Rheological properties of high‐viscosity‐index mineral base oils for automotive engine lubricants

Abstract Viscosity‐pressure‐temperature relations for paraffinic mineral base oils at pressures up to 0.7 GPa and temperatures between 30 and 90°C were determined using a falling‐ball‐type viscometer. The oils used were solvent refined oils, hydrocracked oils, and an oil produced by a wax isomerisation process. The viscosity at pressures higher than those possible with the viscometer was then derived by applying a simplified solution to the traction curves determined using an elastohydrodynamic disc‐on‐ball tester. When the measured viscosity and the calculated viscosity were plotted against pressure, for the oils with a viscosity index higher than 120 the viscosity derived from traction measurements followed the curve extrapolated to the high‐pressure region using either the Yasutomi or Roelands equations (the parameters for which were obtained using the viscometer). However, the calculated viscosity for the lower‐viscosity‐index oils deviated upwards from the extrapolated curve.