Modern Lubricants for Tube Bending

Modern Lubricants for Tube Bending
Christopher Fletcher, ChE
Tower Oil & Technology Co.
Outline
 Selecting Lubricants
 Why?
 Tools
 Chemistry
 Steps
 Today’s Choices
 Lubricants
 Substrates & Sizes
 Wear Tooling
 Application
FABTECH Canada 2014
Do I Have To?
Not Always. However…
FABTECH Canada 2014
Why Lubrication?
Photos courtesy of thefabricator.com
FABTECH Canada 2014
Why Lubrication?
Ff = μ N
where
Ff = frictional force
μ = coefficient of friction
N = normal force
Lower μ
is desirable
FABTECH Canada 2014
Tools
 Twist Compression
Test (TCT)
• Scientific Bench Test
• Very High Interface
Pressures
• Variable Test Materials
• Lubricant Starvation
• Low Speed
FABTECH Canada 2014
TCT
FABTECH Canada 2014
TCT
FABTECH Canada 2014
TCT
0.5
100
0.45
90
0.4
80
Co efficien t o f F rictio n
0.35
W-4177
10,000 psi
0.3
70
60
1650
0.25
50
0.2
40
0.15
30
0.1
20
0.05
10
0
0
0
5
10
15
Time (s)
1
FABTECH Canada 2014
2
3
Interface Stress (MPa)
TCT Comparing Two Gel Products
FABTECH Canada 2014
Chemistry
 Viscosity or Thick Film
www.stle.org
FABTECH Canada 2014
Chemistry
 Boundary
Create
space to
keep
asperites
from
touching
www.stle.org
FABTECH Canada 2014
Chemistry
 Extreme Pressure (EP)
Use iron in
metal to form
chemical
reaction
Cl = Iron Chloride S = Iron Sulfide
FABTECH Canada 2014
P = Iron Phosphate
Key Steps
 Health & Safety Considerations
 Chemical Content or Restrictions
 Waste Disposal
 Application
FABTECH Canada 2014
Key Steps
 Desired Residue
 Secondary Operation Compatibility
 No Adverse Effects on Material,
Tooling, or Equipment
 Quality Parts & Acceptable Tool Life
FABTECH Canada 2014
Today’s choices
Preferred Lubricants







