When working on airplanes, you may need to use aviation grease. Airplanes are complex vehicles with thousands of individual parts. Some wide-body commercial airplanes, in fact, have over a half-million parts. But even small airplanes have a lot of parts. Aviation grease can protect these parts from premature wear and tear while improving their performance in the process.
What Is Aviation Grease?
Aviation grease is a type of lubricating grease that’s designed for use on airplane parts. It typically comes in the form of a solid or semi-solid product. When applied to a part, aviation grease will provide lubricating properties. It will lubricate the part so that the part can move more freely.
Common Applications for Aviation Grease
You can use aviation grease to reduce friction with moving parts. Like all other lubricating products, aviation grease reduces friction. Moving parts, of course, can produce friction. Friction is the resistance force that occurs when a part attempts to move over another part or surface. Aviation grease can reduce friction by allowing parts to move freely.
To protect airplane parts from corrosion, you may want to use aviation grease. Aviation grease can also protect parts from corrosion. Corrosion is typically the result of oxidation. Airplane parts can oxidize when exposed to oxygen. It may not occur overnight, but constant exposure to oxygen can cause parts to oxidize. And when oxidation occurs, this chemical reaction can lead to corrosion that damages the parts.
What to Look for in an Aviation Grease
Aviation grease is available in different formulas. There are natural and synthetic formulas, for instance. Synthetic aviation grease typically outperforms natural aviation grease. With a synthetic formula, aviation grease contains synthetic oils that last longer and offer greater protection against friction and corrosion than natural formulas.
Some types of aviation grease are designed to withstand extreme temperatures. If you’re planning to use the aviation grease around an engine or other hot part, you should choose a heat-resistant aviation grease. Heat-resistant aviation greases will maintain their protective properties even when exposed to extreme heat.
There are also types of aviation grease that are designed for bearings. Bearings are parts that assist or control the rotational movement of other parts. Ball bearings, for example, are rings with a set of enclosed balls. Whether it’s a ball bearing or any other type of bearing, it will likely be exposed to friction. Aviation grease can protect bearings from friction-related damage. But you should choose a type of aviation grease that’s designed specifically for bearings.
