On-line Condition Monitoring in Industrial Lubrication and Tribology

Abstract

This book covers the area of tribodiagnostics which is still not extensively presented in the technical literature. Its main emphasis is done to the problems of monitoring the lubricant, as it is an essential component of a tribosystem. During operation, the tribosystem is exposed continuously to the environment, elevated temperatures, speeds, and loads inducing variations of the chemical and physical properties of the lubricating oil. The main causes of impairment of oil properties are modification of the oil chemical structure (oxidation, thermal destruction, decom- position of additives), higher content of water, and chemical impurities in the oil. Lubricating oil condition reflects the processes evolving in the tribosystem as a whole. On-line and in-line oil analysis systems provide timely data on the need for routine service or early warning of oncoming catastrophic events. The authors have presented an extensive review of the analytical methods, calculations related to the physics of the techniques used in their research, as well as the principles and designs of the monitoring devices, including their own ones. The content of the book includes the introduction, six chapters covering the main aspects of the lubricating oil monitoring, and concluding remarks. The introduction positions the place of condition monitoring and predictive maintenance in the whole subject of tribology. First four chapters are related to the methods and tools for evaluation of oil physicochemical properties, as well as very important problems of monitoring the oil viscosity, water content, and soot concentration in oil. Fifth and sixth chapters cover the wear prediction for tribosystems based on debris analysis and trends in condition monitoring for tribology. Conclusions formulate the pro- spects of development of condition monitoring, as well as the main problems arising on this way.