KR20190040499A - Wire rope lubricant - Google Patents

Abstract

A wire rope lubricant having a base fluid as a main component and a wax or polymer as a subcomponent, wherein at least one of the base fluid and the wax or polymer is biodegradable. A method of forming a wire rope having a plurality of wire strands, the method comprising applying the wire rope lubricant between the wire strands.

Description

Wire rope lubricant

The present invention relates to a wire rope lubricant that is at least partially biodegradable or, in some cases, highly biodegradable, and to a wire rope comprising such a lubricant.

Wire ropes are widely known to be used both on land and at sea, especially at sea. Wire ropes can be used for all types of marine vessels such as ships, large boats, excavators, etc. Wire ropes are often chosen because of their flexibility, strength and resistance to deformation and bending.

A wire rope is made by first making a strand with a plurality of heavy duty wires and then twisting together a plurality of strands, optionally around the core or up, to form the final wire rope.

Wire ropes are often placed at risk of serious wear and corrosion, especially in marine operations. It is generally required to maintain the best performance of the wire rope and to avoid or reduce damage to the wire rope. Thus, the use of wire rope lubricants to facilitate wire rope use is well known in the art.

Several wire rope lubricants are used in the stranding and closure processes of wire rope production, especially to create integration within or around the strands before subsequent twisting. Also, some wire rope lubricants are added to the wire rope in use alternatively or additionally regularly, in order to allow the wire rope to have or maintain properties such as abrasion resistance and corrosion resistance.

Conventional wire rope lubricants include mineral base oil and thickener systems with at least one additive, generally at least corrosion resistance additive. However, the increase in legislation to the global environment, such as the requirement to obtain vessel general permits, to allow ships to enter the US territorial waters (based on permissible emission standards for normal ship operation) Making the use of rope lubricants difficult.

Thus, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wire rope lubricant comprising a main component base fluid and a subcomponent wax or polymer, wherein at least one of the base fluid and the wax or polymer is biodegradable.

Thus, the wire rope lubricant is an "Environmentally Acceptable Lubricant (EAL)" as currently defined in Appendix A of the USA EPA 2013 VGP Regulations used to define lubricants in the art. . ≪ / RTI > In meeting these regulations, the wire rope lubricant should be biodegradable, very low in toxicity, and free of bioaccumulation.

The biodegradability of the base fluid, wax or polymer can be measured by the standard OECD method of the OECD, which is well known in the art, and is described in particular in Test Method 306, " Biodegradability in Seawater & Can be measured.

The present invention is not limited by the nature of the base fluid, which base fluid may comprise one or more different components or fluids, as included in the definition above. By way of example and not limitation, examples of suitable biodegradable base fluids include one or more of the group comprising vegetable oils such as rapeseed oil, castor oil, soybean oil, and synthetic esters.

The base fluid is preferably an oil, and various base oils or available components are known in the art. A number of base oils or available components are defined in the Lubricant Substance Classification list or the "LuSC" list, which lists their biodegradability and aquatic toxicity. The Lubricant Substance Classification List is a list of substances and brands evaluated by a qualified body for biodegradability / bioaccumulation, aquatic toxicity, and regeneration and exclusion lists of substances. The evaluation is based on the maximum throughput allowed for the lubricant. This list is available on the EU Ecolabel website.

Preferably, the base fluid is a biodegradable oil having a kinematic viscosity in the range of 450-2000 centistokes (cSt, cm ² / s) at 40 ° C.

Optionally, the base fluid is stable at high temperatures and has a low acid value (< 0.2 mg KOH / g). The total acid number (TAN) of the base fluid can be measured by the ASTM D974 test procedure.

Optionally, the base fluid has a viscosity in the range of 450-1000 cSt at 40 ° C, preferably 600-1000 cSt at 40 ° C, more preferably 800-900 cSt at 40 ° C.

