How Does Oil between Machine Parts Reduce Friction?

To understand how oil affects friction, it's important to understand just what friction is. Friction is usually thought of as two objects rubbing together, but it is the rubbing that is actually the cause of friction. Friction is a force that resists relative motion, or the tendency toward relative motion, of two bodies in contact. Everyday examples of friction include walking, which is made possible by the friction of the feet against the ground, and rope burn, which is caused by the friction of a rope pulling through a person's hands.

The characteristic byproduct of friction is heat. People who rub their hands together experience friction and the heat that it creates. Additionally, damage occurs when two surfaces rub together, especially if they rub together with frequency. Where machines such as engines are concerned, massive damage can occur to metal parts constantly rubbing together. In fact, if precautions aren't taken, the parts of a machine can completely fuse together because of the heat. To stop this from happening, machines and their parts have to be lubricated, usually with oil.

Oil acts as a buffer between two objects. Climbing a rope is easy because of the friction created by a person's grip. Climbing a rope covered in oil is much harder, because it reduces the friction. If two objects cannot be pressed together, surface to surface, so as to rub together, then no friction is created. Oil gives machine parts a layer of protection between touching parts to reduce friction, heat, and damage. Though oil only reduces friction and does not eliminate it entirely, it is still a necessity for many machines if they are to function properly without fusing into a useless chunk of metal.

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