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Prediction of engine failure by examination of particle size distribution of metal particles in lubricant

  • US 3,981,584 A
  • Filed: 12/23/1974
  • Issued: 09/21/1976
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/13/1974
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A method for predicting incipient failure of an apparatus having moving metal surfaces, which surfaces are wetted with a liquid lubricant which comprises separating the metal wear particles contained in a sample of said lubricant into at least three predetermined size ranges by passage through membranes having pore openings corresponding in size to said predetermined size, analyzing each of the fractions so separated for a selected metal contaminant, plotting the content of said metal contaminant for each of said fractions against the particle size thereof and determining the likelihood of mechanical failure in said apparatus from the shape of the resulting graph.

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