Terry,
While not a compete answer to you question, here is at least some info that
might help. Regarding the first question, it's not really either/or. In
lithium grease, which is a synthetic, lithium replaces sodium. It has the
usual better properties, like stable viscosity over temperature, etc.
"Moly" greases have molybdenum disulfide, a finely dispersed black, solid
lubricant, mixed with the grease. Could be either sodium or lithium based,
but probably usually sodium. You can buy the moly disulfide separately and
mix it yourself. (I sometimes do this myself.) I use it on the cam lobes
when building an engine, and other places that take high specific loads
and/or high temperature. It probably wouldn't hurt to use it just about
anywhere, as long as you are willing to put up with the messy black stuff.
Dielectric grease serves as an electrical insulator. It is used to displace
air and moisture and thereby prevent electrical discharge or leakage. It is
also often used where one wants to conduct heat away from electrical
components while maintaining electrical isolation. Usually a silicone type
grease is used for this purpose. It is clear, doesn't absorb water,
chemically and thermally stable and, oh yes, a good insulator. There is a
actually a distinction between "insulator" and "dielectric", but popularly
they are interchangeable terms. Sometimes you want just an insulator
without being a good (i.e., high) dielectric and sometimes you want both.
I'll leave further discussion of this to Theo.
TTFN,
Bob
At 11:29 AM 12/7/99 -0500, PackerTL2@aol.com wrote:
>1) What are the types of situations where lithium grease would be a better
>choice than a moly?
>
>2) Is the di-electric grease used on electrical connections intended to be a
>an electrical conductor, an electrical insulator or is it's primary function
>something entirely different? What properties make it especially suitable for
>electrical use?
>
>Thanks
>Terry Packer
Robert L. Palmer
UCSD, Dept. of AMES
619-822-1037 (o)
760-599-9927 (h)
rpalmer@ucsd.edu
rpalmer@cts.com
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