WearLimitsVs.

Trends
JohnS.Evans,WearcheckSouthAfrica
Tags:weardebrisanalysis,oilanalysis
PracticingOilAnalysis(11/2006)

Commonquestionsaskedbyusersofoilanalysisinclude"Whatwearlimitsdoyouuse?"and"What
levelsarenormalandabnormal?"

Thesequestionsarenotunreasonable.Anumberoforiginalequipmentmanufacturers(OEMs)
specifywearlimitsfortheirequipmentunfortunately,theyaregenerallynotaneffectivemeansof
determiningthehealthofacomponent.Thelevelsofcontaminationandweardebrisinanoilsample
dependontoomanyfactorsforanequipmentmanufacturertosortthroughforexamplewear
tablesthatsay0to50isOK,50to100indicatesaproblemandover100isserious.Thisrunsthe
riskofsayingthat49"whatevers"isacceptableand51isnotwhen,inthiscase,thereisa
differenceofonlyfourpercent.

LimitsandTrends
ThewearlimittablesproducedbyOEMsarebasedonextensiveresearchandtestingby
manufacturers.Thesepeopleunderstandtheequipmentbut,attheendoftheday,thetablesreflect
averagesituationsandcanbeusedonlyasaguideline.Theyarenotspecificallysetrulesor
standards.Machinesrarelyworkinaveragesituations,andlimitsdeterminedincertain
environmentsoftenhavelittlerelevanceinotherenvironments,particularlyinAfrica,wherea
minimalamountofequipmentismanufactured.WhatholdstrueforNorthAmerica,WesternEurope
orJapanmightnotbethecaseforSouthAfrica.

Thecommonfactorsthatinfluencetheconcentrationofweardebrisandcontaminantsinanoil
sampleinclude:

typeofequipment

environment

thejobitisperforming

operatorskill

lengthoftimetheoilhasbeeninuse

oilconsumption

Becauseofthesefactors,eachpieceofequipmentmustbetreatedonitsownterms.Itismore
beneficialtoassessthewellbeingofamachineorlubricantonthebasisofatrendanalysis.

Wearlimitsdo,however,havetheiruses.Ifadiagnosisismadeonthehealthofacomponentbased
onoilanalysisandatrendisused,thenaminimumofthreesamplesisrequiredtoestablishthat
trend.Thismakesoneoffsamplesdifficulttodiagnose.Wearlimitsareusefulinthesesituations
becausetheyprovideaguidelineofhowtheaveragemachineshouldbehaveundernormal
conditions.Iftheunitshowssignsofbeingcritical,thenthediagnosisiseasytomake.However,it
istheinbetweencaseswhereproblemsmightoccur,whicharedifficulttoassessonaoneoffbasis
withoutthehelpofatrend.

Oilanalysisdetectsminorproblemsandcorrectsthembeforecatastrophicfailuresoccur.Regularoil
sampling,asopposedtotakingsamplesonlywhenaproblemarises,isimportantinpreventing
unnecessaryfailures.Typicallyaoneoffsamplewithoutatrendwon'tsupplyenoughinformationto
determinethecauseofaproblem.
Anotherproblemwithwearlimitsistherangeofteststheycover.Traditionally,theselimitshave
coveredonlywearmetalsandcontaminantsthataredetectedbyaspectrometer.Thistestprovides
usefulinformation,buthasonemajordrawback:itcandetectonlyparticlessmallerthaneight
microns(amicronis1/1000thofamillimeterandahumanhairisabout50micronsindiameter).
Theseparticlesareminutethereforeitispossibleforthewearlimittablestoindicatenormal
behaviorwhenaseverewearsituationcouldexistwithparticlesgreaterthaneightmicrons,which
cannotbeviewedbythespectrometer.

Thesearefrequentandvalidexplanationstakingcautionwhenusingwearlimits.Byusingwear
limits,userssometimesassumethatallresultsfromthechemicalandphysicaltestsarestudiedin
isolation,whichisaninaccurateviewpoint.Theresultsofoilanalysismustbelookedatholistically.
Fifty"whatevers"mightbeacceptableinonesituationandunacceptableinanother,andtheonlyway
todeterminethisisbystudyingotherreadingsandavailableinformation.Inotherwords,onemust
lookatthewholepicture.ItispossiblethatidenticalsamplesfromtruckAandBreflectdifferent
diagnosesbecausethehistory(trend)forthetwovehiclesisdifferent.

Thefollowingdiscussionisanexampleoflookingholisticallyattrendsand,inparticular,results.

DirtEntry.OrIsIt?
Dirt,grit,airbornedustit'sallthesamethingandisubiquitous.Itisalsodamagingtomachinery
becauseifitgetsintotheoil,itwillformagrindingpastethatcauseswearratestoaccelerate
rapidly.Fortunatelyfortheoilanalyst,dirtiscomposedmainlyofacompoundcalledsilicondioxide,
andsiliconcanbeeasilydetectedinoilbyspectrometricanalysis.

