Preparation and properties of graphene composite lubricants additive used for cylinder liner in marine diesel burning low sulfur fuel oil

In recent years, abnormal wear issues have emerged in cylinder liner-piston rings (CL-PRs) in marine diesels that burn low-sulfur fuel oils (LSFO). To address this issue, a graphene-attapulgite composite additive was prepared and characterized as detailed in this report. Then, the tribological properties and corrosion resistance of this graphene-attapulgite were investigated when it was used at various concentrations as a multifunctional composite lubricant additive in simulated LSFO lubrication conditions. It was found that the appropriate concentration of the additive in a lubricant produced excellent anti-friction and anti-wear properties. This was when the additive was at 0.25 wt% concentration in normal lubricating conditions, where the friction coefficient and wear mass loss were reduced by 22.7% and 44.1%, respectively. Additionally, the impermeability of the graphene additive was found to improve the corrosion resistance of the lubricant. These findings revealed the mechanism of the graphene-attapulgite additive for friction reduction and corrosion resistance of cylinder liner in simulated LSFO lubrication conditions, which provided an inhibition method to prevent abnormal wear of cylinder liner in marine diesel burning LSFO.