Modern oil lubricants contain many types of additives, but the most influential on the tribological performance of the lubricant are friction modifiers and antiwear additives (e.g. ZDDP). Because they interact simultaneously with the wear track to generate tribofilms, a careful section is recommended according to the application-specific requirements.
Friction modifiers and antiwear additives have been found to competitively react/adsorb on the rubbing ferrous substrates in a tribological contact. The formation and removal (through wear) of tribofilms are dynamic processes which result from the simultaneous interaction of these two additives with the surface of the wear track.
An understanding of the chemical interactions of additives with the wear track is required to achieve optimal results when formulating lubricant blends.
Materials and surface engineering