Structural formation of plastic greases, which are essentially colloidal systems, during their fabrication and the factors that affect aging of lubricants during storage in containers and use in friction units are examined. The results of an analysis of the quality of the greases after prolonged use in friction units in different types of engineering are reported.The permissible effective operating life of plastic grease (PG) in a friction unit without changing and replenishing it determines the economy and reliability of use of the technology. Without knowing this, it is impossible to establish the schedule for changing or replenishing grease material in the friction units of mechanisms.During storage of an article, grease materials age much more rapidly than the parts of the friction unit. The lifetimes of the individual kinds of equipment are due to the permissible calendar operating life of the grease material to a significant degree.The in-service time of grease, during which it remains effective and totally ensures the initially established greasing conditions, the friction coefficient, and also the intensity of wear, is a function of a combination of the type of friction, kinematics of movement of conjugated parts, their temperature, load, and speed, design, and the periodicity of operation of the unit. Prolonged use of grease materials is accompanied by worsening of their functional properties, called "aging." Aging of PG is a complex multifactor process of interrelated changes in their composition, ratio of components, and as a consequence, structure and properties of the colloidal system [1]. As aging progresses, products of friction, tribochemical transformation, reaction of the components of the grease with the metal surfaces of the unit, the surrounding gas medium, and moisture, as well as the ingredients that initially arise during formation of the plastic system, accumulate in the grease. In formation of even an insignificant amount of products of oxidation and tribodestruction of the initial components, the plastic grease can lose the initial volumetric mechanical properties and not satisfy the requirements for use.
