A Moscow driver spends an average of 210 hours a year in traffic jams. According to a study by the University of Leeds, the load on the engine in this mode is 66% higher than outside the city. Let's talk about how oil helps protect the engine from wear.
DUALOCK Technology
Creating oils — combinations of base oils and a complex composition of additives — is a fundamental work, which involves several years of painstaking development of each product. Castrol is one of those manufacturers that spend a lot of time and effort on such developments. One of the latest scientific achievements of our engineers is the DUALOCK technology.
Without getting too deep into the subtleties of chemistry, DUALOCK is a complex chemical compound that represents a new generation of Castrol anti-wear additives. The connection is a trade secret, so we can't go into detail about the composition on the Drive2 blog. But nothing prevents us from explaining how it works, using the example of tests carried out during the certification of oils according to API (American Petroleum Institute) and ACEA (European Automobile Manufacturers Association) specifications.
Castrol MAGNATEC engine oils with DUALOCK technology
How conventional oil affects wear
The first generation of Castrol MAGNATEC motor oils was introduced back in 1996. Their appearance is associated with the spread of engines with electronic injection. Car manufacturers have said that warm-up is no longer needed — you can drive right after starting. Indeed, immediately after a cold start, you won’t really go on a carbureted car, but here it’s easy. But at the same time, studies have indicated that 75% of engine wear occurs just at the time of starting the engine and warming it up.
Traditional zinc phosphate anti-wear additives, first patented by Castrol founder Charles Wakefield back in 1935, due to their properties, begin to work only after the oil reaches a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius. Only by 80 degrees does a protective film form on the metal surface — a tribochemical reaction layer that prevents engine wear. And this means that before warming up, an engine with ordinary oil wears out as intensively as possible.
Castrol MAGNATEC engine oils with Intelligent Molecules Technology help protect the engine by providing anti-wear components from the start. The principle of their operation is simple — polarly charged head groups are attracted to places where wear is currently occurring. As a result, a protective film is formed, but no longer tied to the oil temperature.
Urban traffic as a wear factor
Over the next couple of decades, both engines and traffic itself have changed. Road congestion has increased. The Global Traffic Scorecard study, conducted by the international company INRIX, showed that drivers in such a large metropolis as Moscow spend an average of 210 hours a year in traffic jams. Such a driving mode implies a large number of stops and prolonged idling of the engine. However, it is at this point that the engine is subject to greater wear. The load on engine parts when driving around the city in traffic jams is 66% higher than on the highway.
Moreover, studies conducted by the British University of Leeds, together with Castrol, on the example of a BMW gasoline engine, showed the following. An indicator indicating an increase in engine wear — maximum share stress (maximum shear stress) in the gas distribution mechanism has a linear dependence on the crankshaft speed. The average wear of the tappets and camshaft cams at 800 rpm was significantly higher than at 4000 rpm. But it is the gas distribution mechanism that is the very place where, due to the boundary nature of friction, antiwear additives most effectively demonstrate their performance.
The load on important engine parts at idle is 66% higher than when driving on the highway
Actually, these studies determined the nature of the task for our engineers in the development of the innovative DUALOCK technology. It was necessary not only to keep the advantages of anti-wear components, but also to supplement them with new compounds that reduce wear on the gas distribution mechanism in traffic jams.
Research and development took more than ten years, at the initial moment the engineers had a «set» of 126 potential molecules, over 12 thousand samples of oils were produced and tested. As part of field tests, test vehicles covered 3 million kilometers. Some cars have had the thermostat removed from the engine cooling system to make it harder for the oil to work. As a result, one molecule remained.
The new anti-wear components work in conjunction with the Intelligent molecules used in the previous generation of Castrol MAGNATEC. Both substances enhance the anti-wear effect of each other. As a result, they create a dense and uniform protective layer on the metal surface, which remains on the surface up to temperatures of 150 degrees. The new molecule was called DUALOCK — from Dual (double) and Lock (lock). This name symbolizes the synergy of two substances.
Engine wear when using such oils is at least half as much as API and ACEA standards require. b>100 hours for camshaft cam wear
When certifying motor oils, international organizations — for example, API, ACEA or ILSAC (International Committee for Standardization and Certification of Lubricants) — conduct dozens of laboratory and motor tests. Scientists determine, among other things, the effect of oil on fuel efficiency, corrosion and wear of bearings, and wear of other engine parts.
