Nanolubricant Oil Additives for Performance Improvement of the Intermediate Gearbox in the AH-64D Helicopter

This paper presents a new nanolubricant for the intermediate gearbox of the Apache aircraft. Historically, the intermediate gearbox has been prone for grease leaking and this natural-occurring fault has negatively impacted the airworthiness of the aircraft. In this study, the incorporation of graphite nanoparticles in mobile aviation gear oil is presented as a nanofluid with excellent thermo-physical properties. Condition-based maintenance practices are demonstrated where four nanoparticle additive oil samples with different concentrations are tested in a full-scale tail rotor drive-train test stand, in addition to, a baseline sample for comparison purposes. Different condition monitoring results suggest the capacity of the nanofluids to have significant gearbox performance benefits when compared to the base oil.