In This Issue:

• Up Front: Admit It - You've Got A Problem

• Book Bits: Rules for Dealing With Aftermarket Additives

• Today's Tip: Using Magnetic Plugs

• Q&A: Don't Overlook Air as a Contaminant

Up Front

Admit It - You've Got A Problem

Sometimes the truth hurts. Sometimes it invades our space. Truthfully, is your lubrication program really where it needs to be? Probably not. The first step to overcoming a lubrication problem is admitting (or realizing) you have one. Quick, read the following statements:

1. That bearing fails twice a year like clockwork. It's just normal.

2. That machine normally leaks about a gallon of oil a day. We've got a system in place for it.

3. We’ve always bought our lubricants from the lowest bidder. Oil is just oil anyway.

4. The oil looks and feels clean. It must be serviceable.

5. Water is showing up in the level gauge again. We need to schedule another purge.

If any of these statements sound remotely familiar to you, you've probably got a lubrication problem. Is your company in a state of denial? There's no twelve-step program for what you've got, but I can give you a few pointers.

Start by figuring out where you want your program to be. Don't just say "We need to do better." Define what better means. What can you accomplish? Click over to our Learning Center. You'll find real world examples of how companies just like yours dropped those bad lubrication rituals and converted their programs to best practice.

Learn how they transformed their lubrication programs into cost- reducing profit centers. And learn the specific strategies and tactics they deployed to reach their goals.

You've had your wake-up call. Let’s go to work.

Mike Ramsey
mramsey@noria.com

Book Bits

From "The Practical Handbook of Machinery Lubrication":

Rules for Dealing With Aftermarket Additives and Supplemental Oil Conditioners

RULE #3

Increasing the percentage of a certain additive may improve one property of an oil while at the same time degrade another.

Example (a) Some additives compete with each other for the same space on a wear surface. If a high concentration of a special antiwear agent is suddenly added to the oil, the corrosion inhibitor may become ineffective. The result may only be an increase in corrosion related problems.

Click here for more information about "The Practical Handbook of Machinery Lubrication".

Today's Tip

• Oil analysis and particle counting are very important in unfiltered compartments such as heavy equipment final drives and differentials. However if these compartments have magnetic plugs, occasionally the magnets will show a build up of fuzz and you may have the beginnings of bearing failure while the oil sample remains relatively clean. This is an example of when manual inspection is very important along with oil analysis and particle counting. (Tip submitted by Jim Groseclose, American Colloid Company. Thanks Jim!)

Each tip published will earn the sender $25. Click here to submit your tip.

Q & A

Don't Overlook Air as a Contaminant

"We suspect that we have an air contamination problem in one of our hydraulic systems. What types problems can air contamination cause?"

Air contamination can cause a great deal of harm to hydraulic systems. Unfortunately, unless the machine is foaming, with oil spewing from the top of the reservoir, we sometimes overlook this potentially devastating contaminant. Here are a few ways in which air contamination can undermine your reliability effort:

• Spongy hydraulics – Air is compressible. This loss of control can slow throughput, increase the percent defective rate, and, in some cases, cause injury or death.

• Gaseous cavitation – Some references say gaseous cavitation causes wear, others say it just makes noise. I’d play it safe and keep oils as free from air as possible.

• Oxidation – the rate of oxidation is affected by a number of factors, but all else held equal, it is proportional to the amount of oil in boundary contact with air (which, of course provides the oxygen).

• Thermal degradation - Did you know that compressing an air bubble from ambient pressure to 3000 psi increases the bubbles temperature to over 2000°F? This is hot enough to thermally degrade oil at the boundary contact between the air and the bubble, which darkens the oil, sometimes giving it a sooty appearance, and causes varnish to build up on component surfaces.

So, watch for signs of air entrainment or foaming, and take occurrences seriously. Also, periodically test your oil’s ability to release air and its tendency to maintain stable foam. If you have recurring problems, evaluate the lube specification and the tank design, and check for low levels and signs of a suction line leak.

Drew Troyer, Noria Corporation

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