Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1399684
42 | July - August 2021 | www . machinerylubrication.com Oil Analysis Interpretation for Gearboxes Jesus Teran Dagnino | Sumitomo Drive Technologies CONDITION MONITORING Speed reducers, commonly referred to as "gearboxes", are used in a variety of appli- cations. Each application exposes the gearboxes to an array of loading and ambient conditions that directly affect the usable life. In order to prevent costly downtime or catastrophic failure of a gearbox, the industry has evolved to adopt condi- tion monitoring as a mechanism for predictive maintenance. Condition monitoring provides bot h h istoric a l a nd cu rrent performance data on the gearbox condition, thus providing a likely inference regarding the gearbox's remaining useful life (RUL). Condi- tion monitoring can guide predictive maintenance activities. There are several techniques that can provide a status of how the gearbox is performing. ese techniques include temperature, vibration, noise and used oil anal- ysis. While all techniques can be considered useful when checking the condition of a gearbox, one thing is certain for all techniques: it is all about trending. is article will explain how used oil analysis can help determine the condition of a gearbox by learning the most important factors for used oil analysis, how to interpret the results of a used oil analysis report and how trending can help deter- mine the schedule for preventive maintenance actions. Considerations before Oil Analysis Used oil analysis is a broad subject that includes several factors that affect the success of both inter- pretation and trending of used oil analysis results. While each factor can be broadly described when analyzed in depth, a summary is provided to emphasize the impor- tance of each factor. 1. Baseline oil sample The first step to successfully trend the oil condition is to take a sample of the oil in an unused condi- tion. is step is usually overlooked, and its significance comes from the fact that the user is able to establish a baseline of all the elements present in the oil in an unused condition. It can also help the user identify poor oil storage practices by checking if contaminants such as water are present. Certain elements can either be additives, contaminants or wear debris. Having a sample of new oil helps differentiate between additives " In order to prevent costly downtime or catastrophic failure of a gearbox, the industry has evolved to adopt condition monitoring as a mechanism for predictive maintenance. "