Silicone lubricants

Silicones were developed by the Dow Corning Corporation and have been manufactured in the U.S.A. for several years. More recently they have become available in Great Britain. One of the several uses is in the sphere of lubrication. Experience with these relatively new materials shows that they possess a combination of properties which go a long way in eliminating some of the problems encountered by the lubrication engineer. In this article, MR. WILLIAMS, a consulting chemist, who has been responsible for considerable original research on oils, describes some of the advantages and disadvantages that these new materials possess and points out that their particularly good viscosity index, low pour point and excellent chemical stability will make their adoption for various lubricating purposes increasingly inviting.