This completely new technology is based on the use of a tribotechnic substance (nano-powder compound hereinafter called AFC) useful for maintenance of engines and worn out mechanisms of any vehicular and industrial engine.

The nano-powder compound according to the invention is applied on units and mechanisms of the engine during their normal working state without having to interrupt their use. State of the art As it is known, metal surfaces observed on a microscope look like mountains with peaks and valleys.

When gears move with friction, their higher peaks crash together as a result of the friction, releasing heavy metals into the oil. Metal plated lubricants that allow the formation of a protective layer on contact elements are known and are based on the following soft metals: copper, tin, lead, zinc, silvers and others that favour the decrease of wear action and intensity affecting the contact surfaces. The metal plated lubricants, according to the phase index, are divided into homogeneous and heterogeneous. The first ones, used as additives, contain a soluble metal alloy, the second one contains metals or an oxide powder. However, these materials have many defects (the effectiveness in the film formation depends on the metal concentration of the substance, the little stability of the dispersed metal powder, the high level of powder purity, and others), hence their application is limited only to specific lubricated elements affected by friction. In the last years, many technical results demonstrate that the following elements can be used as solid components of lubricant oil: serpentine, talc, nephritis, dolomite, and others. The powder formed by the above mentioned elements making up the final lubricant compound (prepared under certain conditions and inserted between surfaces affected by friction) gives rise to the formation over the metal surfaces affected by friction of a protective film that prevents from the wear. Anti-friction and endurance characteristics of the film, generally depend on: manufacturing conditions; composition of the lubricant structure; time passed after the insertion between contact surfaces; state of the

contact surfaces. In order to obtain a friction geo-alterating compound with few big mixed isomorphic iron (magnetite), after mechanical action on the mineral (shattering and grinding), those big particles are removed with the magnetic selection method. The defect of the use of this compound consists of the possibility of causing an high abrasive wear; this may happen mainly during the initial period of adjustment between the contact metal surfaces after the insertion of the above mentioned solid covering lubricant. The content of the solid components, even though is reduced due to magnetic selection, still remains quite high in the filling substance, like the following mass %: Magnetite 8,2 -8,6 Flint 0,6 -1 ,0

The hardness of these solid components is 2-3 times higher than the other components and it can be compared with the hardness of the surfaces affected by friction. This implies the use of the friction geo-alterating for short duration. It's important to note that the defensive film's formation time vary a lot for different friction surfaces and for different utilisation regimes. Brief description of the drawings

Fig. 1 shows a block of the base mineral (serpentine) used for the production of the nanoparticles. Fig. 2 shows schematically, the lubricant containing heavy metals generated by friction (1 -a) and (1 -b), the compound according to the invention consisting of nanoparticles (2-c, 2-d)

Fig. 3 shows schematically the lubricant, containing heavy metals generated by friction (1 -a), the protective layer generated by AFC along friction surfaces (gears) (3-e / 3-f).

Detailed description of the invention

According to the invention the nano-powder particles, whose size is few millions part of a millimetre, derive from serpentine mineral (Magnesium Oxide, Silicium Dioxide, Water) (Fig. 1 ). The AFC compound is added to the lubricant oil that usually is old oil containing heavy metals as the wear result (Fig. 2). Due to the AFC effects, the metal particles released in the lubricant oil due to the worn out engine components and

mechanisms, fill up grooves and empty spaces between the surface micro- mountains; AFC actually works as metal catalyzer and quickly causes the conditions to form a thin protective layer (modified layer) on gears' surfaces. This layer is oriented along the electric field and it consists of an anti-friction covering thin layer that is permanent and stable for long time (Fig. 3). This protective layer is formed in every part of the engine where metal surfaces with iron (Fe) content rub off. AFC compound enters deeply in metals grooves and empty spaces improving crystalline grid structure; metal surfaces become stronger, endurance to abrasion and wear increases and the anticorrosive characteristics improve as well. AFC compound, involved in thermodynamic processes occurring on rubbing metal surfaces, gives rise to the formation of a thicker modified layer as the involved metal parts are more deteriorated. The layer formation become progressively stable to reach the optimal value along all the metal surfaces affected by friction. In order to reach the same effect, expensive high quality steel materials are used to build gears whose surfaces require the maximum manufacturing precision with minimum tolerances; sometimes a scrupulous selection of engine's components is required in order to achieve a better mutual coupling. Even though such care, friction unavoidably causes the metal components to deteriorate. Application fields of this kind of technology are several: - land transport vehicles;

- railway transport;

- sea transport and harbour machinery and systems;

- industrial machinery and systems;

- energetic machinery for power plant; - gas and air distribution plant;

- mineral enrichment machinery.

