The Viscosity of Polyalphaolefins Mixtures at High Pressure and Stress

Abstract

Understanding the pressure and shear dependence of viscosity is essential to an understanding of the mechanisms of film forming and friction in concentrated contacts. The blending of different molecular mass polyalphaolefins (PAOs) may permit the formulator to arrive at a desired combination of film thickness and friction. The viscosities of PAO base oils and their blends were measured versus temperature, pressure, and shear stress to 1 GPa in pressure. The Grunberg–Nissan mixing rule, with effective mole fractions, provides an excellent mixing rule for the temperature and pressure-dependent low-shear viscosity. This work provides the first look at a possible mixing rule for the non-Newtonian response of mixtures of base oils.