Engine oil 4: Standard and solid additives in oil
(引擎機油4：機油裡的常規添加劑及固態添加劑)
In the last few articles we have looked at the uses of additives in oils. Specifically, we pointed out that in mineral-based oil a viscosity additive is a must to be ready for modern cars since it is naturally monograde.
前幾篇文章我們看了使用在機油中的添加劑。特別是我們提出，針對現代的車輛來說，在礦物性機油中黏度添加劑是必須的，因為它本身是單級黏度。
The use of other additives is usually considered unnecessary or even bad for the engine. However it’s not an exaggeration to say that all commercial oils contain other additives. Some brands explicitly say it and others don’t, but every oil needs them.
其他添加劑的使用通常都被認為是沒有必要的或對引擎是不好的。然而，所有的市售機油都含有添加劑這個說法並不誇張。有些品牌對此有明確的說明，但有些沒有，但所有的機油都需要它們。
Standard additives in oil
（機油裡的常規添加劑）
On average, the final lubricant contains 80% base oil. The other 20% are additives mixed with the base oil in order to add some necessary qualities. Apart from viscosity additives, other common ones could be:
一般來說，最後的潤滑油成品含有80%的基礎油。其他20%是添加劑與基礎油的混合以便能增加一些必要性的需求。除了黏度添加劑，其他常見的有：
- Cleaning additives: Without these additives oil could easily generate rust, oxide or sludge and could even break down. These additives are mainly detergents, antioxidants or metal deactivators.
清潔添加劑：沒有這些添加劑，機油會很容易就生成鏽、氧化或油泥，並且很容易衰退。這些添加劑主要是清靜劑、抗氧化劑或是金屬減活劑。
- Contaminant control additives: Soot, carbon or acids can appear in your oil system. That’s why there are necessary dispersants or anti-foam additives which aim to prevent malfunctions.
汙染會影響添加劑：煤、碳或酸性物會出現在你的機油系統。這就是為何會需要分散劑或抗發泡添加劑，這是要預防機油功能失效。
- Lubricity additives: Nanoparticles, friction modifiers and extreme pressure agents help significantly reduce friction in the engine.
潤滑添加劑：奈米粒子、摩擦調整劑及抗壓劑主要可以幫引擎內部的摩擦。
Most of these standard additives formulate a well-rounded oil which should be enough for regular use. However you may need oil additives for specific cases such as to regenerate seals or to completely clean the oil system.
大部分這些常規添加劑讓配成機油成品，對一般狀況來說都堪使用。然而，也許你在一些特殊的案例下，例如”讓油封再生”或徹底清潔機油系統”。
Also, although some manufacturers claim that their oil can’t get any better, there is another step.
還有，雖然有些製造商聲稱他們的機油已經不能再更好了，但其實還有其他的方式。
Solid additives in oil (機油中的固體添加劑)
What do we mean when we say solid? We are referring to those particles that stay suspended in the oil while keeping a solid state. They do not alter the chemical balance of the oil but they add quantifiable improvements.
當我們說”固態”時是指甚麼? 我們指的是那些懸浮在機油裡的仍維持固體狀態的粒子。它們不會讓機油產生化學變化，但會提升機油品質。
Their main use is simple to explain. Inside the engine are metal to metal friction points which, in the absence of oil, would completely wear down. Thanks to the oil these critical points are less prone to wear, however there are still small irregularities in the metal surface that can generate power losses.
它們的主要功能很容易說明。在引擎裡面金屬與金屬的摩擦點(在沒有機油的狀況下)，會完全的磨損壞掉。感謝機油讓這些摩擦點減少磨損的可能，然而金屬表面還是有些小部分不平整而會造成動力流失。
To avoid this issue, solid additives in oil create a film over the surface which drastically decreases friction in a way standard oils can’t. Molybdenum, PTFE (Teflon™), graphite and, more recently, ceramic are great examples of this kind of additive.
為了預防這個問題，機油裡的固態添加劑會在表面創造出一個膜能夠大幅的減低摩擦，而這是一般機油做不到的。Molybdenum(二硫化鉬), PTFE (Teflon™), graphite(石墨)及更近期的ceramic陶瓷都是這類型的添加劑。
As a side note it’s worth mentioning that even those small metal particles from friction are solid additives. Large particles, however, are impurities that are then captured by the oil filter. If you want to know more, the science which studies this behaviour is tribology.
另一個說法值得一提，即便這些來自摩擦的小金屬粒子是固態添加劑。然而較大的粒子屬於雜質，這會被機油濾心過濾。如果你想知道更多，這研究這個行為的科學稱之為tribology