The use of the anti-friction and anti-wear compound is able to restore and improve the performances of :

- any type of internal combustion engine; - turbine compressor, blowing machine;

- ball bearing and roller-bearing;

- any type of adapters;

- servomotor for distribution systems (any kind of oil pump);

- pneumatic servocontrol and compressed air driven machinery;

- any type of gears;

- cutter and lathe machines, even with numeric control; - presses, etc.

The treatment of piston and cylinder block of internal combustion engine allows the restoration of deteriorated metal surfaces and the protection of the new ones with the consequent friction reduction and a better coupling; this results on the stable decrease of oil and fuel consumption and the lowering of polluted emission. AFC integral treatment, beyond cylinder surfaces, is efficient on drive shaft and camshaft components affected by friction, on the gas distribution mechanism, oil pump and rotation frequency governor. The iron silicate protective layer with carbon's high content develops on every sliding and rolling bearing's surfaces with a consequent deep reduction of the friction coefficient value and the minimization of metal parts deterioration. These effects finally result in a better maintenance and a consequent life extension of reconditioned and new engines. This new technology based on a tribotechnic compound, unlike traditional oil additives, offers the possibility to permanently and selectively compensate the wear of engine surfaces that come into contact and are affected by friction, through the development of a new modified protective layer.

Many applications and tests have been carried out on hundreds of cars and trucks, dozens of locomotives (electric and diesel), more than one hundred compressors with different capacity, hundreds of different kinds of machine tools, many lifting and transport machinery and other technological machinery in many industrial companies. The most apparent observed advantages after AFC technology application are as follows:

^■ Restoration costs are 2-3 times lower than a traditional integral reparation.

^■ The treatment with AFC compound is done during the normal working state, thus doesn't require any specific equipment, spare parts and a proper space.

^■ Scheduled periodic maintenances can be replaced with a preventive AFC treatment; this allows to increase the functioning duration (2-3 times) and the average time between two maintenances (1 ,5-2 times).

^■ The modified anti-friction layer over the treated metal surfaces allows from 10 to 20 % reduction of electricity and fuel consumption.

^■ Vibration and noise reduction allows an absolutely new vibro-acoustic effect with a consequent increase of machinery's competitiveness.

■ Carbon Monoxide (CO), Hydrocarbon (HC) and Particular Matter (PM, solid substances) content in exhaust gases decreases.

^■ The modified protective anti-friction layer is definitely a permanent layer, thus frequent oil substitutions and the use of high quality oil can be avoided.

Finally, the proposed technology is able to restore the deteriorated mechanisms, increase significantly their functioning duration, recover the original capacity and efficiency, with a cheaper and technologically easier solution than traditional maintenance techniques.

The differences and advantages of AFC use with respect to the normal oil additives is quite apparent, as is shown in Table 1 below. Table 1 - AFC characteristics and effects compared to the traditional oil additives

The anti-friction anti-wear compound according to the invention (AFC) comprises a native pulverized mineral, whose particles are not bigger than 10 micron, consisting of: Serpentine (Lizardite and Chrysolite) 78-85%, Chlorite 2-3%, Magnetite 1 -2%, Amachynite 1 -2%, Amphibole 1 ,5-2%, Calcite 0,5-1 %, amorphous phase of X-ray 9-12%, the pulverised mineral can be added as such where required or can be dispersed in a lubricant and thereafter poured in the engine.

