What is the Basic Composition of Grease?

Grease is mainly composed of base oil, thickener, and additives. Generally, the content of thickener is about 10% - 20%, the content of base oil is about 75% - 90%, and the content of additives and fillers is less than 5%.

1. Base Oil

Base oil is the dispersion medium in the grease dispersion system, which has a great impact on the performance of grease. High viscosity mineral oil is always used as the base oil for lubricating grease. Under some harsh work conditions, some greases use synthetic stream lubricating oil as base oil, such as ester oil, silicone oil, polyolefin oil, etc.

2.Thickener

Thickener is an important component in lubricating grease. It is dispersed in the base oil and forms the structure of lubricating grease, so that the base oil is adsorbed and fixed in the structure.

Water resistance and heat resistance of lubricating grease are mainly determined by thickener. There are two main types of thickeners used in lubricating grease: soap based thickeners and non soap based thickeners.  Mostly the greases are produced soap based thickeners.

3.Additives & Fillers

One additive is often used in lubricant grease, which is  adhesive solvents. It makes the combination of oil and soap more stable, such as glycerol and water. Once water is lost in calcium base grease, which structure will be completely destroyed and can’t  form grease. For example, glycerol can adjust the consistency of grease in sodium base grease.

The other additives, such as phosphate, extreme pressure anti-wear agent, drop point improved agent, and some compound agent. Sometimes, graphite, molybdenum sulfide and carbon black are often added as fillers in order to improve the stability of lubricating grease.