A Comparative Evaluation of RPD (Rotary Particle Depositor) and Ferrographic Diagnostic Methods for Turbine Engine Lubricant Samples
Abstract
A rotary Particle Depositor (RPD) was evaluated and compared to analytical (AF) and direct reading (DR) ferrographs to ascertain if the RPD is better suited for analysis of wear debris in turbine engine lubricant samples than the AF and DR. Experimentally, sieved iron particles were added to synthetic turbine engine lubricants at various concentrations and analyzed by RPD and ferrographic methods and compared. Also, lubricant samples containing a fine test dust were analyzed by RPD and AF to determine the effectiveness of the RPD's centripetal acceleration and the AF's gravity flow in eliminating non- ferrous contamination from the sample. Finally, actual lubricant samples from a turbine engine simulator were analyzed by RPD and ferrographic methods and compared. For lubricant samples with relatively small amounts of non-ferrous contamination or samples where non-ferrous particles are important in machine health condition assessment, the AF and DR ferrographs are equal or superior to RPD for lubricant analyses. Keywords: Rotary particle depositor, Ferrography, Wear debris, Lubricant analysis, Turbine engine.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1988
- Accession Number
- ADA196207
Entities
People
- Robert L. Wright
Organizations
- Wright Laboratory