Back to Lube-Tips™ Back Issues.

Machinery Lubrication Magazine Reliable Plant Magazine Motor Oil Selection Guide Synthetic Oil Resources

In This Issue:

• Readers Challenge: Showcase Your Lube Room

• Book Bits: Internal Leakage Means Heat

• Today's Tip: Getting Artistic with Grease

• Q & A: Using Automotive Lubes in Industrial Equipment

Readers Challenge

Showcase Your Lube Room

Designing a best-practice lubricant storage and dispensing room is one of the first steps to achieving lubrication excellence.

Do you have a world-class lube-room? Have you transformed your lubricant dispensing methods to best-practice?

Let us showcase your hard work in next week's Lube-Tips. Send us your digital photos and descriptions of how you have implemented best practice in your lube room and dispensing equipment.

To submit your company, e-mail up to three digital photos and descriptions of the photos to info@noria.com before Monday, February 24, 2003. Please do not send more than three photos. Lube-Tips editors will choose the best and most innovative response and the $50 winner will be announced and showcased next week.

CONGRATULATIONS to Tang Ai Jun, technical service engineer, Shell (China) Limited - the winner of last week's Readers Challenge. See last week's winning response, as well as other responses.

Book Bits

Internal Leakage Means Heat

From "Insider Secrets to Hydraulics"

When fluid moves from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure without performing useful work, heat is generated. This means that any component in the hydraulic system that has abnormal, internal leakage will increase the heat load on the system and can cause the system to overheat. This could be anything from a cylinder that is leaking high-pressure fluid past its piston seal, to an incorrectly adjusted relief valve. Any heat-generating components need to be identified and changed-out.

More information about the book "Insider Secrets to Hydraulics"

Today's Tip

• It has always been a problem to put a nice thin layer of grease on sliding surfaces such as boom slides, crane outriggers or any sliding surface. By using a regular paint roller of whatever size fits your application, two-inch, four-inch etc., you have the ability to roll a nice thin coat of grease on the area instead of all over yourself. Paint roller pans work great and are available with snap-on covers to keep grease clean until you need to use it. (Submitted by Al Allen, lubrication superintendent, Sundt Construction. Thanks Al!)

Each tip published will earn the sender $25. Submit your tip.

Q & A

Using Automotive Lubes in Industrial Equipment

"We received a new piece of equipment this week. When reading the lubrication section we found that the lubricant requested for the air line lubricator is an SAE 10 (engine). For the transmission, the OEM requested an SAE 80 (gear). I looked at my ISO Viscosity Chart and cannot find the requested lubricant or equivalent. Is OK to use automotive lubricants in industrial equipment?"

This is a common problem that can cause the user to select the incorrect lubricant type or incorrect lubricant viscosity. The SAE-grade viscosity classification system for automotive and gear lubricants in industrial applications was common in older equipment due to lack of knowledge or standardization. Surprisingly its use continues even today by many users and OEMs.

Lubricant selection and lubrication guidelines for new equipment, are one extreme or the other - either confusing or simple.

In your case, the requested lubricant viscosity for air-line lubrication is typically an ISO VG 32. However, viscosity is not the only important physical property that must be considered. I suggest you look at the service manual for specific lubricant recommendations as well as talking to your lubricant supplier about lubricants for pneumatic systems.

For the transmission, the equivalent viscosity for an SAE 80 (gear) spans from ISO VG 68 to ISO 100. If the transmission has only spur gears and is lightly loaded, then an ISO VG 68 R&O lubricant can be used. For heavily loaded gears, use an ISO VG 100 EP gear oil such as an API GL 4.

Also, ask your lube supplier for a viscosity conversion chart for SAE and ISO viscosity systems.

Gerardo Trujillo, Senior Technical Consultant, Noria Latin America

Submit your question here.