The use of the substance in engines, mechanisms and devices, is able to lower 3- 4 times the wear rate of metal parts affected by friction, to lower 3-4 times the friction losses, to increase efficiency coefficient of the engine and the whole device; the lubricant material consumption lowers; the average period between two maintenance operations lowers. AFC is used in the field of machine construction, particularly inside lubricant products for parts, made up of alloys with or without iron content, affected by friction; it can be used in addition to the lubricant oil of internal combustion engine, for mechanisms, devices and to diesel fuel; furthermore, it can be used inside solid lubricant material, in cars, in railway transport, in boats and ships, in devices of mineral industries and pumping systems of gas and petroleum industries. The technical results related to the compound consist as well of an anti-wear and anti-friction quality for the friction surfaces, due to the use of a natural material based on serpentine mineral inside normal lubricant, diesel fuel or in solid lubricant. It must be said that, during rubbing, friction points are a very little portion (0,01 -0,0001 %) of the entire surface. These points have to bear very high tension that imply a plastic deformation and consequently an high wear. During rubbing, the contact between surfaces occurs only on certain points; after the selective shift caused by the defensive film, the total contact surfaces increase up to ten times. Hence, during this rubbing, the contact surfaces become plane and friction occurs continuously without abrupt strokes. The reduction of the quantity of particles characterised by high hardness is obtained, after the preliminary shattering and grinding of the mineral (particles size is 0,1 -0,2 mm.) through the electromagnetic method and the thermoacoustic selection. Afterwards, the remaining portion of the particles is separated in a planetary mill by means of the

centrifuge force, and an ultra-dispersed powder (particles size up to 10 micron) with the same base composition is finally obtained. AFC powder composition depends (Table 2) on the working time of the planetary mill, and the target is to reach particles size comparale to the parameters of a crystalline lattice. Afterwards, the disintegration process gives rise to the reconstruction (modification of the crystalline lattice) with the consequent change of the substance's thermodynamic characteristics and reaction capacity.

Table 2 - AFC powder composition

Amorphous phase of X-ray substance (9 -12%) indicates that AFC substance contains some nano-particles with a developed surface characterized by high catalyzing and reaction quality: these particles give rise to a quicker and more effective formation of the defensive film. Finally, nano-particles smaller than 100 nm stay afloat in the liquid substance (lubricant material) due to the Brownian motion: this allows a more effective use of the AFC substance with the consequent concentration decrease of the inserted powder (a small portion sediments due to the gravity force or settles in the depuration filters). It's important to note that an optimal time of mechanical functioning related to the following parameters occurs: the way the planetary mill is built; the material, the diameter and the mass of the spheres; the charge index; the rotation frequency; the environmental of the activation substance. An increase of the functioning time leads to the nano particles aggregation or to the substance destruction. During the ultra fine grinding, the initial base structure and the elements' composition of the mineral doesn't exist anymore. The AFC substance has to be added to the lubricant oil of

internal combustion engines, mechanisms and systems: the quantity is equal to 0,001 -0,05% of the mass of the lubricant oil, while in plastic lubricants the quantity is equal to 0,5-1 % of the lubricant's mass. The technical results are obtained since the anti-friction and anti-wear substance (AFC) has quite a low hardness, as well as because it contains Amphibole, Amachynite, Chlorite and the amorphous phase of X-ray.

The presence of the amorphous phase of X-ray, Amachynite and Chlorite increases both the speed of formation of the defensive film and the duration time. In Table 3 are showed few compared results obtained after several tests, in order to show the effectiveness of the anti-friction and anti-wear substance.

Table 3 - Anti-friction and anti-wear features

The selective transfer induced by the AFC is a special type of rubbing that consists in the spontaneous formation of the fine stainless film over the contact

region (called defensive film). With the introduction of the anti-wear and antifriction compound (AFC) in the lubricant, the anti-wear effect performed by means of the selective transfer turns out as follows: a defensive film formed by lubricant added materials settles on the friction surfaces during the working process. This substance cannot be removed from the friction region: it develops the preserving property. The defensive film rules out the interaction between rough surfaces, and the electric charge of the wear generated particles brings back themselves on the surfaces' contact region. The film thickness is 1 -4 micron, which corresponds to the roughness for most of the mechanical construction particularities (or is even thicker). The defensive film formation during the friction process occurs due to its generating mechanism caused by the intensity of the energy and matter exchange between the friction point and the outer environment and also for the collective behaviour of the ions of the activated material. The defensive film properties formed during the friction process are different from the starting material ones. Over such defensive film, a supplementary polymeric film consisting of metal- organic compounds is generated (called surfing-film), thus a supplementary antifriction layer is formed. These surfing-films are formed due to the interaction between the lubricant active molecules and the defensive film itself.