

-Abrasion evaluation operating conditions-
Input rotation speed: 2,000 rpm Load torque: Maximum 82 Nm
Temperature: 20°C
The higher the wear resistance ratio, the better the wear resistance.

As shown in Table 1, it is at least one selected from fatty acid esters, mineral oils, polyalphaolefins, alkylnaphthalenes and perfluoroalkylpolyethers, and has a kinematic viscosity of 20 mm ² /s to 70 mm ² /s at 40 ° C. and a food machinery thickener that is at least one of a calcium sulfonate and a calcium sulfonate complex. , the torque value is small and the extreme pressure property is excellent.
On the other hand, as shown in Table 2, the grease composition of Comparative Example 1 containing a base oil having a kinematic viscosity at 40° C. outside the range of 20 mm ² /s to 70 mm ² /s was less than that of Examples 1-6. High torque compared to grease composition.
The grease compositions of Comparative Examples 2 to 6, which did not contain at least one of calcium sulfonate and calcium sulfonate complex as a thickening agent for food machinery, did not contain an extreme pressure agent, although the extreme pressure agent was added. Extreme pressure properties are inferior compared to the grease compositions of Examples 1-6 which do not contain

The grease composition prepared in Example 7 had a worked penetration of 376, a weld load of 3923 N, a torque of 9 mN·m, and a volume change of 3.0%.

Furthermore, the grease composition of Example 7 is excellent in low torque properties and extreme pressure properties, and in addition, as shown in Table 3 and FIG. value is high, and the abrasion resistance is superior to that of Comparative Examples 11-13 .
As described above, the grease composition of Example 7 is superior to the grease compositions of Comparative Examples 7 and 11 to 13 in both power transmission efficiency and wear resistance.

As described above, the grease composition of the present invention includes a specific base oil for food machinery having a kinematic viscosity at 40° C. within a specific range and a specific thickener for food machinery, thereby achieving low torque. It can be seen that it is possible to secure and to be excellent in extreme pressure properties.

Claims (3)

ore oilas well asPolyalphaolefinat least one ofand the kinematic viscosity at 40°C is32mm²/s~39mm²/in sa food grade base oil;
a thickener for food machinery that is at least one of a calcium sulfonate and a calcium sulfonate complexfruit,
The content of the thickener for food machinery is 30% by mass to 54% by mass with respect to the total mass of the composition.
Grease composition for food machinery. 2. The grease composition for food machinery according to claim 1, wherein the content of said base oil for food machinery is more than 45% by mass and not more than 55% by mass relative to the total mass of the composition. The grease composition for food machinery according to claim 1 or 2 , which is used for a reducer.

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