Optionally, the base fluid has a viscosity in the range of 40-450 cSt at 100 &lt; 0 &gt; C, preferably 40-200 cSt at 100 &lt; 0 &gt; C, more preferably 40-80 cSt at 100 &lt; 0 &gt; C.

Optionally, the wax or polymer of the wax or polymer component of the wire rope lubricant is biodegradable.

In one embodiment of the present invention, both the main component base fluid and the subcomponent wax or polymer component are biodegradable.

Typically, the wax or polymer is a solid or a solid-like substance at any elevated ambient temperature, such as ambient temperature or 40 占 폚.

Optionally, the wax or polymer has a melting point in the range of 70-100 占 폚.

Optionally, the viscosity of the base fluid and the viscosity of the molten wax or polymer are (within a small range) the same, completely, or substantially similar so that the viscosity of the wire rope containing such components is predictable, And the viscosity properties of the components in the cooling process appear to be completely or substantially similar. This feature appears when the wax or polymer is solid at ambient temperature and is in a liquid state when any high temperature is applied.

Optionally, the base fluid and the wax or polymer lubricant composition maintain a single ' phase ' (i. E. Do not become a double phase) upon heating, especially at temperatures above the melting point of the wax or polymer.

Optionally, the wax or polymer accounts for 5-15% by weight of the lubricant.

The wax or polymer may be naturally occurring, in particular a wax or polymer based on vegetable oils or plant materials, synthetic waxes or polymers. Preferably, the wax or polymer may provide a homogeneous mixture with the base fluid, and is free or at least free of any dissolution or separation when cooled to a use temperature or ambient temperature at elevated temperatures.

Optionally, the wax is at least one of the group comprising carnauba wax, rice wax, candelilla wax, animal waxes such as beeswax, mineral waxes, and synthetic waxes.

Preferably, the wax is carnauba wax.

Carnauba wax is a refined wax obtained from the leaves of a Brazilian tropical palm tree called Copenicia cerifera, and CAS no. 8015-86-9, ISN no. 903. Carnauba wax has a number of aliphatic esters, some basic diester-based components, free acids, free alcohols, hydrocarbons and some resins. Carnauba wax has a melting point in the range of 80-86 ° C. Carnauba wax has an ester number in the range of 71-93.

Synthetic waxes having the same or similar or substantially similar properties as the carnauba waxes, in particular fully or substantially the same viscosity and melting point ranges, are within the scope of the present invention.

Alternatively, the carnauba wax may be used as a subcomponent in the range of 5-15% by weight.

Alternatively, the wax or polymer is a polyethylene wax which can be used as a minor component in the range of 2-3% by weight.

Optionally, the wax or polymer is a mixture of one or more waxes and / or polymers that can be mixed to adjust the consistency and melting point range of the final product.

Additives or ingredients with suitable corrosion resistance, antioxidant, and abrasion resistance are known in the art and include a series of products sold under the trade name Additin (R) from RheinChemie, including RC4803 and RC8012, and Irganox Irgalube. &Lt; / RTI &gt; The included products are on the LuSC list mentioned above.

In the wire rope lubricant of the present invention, the base fluid component may account for 70, 75, 80, 85 wt%, preferably 88-91 wt%, of the lubricant.

In the wire rope lubricant of the present invention, the wax or polymer component can occupy up to 15%, and optionally can range from 2-10% by weight.

In the wire rope lubricant of the present invention, the remainder is sufficient (qs), i. E. Sufficient to fill 100 wt.%, Generally up to 5 wt.% Corrosion resistance additive, up to 5 wt.% Wear resistance additive, % Of an antioxidant additive, and the total is generally at most 13% by weight, typically at most 5-6% by weight.

Optionally, the wire rope lubricant in the present invention has the following blend ratio:

Base fluid 88-91 wt% oil

Wax or polymer 8-10% by weight Carnauba wax

additive Suitable amount

The wire rope lubricant can be used both on land and in the ocean, and the present invention includes the above-mentioned lubricant applicable to both. Wire rope lubricants are most commonly used for the maintenance of wire ropes on board or in other marine and marine situations or locations.

