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Lubrication Coatings
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One of the obvious reasons for using a
solid or dry film fluoropolymer lubrication coating is to reduce
friction. A simple reduction in friction greatly reduces component
interface contact wear, which in turn, frees up horsepower typically
lost to friction. Well, what exactly is a fluoropolymer?
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, generically known as teflon) has the
lowest coefficient of friction of any known solid. For this single
reason engineers for years have experimented using polymers as a solid
lubricant on engine components in an effort to reduce friction. Again,
because of the low coefficient of friction, PTFE (or polymer) powders
are added to engine lubricants to reduce friction and wear between
mating components. However, PTFE is extremely soft and expensive.
Fluorocarbons are various chemically inert compounds containing both
carbon and fluorine and are used mainly in
 lubricants
and in the making of resins and plastics. Fluorocarbons are hard. When
blending fluorocarbons with fine PTFE particles along with selected
fillers, binders, and pigments you have a complex matrix formulation
known as a fluoropolymer. A properly formulated fluoropolymer coating
offers the known friction reducing characteristic of PTFE and
fluorocarbons in conjunction with the wear characteristics of the
specifically selected binders and fillers.
There are obvious critical areas associated with power loss and damage
caused by inadequate lubrication. Two of the highest frictional contact
surfaces in an internal combustion engine are design situated between
the piston skirts and cylinder walls, and the interfacing contact area
of the crankshaft journals and corresponding rod and main bearings. When
introducing high velocity reciprocating movement, one can only hope that
hydrodynamic (boundary) lubrication is occurring. Wait a minute, how
about "cold starts" when all the oil has drained down off the piston
skirts and departed the bearing surfaces…isn't the engine literally
operating dry! Reason enough for having components fluoropolymer coated.
However, don't ignore the Performance Enhancement benefits of
fluoropolymer coatings designed to significantly diminish friction and
freeing up wasted energy (horsepower)..
 Gear
type oil pumps (wet sumps) require extremely close internal tolerances
to properly scavenge reserve oil from the pan and then force it through
the engine's oiling network. Consequently, during operation there is
substantial friction taking place which is consuming an enormous amount
of energy and is converting this energy into unwanted heat. Once again
we have a "horsepower" thief that can be eliminated.
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