Lubricated testing, is a test that involves a lubricant in any form, whether it is a liquid, gas or solid. Lubricants can operate in different ways depending on state, but their main functions include to reduce friction (and thus energy lost as heat), reduce wear (increase component lifetime), remove heat from the system (this is vital in systems where friction levels are high and thus frictional is high). There is also additives to suspend impurities, affect viscosity changes with temperature, minimise oxidation.
There are two types of tribological test equipment in nCATS: the first is the most common where the lubricated system (material surfaces and lubricant) is tested as a whole, the second type of system are the ones where the lubricant properties are explored exclusive, for us this Mini Traction Machine (MTM).