From Our Perspective: The Study

In 1964, Professor H. Peter Jost published the results of the world’s first major study on the effects of “Lubrication, Friction and Wear.” His research had been commissioned by the British government, which was keenly interested in these effects on the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Jost’s study proved to be sensational. Industry was astounded by its documentation of the costs associated with poor or ineffective lubrication practices. He found that reversing the trend and making lubrication practices more effective could conservatively save British industry 20% in maintenance and repair costs; 20% in lubricant costs; 7.5% in energy costs; and significant downtime. For his part, Jost received a knighthood and, more important, assured his legacy by naming the study and practice associated with lubrication, friction and wear: He called it “Tribology.”

Six years later, in the hallowed halls of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Dr. Ernest Rabinowicz built on Jost’s work and completed his formative study on the “Design, Friction, and Wear of Interacting Bearing Surfaces.” This led to his publication of the seminal tribology text Friction and Wear of Materials, and assurance of his legacy as a lubrication pioneer with the “Rabinowicz Law” that stated, “Every year, 6% of the GDP is lost through mechanical wear.” In his studies, Rabinowicz concluded that 70% of bearing-surface loss of usefulness (bearing failure) is attributed to mechanical wear (50%) and corrosion (20%). Both of these wear mechanisms, we now know, are entirely preventable with Good Lubrication Practices (GLP).

Fast forward 50 years: Great strides have been made in the science of Tribology, particularly in the fields of lubricants and bearing-surface technology—progress that has been driven primarily by the automotive industry and U.S. space program. Additionally, the past 10 years have witnessed significant growth in lubrication awareness through training and certification of lubrication-related personnel by the International Council of Machinery Lubrication (ICML), the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE), and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Lubrication-delivery systems have also greatly improved, especially in the area of electronic control and programming, and are now affordable to the point that their return on investment (ROI) can be measured in weeks and months in most cases.

Yet, despite our innovation and knowledge in these areas, in my capacity as an asset-management and lubrication specialist, I still see too many needless lubrication-related failures and ineffective lubrication practices in every type of industry. But why? Industry needs more than anecdotal information.

With that in mind, I recently worked with the editorial team at Efficient Plant magazine to develop and conduct a comprehensive (37-question) online reader survey entitled “State of the Nation’s Lubrication Practices.” The Lubrication Nation’s response to it has been significant.

We asked the who, what, when, where, why and how pertaining to your lubrication practices and received a healthy number of fully completed responses from a variety of industry sectors, including manufacturing, automotive, natural resources, pharmaceutical, food and facility management. The results are telling.

In the next few pages, we share some of what our survey told us about North America’s lube practices and provide an initial explanation of what those responses indicate. Look for upcoming articles in Lubrication Technology and on LubricationTechnology.com that respond to and expand on the needs revealed by the study.

For now, please turn to page 4 to read this first article. Over time, I challenge survey respondents and those who were unable to participate in this study to use its findings as a lens through which to view your respective organizations’ states of lubrication; resolve to make positive changes in your practices; and always celebrate your lubrication-program successes. Good luck!