Ways of Reducing Friction in Machines

Just as friction has advantages, which are the uses it can be put into, see uses of friction, it also has disadvantages. It causes wear of machine parts, and it uses up energy and therefore reduces the efficiency of machines. Here are different ways friction can be reduced in machines.

Reducing Friction by Applying Oil

A common way of reducing friction is to lubricate the surfaces of machines, which slid over each other with oil. With a layer of oil between the machine surfaces, friction is reduced as the parts slid over each other.

Oils lubricate better when hot because they are less viscous as they become hot. This explains why engines usually don’t start easily in cold weather when the oil is cold, but the engine becomes more efficient as it warms up.

However, if an engine overheats and the oil gets too hot, it can get denatured as a result of the chemical decomposition of its structure that could occur.

Reducing Friction by Using Ball or Roller Bearings

Ball or roller bearings is used to reduce friction where a wheel is turning on an axle. Ball or roller bearings are like wheels, which roll round the axle as the wheel turns.

They wear out much slowly, as they apply static friction, rather than trying to overcome kinetic friction.

See coefficient of kinetic friction here
See kinetic friction here
See static friction here
See coefficient of static friction here
See friction here
See calculating friction here