Abstract
Solid film lubricants are used throughout the Department of Defense (DoD) to meet lubrication requirements in critical weapon system applications. Air cured formulations for Military Specification MIL-L-46147 currently contain solvents such as methyl alcohol, methyl ethyl ketone, and toluene, which are volatile organic compounds (VOC) that are on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) toxic chemical list. The objective of this project was to identify and evaluate replacement lubricants for MIL-L-46147 with reduced overall VOC content. Lubricants that would meet the requirements of MIL-L-46147B, Type II were the focus of this study. Type II lubricants are required to have the low VOC content of 250 g/L. Through an industry survey and testing of products in the TFLRF (SwRI) laboratory, no products were found to meet all of the specifications of MIL-L-46147 Type II. Several lubricants with VOC content below 250 g/L were identified.