Oil Lubrication

Lubrication is just one of the applications which we make use of oil for. And many may consider this as a minor application compared to the other uses of oil such as food or fuel. This however, may be based on a limited point of view because using oil as a lubricant has many important and useful functions that we unknowingly benefit from everyday.

Before we go any further though, certain terms need to be clearly defined. What we mean when we say lubrication is the process of reducing friction between two or more objects by applying certain substances which are called lubricants. Lubricants or lubes do exactly just that, they lessen frictional force between objects when applied and one popular example of a lubricant is oil.

Motor oil, baby oil, cooking oil, vegetable oil and even synthetic oils can all function as lubricants or lubes. We all know that motor oil is used for maintaining temperature, cleaning engines and preventing engine parts from occurring. Aside from that, motor oil is also used to lubricate the parts in an engine or motor that move. Not only will the lubrication of motor oil create smoother movement of engine parts but lessened friction would also result to lessened wear and tear in engine parts.

And it is no surprise that we also benefit a lot from different kinds of oils when cooking. Imagine baking cookies without oil for lubrication? The moment you get your baked cookies from the oven, you would have a hell of a time trying to pry them of the cookie sheet because you did not use oil to lubricate the sheet. Aside from the flavor, cooking oils like olive oil or coconut oil also keep your ingredients from sticking to the bottom of your pan or completely fusing together.

So the next time you take your car for a spin or stir fry your lunch, consider just how useful oil lubes can be.