Development of grease tackiness test

A test to evaluate the tackiness of grease has been developed using a standard tribometer. There is currently no standard test of tackiness. A preliminary study determined the test parameters to use in the subsequent experiments. Twelve different greases were tested and the results showed how the developed test method was able to differentiate between different greases. The results were linked to the application of grease to a rail using a scaled wheel rig developed at the University of Sheffield. The developed test method showed the same relationship as the larger scale tests, leading to the conclusion that the developed method can be used to inform larger scale tests that are more costly and time consuming. The effect of “working” the grease prior to the test showed that the working had a significant effect on the tackiness of the grease. The test method was shown to be sensitive to small changes in the grease by adding small amounts of tackifier additive (0.1% increments) to the grease.