So,wouldanincreaseinthesiliconlevelindicatethatthelevelofdirtenteringthesystemis
increasing?Theansweris:"Yes,sometimes,butnotnecessarily."

Tables1through4portrayatypicalsetofspectrometricresultsfromanengineoperatingnormally
withnoevidenceofdirtentry.InTable1,thesecondexampleshowsanincreaseinsiliconwith
higherwearreadings.Thisistypicalofdirtentrythroughtheairinductionsystem:thesilicon
indicatesdirtduringanincreaseiniron(liners),chrome(rings)andaluminum(pistons).

Table1

Table2

Table3
 Table4

TheoreticalExamplesofSamplesShowingHighSilicon/DirtEntryandCausesofHighCopper

Thethirdexamplealsoshowsanincreaseinsilicon,butthiswascausedbyaninternalcoolantleak.
Whencoolingwaterleaksintotheengine,ittypicallyevaporates.However,theadditives(suchas
antifreeze)inthecoolingwaterareleftbehind,andsiliconmaybepartofthecoolantconditioner
makeup(sodiummetasilicate).Inthiscase,thesodiumandcopperreadingsincreasebutothersdo
not.Thesodiumisalsoanadditiveandthecopperisnotawearmetalbuthasleachedfromthe
radiatorcore.Thesiliconishigh,howeveritisacontaminantfromthecoolingsystemandnot
abrasivedirt.

Thefourthexampleshowsahighlevelofsilicon,butallotherreadingsremainmoreorless
constant.Thisisanexampleofasiliconebasedsealantorgasketcompoundbeingused.These
compoundsleachintotheoilbutdonotcauseanyharm.Ifthishighsiliconlevelwerecausedbydirt
entry,wearreadingswouldbeexpectedtoincreaseduetotheabrasivenatureofthedirt.Itshould
alsobenotedthatdirtisgenerallyamixtureofsiliconoxideandaluminumoxideso,inthecaseof
dirtentry,thealuminumlevelshouldalsoincrease.Aroughruleofthumbisthealuminumtosilicon
ratiofordirtvariesbetweenAl:Si=1:10to1:2,dependingonthecomponentandenvironment.In
thiscase,thesiliconremainsacontaminantbutisnotabrasiveandisofnoconcern.

Thefifthexampleshowsaslightincreaseinthelevelofsiliconwhichiscausedbyanadditiveinthe
oil,polymethylsiloxane,usedtopreventtheoilfromfoaming.Itdoesnotcausethewearreadings
toincreaseand,therefore,doesnotcauseanyharm.

ThefinalsetofreadingsinTable1illustratesanincreaseinsilicon,iron,chromeandaluminumand
appearssimilartothesecondexampleofdirtentrythroughtheairinductionsystem.However,the
aluminumtosiliconratioisalmost1:1,whichisunusual.Thisisanexampleofpistontorching.Ifan
injectorisfaulty,itallowsfueltolieontopofthepistonandburn.Theresultinghightemperatures
cancausethepistontomeltwiththeresultingincreaseinaluminum(piston),iron(liner)and
chrome(ring).Theincreaseinsiliconistheresultofsiliconcarbidebeingalloyedwiththepiston
materialinordertoreducethecoefficientofexpansionofthealuminum.Inthiscase,thesiliconisa
wearelementandisnotidentifiedduetothehighlevelbutbecauseoftheratioofaluminumto
silicon.

InTable2,thefirstsetofresultsshowsanormalsetofreadings.Thesecondsetshowstopenddirt
entryinaDetroitdieseltwostrokeengine,wheretheiron,chromeandsiliconhaveincreasedbut
thealuminumtosiliconratioseemsincorrectandthetinlevelishigher.Thisiscausedbythe
aluminumpistonbeingcoveredwithaflashingoftintofacilitatetheconductionofheat.

Table3showsthenormalreadingsandthreeexamplesofdirtentrythroughtheairinductionsystem
(higheriron,chromeandaluminum)withouttheincreaseofsilicon.Theseenginesarerunningat
RichardsBayamineralsandsmine,amanganesemineandachromiummine.Here,thedirt
consistsofthemineralsthatareapartoftheenvironmentwherethemachineisworkingandthe
siliconwon'tnecessarilyincreasewhendirtentryoccurs.

Theseexamplesareseenonafairlyregularbasis,exceptpistontorching,asittendstobeasudden
deathproblem.Theyillustratefoursituations:

siliconincreaseduetodirtentry
 siliconincrease,notduetodirtbutstillaproblem

siliconincreasewherenoproblemisindicated

siliconremainingmoreorlessconstantwhendirtentryistakingplace

Theonlywaythesesituationshavebeencorrectlyidentifiedisthroughtrendanalysisandviewing
theresultsinaholisticmanner.Thisisthereasonwearlimitscanbemisleadingandattimes
completelywrong.