Synthetic Chemical Solutions
Seed Oil Compounds
Renewal Resource
Soluble Oils
Gels
Pastes
Compounded Oils
FABTECH Canada 2014
Synthetic Chemical Solutions
 Varying viscosities
 Dilutable
 Easy to wash
 Weld over lube residue
 True solutions or dispersions
 Lube does not drip out in paint oven
 Use when welding and/or painting are required
 Can be viscosity, boundary, and EP
FABTECH Canada 2014
Seed Oil Compounds
 Vegetable and/or renewable
 Minimal lubricant required (MQL)
 Lost lubricant theory
 No oily mess at machines
 No parts washing
 Weld over lube residue
 No waste disposal
 Usually viscosity and boundary
FABTECH Canada 2014
Soluble Oil
 Very Versatile Lube
 All Metal Safe
 Use neat or diluted
 Mix with water
 Easy to clean
 Can be viscosity, boundary, and EP
FABTECH Canada 2014
Emulsions
Oil In Water
FABTECH Canada 2014
Water in Oil
Gels
 Contain no mineral oil
 Very clean
 High water content
 Good weld through
http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/File:Gel_ojos.jpg
 Mostly viscosity and barrier
 Not all work on aluminum
 Need controlled application
FABTECH Canada 2014
Necessary Gel Features
 Does not harden in drum or mandrel
 No “slumping” on mandrel under heat
 Does not drip out of tubes in-process
 Pump-able from drums/pails
 Come with drums liners
FABTECH Canada 2014
Paste
 Contain mineral oil and water
 Form an invert emulsion to thicken
 Typically blended with lubricity and/or EP
or solid film lubricants for tougher
applications
 Modern high quality pastes do not harden
like a rock
 Can be cleaned and conducive to
secondary processing
FABTECH Canada 2014
Compounded Oils
 Wide range of viscosities
 Typically used for extreme pressure
lubrication
 Easy to pump or apply
 Additives to improve cleaning
FABTECH Canada 2014
So much to choose from…
There are many products within each family of
lubricants.
The individual products range from
Light Duty to
Medium Duty to
Heavy Duty and in some cases
Extreme Duty.
FABTECH Canada 2014
Order
Light Duty
 Diluted Synthetics & Soluble Oils
 Seed Oil and Renewable Resource
 Gels
Medium Duty
 Synthetics
 Seed Oil & Renewable Resource
 Soluble Oils
 Gels & Pastes
FABTECH Canada 2014
Order
Heavy Duty
 Synthetics & Soluble Oils with EP
 Seed Oil and Renewable Resource with Boundary and/or EP
 Thicker Gels and Pastes with Boundary or EP
 Compounded Oils
Extreme Duty
 High viscosity Soluble Oils with EP
 High viscosity Gels & Pastes with EP
 High viscosity Compounded Oils with EP
FABTECH Canada 2014
Lubricant Performance Variables
 Degree of Bending
 Diameter of Tube
 Substrate Material
 Thickness
 Tooling
FABTECH Canada 2014
D of Bend
Use the degree of bend (D) to help determine how heavy duty
the lubricant needs to be
D of Bend = CLR ÷ OD
Example: 4” CLR ÷ 2” OD = 2 D
Photo courtesy of Tools for Bending
FABTECH Canada 2014
Rule of Thumb
 To help select bending lubricants, use the following rules
of thumb
 ≤ 3” OD and < 2 D Bend:
 Use Heavy Duty Lube
 ≤ 3” OD and ≥ 2 D Bend:
 Use Light or Medium Duty Lube
FABTECH Canada 2014
Rule of Thumb
 > 3” OD and < 2 D Bend:
 Use Heavy or Extreme Duty Lube
 > 3” OD and ≥ 2 D Bend:
 Use Medium or Heavy Duty Lube
 Use heavier duty lubricant as:
 OD increases
 Thickness increases
FABTECH Canada 2014
Substrates
 Steel
 Seed Oils & Renewable Resource
 Gels
 Pastes
 Compounded Oils
 Aluminum
 Gels
 Pastes
 Renewable Resources
FABTECH Canada 2014
Substrates
 Stainless
 4xx Series
 Seed Oils & Renewable Resource
 Gels
 3xx Series
 Seed Oils & Renewable Resource
 Pastes
 Compounded Oils
 Aluminized Stainless
 Same as above only more paste
FABTECH Canada 2014
Substrates
 Copper/Brass/Softer Metals
 Seed Oils & Renewable Resource
 Synthetic (compatible)
 Soluble Oils
 Inconel/Titanium
 Pastes
 Compounded Oil
FABTECH Canada 2014
Tooling
 Mandrel
 AMPCO Bronze
 18, 21, M4 are most common
 Soft = wears quickly
 Used on steel, stainless
 New coatings extending life
 All lubricants
FABTECH Canada 2014
Photo courtesy of Omni-X
Tooling
 Mandrel
 Steel
 Harder
 Chromed; Other coatings
 Longer life but more wear on tube
 Use on steel, stainless, aluminum, aluminized, and
softer metals
 Higher end lubricants
FABTECH Canada 2014
Photo courtesy of Omni-X
Tooling
 Mandrel
 Plastic
 Becoming more useful
 Soft = wears quickly
 Used on helix, continuous, short run large
 Light lubricant
FABTECH Canada 2014
Tooling
 Mandrel
 New Material
 Longer life
 Acts like coating
 Light lubricant
Photo courtesy of Tools for Bending
FABTECH Canada 2014
Tooling
 Wiper
 AMPCO Bronze
 Flexible
 Steel
 D2, S7, H13
Some coatings on both, but cannot be brittle
FABTECH Canada 2014
Photo courtesy of Omni-X
Tooling
• Cutoff Knives
– High Speed Steel
– TiN Coating
FABTECH Canada 2014
Application
Synthetic Chemical Solutions, Soluble Oils & Compounded Oils

Basic fluid pump


Bender turns on and off

Air/electrical operated

1:1-5:1 ratio
FABTECH Canada 2014
Application
Synthetic Chemical Solutions, Soluble Oils &
Compounded Oils

Air over lube tank with solenoid


Electrical operated

Bender sends signal but PLC can manipulate
Photo courtesy of Industrial Innovations
All can be sprayed or injected into locations
depending on viscosity
FABTECH Canada 2014
Application