The wire rope lubricant in use is expected to have a good or high transmission rate of the wire rope and is expected to provide corrosion resistant and abrasion resistant properties. Optionally, the wire rope lubricant has some adhesive properties or forms, and some form a film around the wire rope.

 Some wire rope lubricants are described as 'heavy body lubricants' that are best suited for applications in which the wire rope is exposed to extreme or harsh environments and 'light body lubricants' that are less viscous to penetrate the wire rope better into the wire rope . The wire rope lubricant of the present invention can be tailored to any suitable consistency depending on the viscosity of the base lubricant and the level of the wax or polymer thickener.

Wire rope lubricants can be applied to existing wire ropes using any of a number of known techniques, including spraying, dipping, painting, compressed air, and swirling. This application is possible through an automatic lubrication pneumatic 'device' (available from Viper, Masto and CoreLube) through which the wire rope can pass.

Wire rope lubricants can also be used in the manufacturing process of wire ropes, particularly when applied to one or more of the wire rope strands with one or more of the above techniques, or to be used by "high temperature application" prior to twisting the strands to make the final wire rope . The applied wire rope lubricant is intended to form a layer or barrier of wire rope, preferably a coating, and possibly also a final outer surface, once formed, to help protect the wire rope from corrosion.

Thus, according to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of making a wire rope having a plurality of wire strands, said method comprising, prior to twisting the wire strands to form a wire rope, The method comprising the steps of:

Thus, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wire rope comprising a wire rope lubricant as defined above, having a plurality of wire ropes.

Generally, after a certain period of time, the applied wire rope lubricant is depleted or contaminated and, generally, when the wire rope is in use or in the field, one or more new or additional applications of the wire rope lubricant may be applied to the wire rope.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a use of the wire rope lubricant as defined above, wherein the lubricant is applied to a wire rope.

Claims (17)

A wire rope lubricant comprising a main component base fluid and a subcomponent wax or polymer, wherein at least one of the base fluid and the wax or polymer is biodegradable. The wire rope lubricant according to claim 1, wherein the wax or polymer component is biodegradable. The wire rope lubricant according to claim 1, wherein the wax is a plant-based derivative. The wire rope lubricant according to claim 1, wherein the wax is based on plant oils or plant materials. The wire rope lubricant according to claim 4, wherein the wax is at least one of the group consisting of carnauba wax, rice wax, candelilla wax, animal wax such as beeswax, mineral wax and synthetic wax. The wire rope lubricant according to claim 1, wherein the wax is carnauba wax. The wire rope lubricant according to claim 1, wherein the wax or polymer component accounts for 2-15% by weight of the lubricant. The wire rope lubricant according to claim 1, wherein the wax or polymer has a melting point in the range of 70-100 占 폚. The wire rope lubricant according to claim 1, wherein the base fluid is a biodegradable oil. 10. A wire rope lubricant according to claim 9, wherein the base fluid has a viscosity in the range of 450-2000 cSt at 40 &lt; 0 &gt; C. 11. A wire rope lubricant according to claim 10, wherein the base fluid has a viscosity in the range of 800-900 cSt at 40 &lt; 0 &gt; C. The wire rope lubricant according to claim 1, comprising at least one of the group comprising antiwear additives, antioxidant additives, and antiwear additives. The wire rope lubricant according to claim 1, which has the following composition ratio:
Base fluid 88-91 wt%;
8-10% by weight of oil, wax or polymer;
Carnauba wax additive. The wire rope lubricant according to claim 1, which is a marine lubricant. A method of forming a wire rope having a plurality of wire strands comprising applying a lubricant of wire rope defined in any one of claims 1 to 14 between the wire strands. A wire rope having a plurality of wire strands and comprising the wire rope lubricant defined in any one of claims 1 to 14. 15. Use of a wire rope lubricant as defined in any one of claims 1 to 14 wherein said lubricant is applied to a wire rope.