Lubrication Engineers, Inc. (LE), Fort Worth, Texas, added two lubricant solutions to its Wirelife product line earlier this year. Low Tox penetrating lubricant is designed marine environments and other applications where environmental concerns require the use of a very low toxicity wire rope and chain lubricant. Almasol Syn Coating Lubricant is a synthetic lubricant ideal for extreme environments and conditions.
With Low Tox, LE offers environmental sensitivity without sacrificing performance. According to the company, the lubricant product has extremely high load-carrying capacity and protects against rust and corrosion, with the lowest possible toxic effect on the environment, particularly aquatic organisms.
In tests, it exhibited up to a tenfold reduction in eco-toxicity over conventional lubricants, states LE. Low Tox biodegrades slowly but with less toxicity, minimizing environmental impact and posing less danger to aquatic life. The lubricant’s high load-carrying capacity reduces rope fatigue, extending the life of wire rope and making it ideal for heavily loaded standing or running wire ropes, according to the company. Its penetrating ability – enhanced by a petroleum solvent – allows it to reach the rope’s core, where most rope failures originate.
Easy to apply, the lubricant can be dipped, sprayed on with automatic equipment, or hand-applied with a brush. It is available in 5-gallon pails and 55-gallon drums. LE recommends the lubricant for applications in which wire ropes and chains operate in close proximity to waterways where the threat of contamination is harmful to plant and animal life. Examples are oceangoing vessels, ports, locks and dams, and water treatment plants.
LE’s Almasol Syn is an extremely tacky, nonasphaltic synthetic lubricant with high film strength. Designed for extreme environments and conditions, it provides robust outer surface protection for wire rope and cable, and comes from the same advanced technology that LE developed to protect large open gears in the mining and quarry industries.
Dependable for the heavy use demanded in such industries as mining and construction and in marine environments, typical applications for Almasol Syn include standing and running lines, draglines, cranes, derricks, hoists and drilling rigs. It performs better and lasts longer than standard lubricants, reducing wear by minimizing wire-to-wire contact within the rope.
Its exceptional film strength and high load-carrying capacity, which allow it to withstand heavy loads and cushion shock loading, come from its heavy synthetic base fluid, its synergistic blend of Almasol, LE’s exclusive wear-reducing additive, and an extreme pressure additive. Available exclusively in LE lubricants, Almasol wear-reducing additive adheres to metal surfaces in a microscopic layer, states LE, yet it will not build on itself or affect clearances. It possesses tremendous load-carrying capacity, is impervious to acid attack, and minimizes metal-to-metal contact and the resulting friction and wear.
According to LE, the lubricant’s extreme tackiness enables it to cling tenaciously to metal surfaces, a must in heavy-duty or extreme applications. Because it stays put longer, less lubricant is consumed and less maintenance is needed for reapplication. The purple-tinted lubricant appears translucent in use, allowing easy visual safety inspections.
The synthetic lubricant contains no halogenated compounds or heavy metals that would harm the environment, and it has been cleared for disposal like any other non-hazardous petroleum oil. It can be applied manually or through automatic spray systems.
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