Seed Oil Compounds & Renewable Resource

Micro-mist


Air or electrically operated
Bender controls frequency
FABTECH Canada 2014
Application
Gels & Pastes

Air operated drum/pail pump

Depends on viscosity

Light = 5:1 ratio fluid pump

Heavy = 15:1-50:1 grease pump; follower plate
Metering system

FABTECH Canada 2014


For < 4”OD

Valves or metering pumps

Bender controlled for each lube point
Substrate Thickness
OD
Matrix
Typical
Mandrel
Material
Mandrel
Lube
Synthetic
Application
Fluid pump
Spray system
Fluid pump
Seed Oil
Bronze
Soluble Oil
Gel
Micro Mister
Spray system
Fluid pump
Spray system
Drum pump
Drum pump/Metering system
Drum pump
Paste
Compounded Oil
Synthetic
< 3"
Drum pump/Metering system
Fluid pump
Spray system
Fluid pump
Spray system
Fluid pump
Seed Oil
Thin
 Can be very large
 Generalities
 Locked variables
 Narrows down quickly
Spray system
Fluid pump
Spray system
Drum pump
Drum pump/Metering system
Drum pump
Drum pump/Metering system
Fluid pump
Spray system
Fluid pump
Spray system
Fluid pump
Seed Oil
Soluble Oil
Gel
Micro Mister
Spray system
Fluid pump
Spray system
Drum pump
Drum pump/Metering system
Drum pump
Paste
Compounded Oil
Synthetic
> 3"
Drum pump/Metering system
Fluid pump
Spray system
Fluid pump
Spray system
Fluid pump
Seed Oil
Steel
Chromed
Soluble Oil
Gel
Bronze
Paste
Compounded Oil
Synthetic
Seed Oil
Soluble Oil
Gel
Steel
Chromed
Paste
Compounded Oil
Synthetic
Seed Oil
Soluble Oil
Gel
Bronze
Paste
Compounded Oil
Synthetic
Seed Oil
Soluble Oil
Gel
Steel
Chromed
Paste
Compounded Oil
Synthetic
Seed Oil
Soluble Oil
Gel
Micro Mister
Spray system
Fluid pump
Spray system
Drum pump
Drum pump/Metering system
Drum pump
Drum pump/Metering system
Fluid pump
Spray system
Fluid pump
Spray system
Fluid pump
Micro Mister
Spray system
Fluid pump
Spray system
Drum pump
Drum pump/Metering system
Drum pump
< 3"
Heavy
 Multiple parts per bender
Soluble Oil
Gel
Paste
Compounded Oil
Synthetic
Bronze
Carbon Steel
 Rules of thumb
Steel
Chromed
Micro Mister
Drum pump/Metering system
Fluid pump
Spray system
Fluid pump
Spray system
Fluid pump
Micro Mister
Spray system
Fluid pump
Spray system
Drum pump
Drum pump/Metering system
Drum pump
Drum pump/Metering system
Fluid pump
Spray system
Fluid pump
Spray system
Fluid pump
Micro Mister
Spray system
Fluid pump
Spray system
Drum pump
Drum pump/Metering system
Drum pump
> 3"
FABTECH Canada 2014
Drum pump/Metering system
Fluid pump
Spray system
Fluid pump
Spray system
Fluid pump
Micro Mister
Spray system
Fluid pump
Spray system
Drum pump
Drum pump/Metering system
Drum pump
Paste
Compounded Oil
Drum pump/Metering system
Fluid pump
Spray system
Conclusion
 Method to the madness
 Run through selection steps
 Gather data
 Key in on performance, then optimize
 Consider application methods
 Consult lube and tooling suppliers
FABTECH Canada 2014
Sources

Grinelli, Tony. "When a Good Tube Bends Bad - Part II." TheFabricator.com. N.p., 11 Apr. 2006. Web. 28
Sept. 2013.

Tools for Bending

Bend Tooling

OMNI-X

www.thefabricator.com

www.stle.org

www.industrialinnovations.com

www.unist.com

www.ampcometal.com

www.toweroil.com
FABTECH Canada 2014
Thank You
Christopher Fletcher, ChE
Tower Oil & Technology
[email protected]
248-838-8884