CopperCanBeMisleadingToo
Siliconisagoodexampleforillustratingthevalueoftrendingandobservingtheoilanalysisresults
holistically,butanincreaseinreadingscanhavedifferentinterpretationsdependingonother
readings.Table4showshowanincreaseincoppercanbecausedby:

anabnormalwearsituation

contamination(aproblem)

contamination(notaproblem)

anadditiveintheoil

ThefirstexampleinTable4showsanormalsetofresults.Thesecondexampleindicateshigh
copperlevelswithanassociatedincreaseinlead,tinandironthatwouldtypicallyindicatebearing
wear.

Thethirdexamplerevealsanincreaseincopperduetoaninternalcoolantleak(previously
discussedwithsilicon).Notethattheleadandtinalsoincreaseduetotheuseofsolderinthe
coolingsystem,butbecausethesodiumincreasesandtheirondoesnot,thecopperiscomingfrom
thecoolingsystem,whichindicatesaproblem.

Thefourthexampleisnearlythesameasthethirdexceptthesodiumdoesnotincrease.Inthiscase
thecopperisstillcomingfromthecoolingsystembutitisbeingleachedfromtheoilsideofthe
cooler.Thisisacommonoccurrenceand,althoughitlooksalarming,doesnotindicateaproblem.

Inthefinalexample,thecopperincreasesasdoesthemagnesium,andthecalciumdecreaseswhile
thereisnochangeinthewearreadings.Inthiscase,thecopperispartoftheoiladditivepackage
(anantioxidant).Wearlimittablesdonottakeintoconsiderationtheelementalmakeupoftheoil
used.

Generally,thespectrometricreadings(elements)canbegroupedintothreeclasses:wearmetals,
contaminantsandoiladditives.

Mostoftheelementscanbelongtoanyoneoftheseclasses.Onlybyviewingthereadings
simultaneouslycanthecorrectclassbeassigned.Itisimportanttorememberthatanelevated
readingcanbecausedbymorethanonereasonatatime.

Intheexampleoftheinternalcoolantleak,itispossibleforotherreadingsortestsnotinvolvingthe
spectrometertobeaffected.Aninternalcoolantleakmayresultinoverheating,thereforeviscosity
andoxidationwillincreaseandthebasenumber(BN)willdecrease.Thisishelpfulbecausenowfour
independentlaboratorytechniqueswillindicatethesamething.

TrendsandRegularSampling
Returningtotheimportanceoftrendingandtakingregularoilsamples,let'sreexaminethesecond
exampleinTable1whichshowsanincreaseinsiliconcausedbytopenddirtentryandthe
associatedwearofpistons,ringsandliners.Asdirtisbypassingtheairfilter,abrasivewearis
occurringintheuppercylinder.Becauseofthis,oilconsumptionwilleventuallyincrease.Higheroil
consumptionmeanstheengineisbeingtoppedoffwithfreshoil,resultinginthedecreaseofwear
andcontaminationlevels.Figure1illustratesahypotheticalsituation,beginningwithanincreasein
silicon(dirtentry)followedbyanincreaseiniron(wear)andoilconsumption,whicheventually
leadstoadecreaseinironandsiliconreadings.

Followingthetrendofregularsamplesmakesinterpretationofthereadingsfairlystraightforward.
However,whatwouldhappenifonlysamples1,2,3and10weretaken?Thiswouldshowasmooth
trendforironandsilicon,indicatingnoproblem(Figure2).Onlyanincreaseintheoilconsumption
wouldbenoted,withnoapparentexplanation.

Figures1and2.WearandDirtEntryRelatedtoOilConsumption

AcceleratedorAbnormal?
Thedifferencebetweenacceleratedandabnormalwearmustbeconsidered.Iftheleadreadings
weretoincreaseinanenginesample,thistypicallyindicatesbearingwear.However,itcouldalsobe
acceleratedwearduetothemachineworkingharderwithallthebearingswearingalittlemorethan
usual,oritcouldbeduetojustonebearingwearingabnormally.

ManyfactorsthataffectoilanalysisresultsareoutsidethecontroloftheOEM,owner,operatorand
oilanalyst,andthesemustbeconsideredwhenmakingadiagnosis.Trendingandviewingresultsin
aholisticmannerofferspositivebenefitsforanytypeofconditionmonitoringtechnique,notjustoil
analysis.Whilewearlimitscanbebeneficial,theyshouldbeusedwithcaution.Allitwouldrequire
todistortasetofweartableswouldbeforsomeformofultrafiltrationbefittedtofilteredoil
systems.Theresultwouldbetheloweringofthealarmlevels.OneWearCheckcustomerhas
performedthisacrossalargefleetofearthmovingequipmentandtheeffectisnoticeable.Itis
interestingtonotethatsomeofthestrongestproponentsofwearlimitsinthepastarenow
acknowledgingthatwearreadingsalsoneedtobetrended.

Editor'sNote:
ThisarticlewasoriginallypublishedbyWearCheckAfrica,amemberoftheSetPointgroup.