With the aim of improving the tribological properties of low-viscosity gear oil for automobiles, an acrylate of dialkyl dithiophosphoric acid (ADDP) with strong polar groups was synthesized. The tribological behavior of ADDP combined with molybdenum dialkyl dithiocarbamate (MoDTC) in gear oil was systematically studied. Tribological performances of gear oil containing different additives were assessed using a four-ball friction and wear tester. The obtained tribological characteristics reveal that ADDP and MoDTC can significantly improve the antiwear and antifriction performance of low-viscosity gear oil. Moreover, compared with using MoDTC or ADDP alone, the average friction coefficient and wear scar diameter of ADDP combined with MoDTC further decreased by 2.41–19.15% and 5.00–18.19%, respectively. Analysis of the worn surface showed that the structural characteristics and physical synergistic lubricating actions of the ADDP with MoDTC additives during the friction process can contribute to the exceptional tribological properties of the hybrid additives.

To investigate the effect of erucamide on the tribological properties of GCr15 steel, polyurea grease is prepared with different concentration of erucamide as additive. The tribological behavior of erucamide on the surface of GCr15 steel is studied by reciprocating friction test. The results show that 1.5wt.% erucamide has the best tribological property and the friction-induced vibration and noise suppression capability, which is attributed to the formation of lubricating film on the transition region of the friction surface, which maintains the friction in a relatively stable state, and the maximum thickness of lubricating film is 3.91 μm.

In order to further extend the service life of calcium sulfonate complex–polyurea grease (CSCPG) while ensuring its tribological performance, this article starts with the production of raw materials and the preparation process of the grease and explores the factors that significantly affect the tribological performance and service life of CSCPG based on unreplicated saturated factorial design (USFD). The Kriging prediction model is used along with the optimization objectives of friction coefficient and service life, and nondominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) was used for a multi-objective optimization solution. The tribological and service life tests were conducted before and after optimization. The results show that the viscosity of the base oil and the content of the nano-solid friction reducers have a significant impact on the tribological properties of CSCPG. The content of polyurea thickeners and antioxidants, as well as the thickening reaction temperature, have a significant impact on the service life of CSCPG. When the friction coefficient and service life are optimized as objectives and are compared to the initial group, the friction coefficient of CSCPG could be reduced by 5.3%, and the service life could be extended by 3.8%. The Kriging prediction model based on USFD has high accuracy and can be used to guide the preparation and performance optimization of CSCPG.

To evaluate the impact of various proportions of erucamide and N-phenyl-α-naphthylamine on grease’s tribological performance for roller bearings, lithium complex grease (LCG) and polyurea grease (PG) were prepared with erucamide and N-phenyl-α-naphthylamine proportions of (0,0), (0,3), (1,2), (2,1), and (3,0). An investigation was conducted into the microscopic structures of the ten greases and their effects on the friction coefficients and wear scars of GCr15 steel. These findings were validated through bearing friction torque tests. The results indicate that the addition of 2 wt. % erucamide and 1 wt. % N-phenyl-α-naphthylamine to PG/LCG significantly enhances their tribological properties and reduces friction torque, with PG exhibiting superior performance. This enhancement was attributed to the synergistic interaction of erucamide and N-phenyl-α-naphthylamine with the lamellar thickener within PG. Erucamide contributed to friction reduction, while N acted as an antioxidant.