Low Volatile Organic Content (VOC) Solid Film Lubricant

Dry film lubricants are used extensively in military and commercial aircraft engines to prevent galling, fretting and seizing and to aid in maintenance disassembly and re-assembly of threaded fasteners. Most dry film lubricants contain volatile organiccompounds as carrier solvents. Many also contain lead-based antioxidants for added endurance life and antimony oxide as a corrosion inhibitor. Each of these components poses an environmental hazard and their use must be discontinued. Graphite is oftenused as a lubricant by itself or with other solid lubricants. It is known to instigate galvanic corrosion of many metals. TRI/Austin proposes to develop a water-based system containing alternative lubricants and additives that will be environmentally andtoxicologically benign, meets the requirements of MIL-L-23398 and MIL-L-46147, and can be applied using standard procedures with minimal impact to the Navy. The technical challenge to be faced in this development involves obtaining an adequate dispersionof the lubricant in the water-binder solution so that coating stratification does not occur during binder cure.