One of the key tests used by API and ILSAC is the standard test ASTM 6891 (Sequence IVA ). It evaluates the anti-wear performance of «cold oil». The test is carried out on the new Nissan KA24E engine and consists of one hundred hourly cycles, each of which is divided into two stages.
First, the engine runs for 50 minutes at 800 rpm, and the oil temperature reaches 49 degrees. Then it is started for another 10 minutes at 1500 rpm, the oil temperature rises to 59 degrees. Due to the low oil temperature, traditional anti-wear additives are not activated during the test.
After the test is completed, the engine is disassembled. The wear of each cam and pusher is measured at seven control points and the arithmetic average is calculated. The indicator for passing the test (API SN category) is wear no more than 90 micrometers. With Castrol MAGNATEC oil, camshaft cams wear at least half as much — no more than 40 micrometers, and DUALOCK technology brings this figure to values below 30 micrometers. .jpg» />Left images show cams that have passed the Sequence IVA type test — ASTM D6891. On the right are cams with increased wear. Photo: swri.org
And another 300 hours to wear
Another indicative test is used for ACEA certification. It is more modern, as it was adopted in 1999, and the last revision was approved in 2016. Leading researchers and developers have made a great contribution to the emergence of this test, and BP, a concern that today includes Castrol, also took part.
The test takes place on a 150-horsepower Mercedes-Benz OM646LA engine. This is a four-cylinder turbodiesel with a volume of 2.2 liters. The test is carried out for 305 hours. The main control parameter for ACEA is the maximum allowable wear of the cam and camshaft pusher. The control parameters in the test are the condition of the pistons, cylinders, rings, the timing chain, as well as bearing wear, increased viscosity, the degree of polishing of the cylinder walls and the formation of soot on parts in the engine.
The first two hours the engine is run in, then operates in various modes — at idle, in stop-start mode, at partial load and at full power. The test shows that Castrol MAGNATEC motor oils with DUALOCK technology provide at least half the cam wear of the 50-60 µm benchmark. Previous generation Castrol MAGNATEC motor oils also exceeded the test target, losing to the new Castrol MAGNATEC with by DUALOCK technology by about 30%.
Why are these particular engines used in tests? It is on them that the anti-wear characteristics of lubricants are best manifested. Especially for such tests, motors are produced, which sometimes are no longer installed on production cars. At the same time, the information content and relevance of research are extremely high, including for modern internal combustion engines.
Thus, thanks to the new DUALOCK technology, the wear of engine parts is reduced by 50% both during warm-up and in urban mode driving with frequent stops.
Lasers and atomic technologies in testing
High-precision scientific tests allow you to better determine how the oil and its anti-wear molecules work. There are several such methods.
Laser spectroscopy with sum frequency generation. Research conducted by the Department of Chemistry at the University of Cambridge has greatly contributed to the development of a performance evaluation for Castrol MAGNATEC engine oils with DUALOCK technology.
Spectroscopy clearly shows how the anti-wear molecules used in Castrol MAGNATEC with DUALOCK technology form a protective layer. Studies have shown that the molecules are arranged in a strict order: DUALOCK molecules alternate through 5 Intelligent molecules. force microscopyallows you to obtain accurate data on exactly how and where the protective layer is formed. The «Grand Canyon» in the illustration below is the work of anti-wear components. The relief is caused by those same Intelligent molecules. The protective layer is formed exactly where the boundary friction and the accompanying wear occur. This behavior is typical of the previous generation of Castrol MAGNATEC oils. In the picture on the right, you can see the joint work of molecules of two generations, that is, DUALOCK technology — a uniform protective coating. action of molecules on a metal surface
Castrol MAGNATEC retail range with DUALOCK technology
This is how Castrol MAGNATEC engine oil with DUALOCK technology protects your car's engine from wear and tear, both during engine warm-up and when driving in traffic jams.
What else would you like to know about this technology, as well as about oil in general?
We welcome your questions and comments!
And for the participants Drive2, we provide a 15% discount on the purchase of a new Castrol MAGNATEC with DUALOCK technology at the official Castrol online store. Hurry up to use the promo code «DRIVE2» before 04/30/2020!
The promo code is entered in the «discount codes» field in the basket when placing orders.
*15% discount applies to packaging 1l, 4l, 5l.
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Learn more about Castrol DUALOCK technology on our official website.
Choose the optimal engine oil from the Castrol MAGNATEC range for your car engine.