Liquid gold

Understanding the benefits of oil analysis can lead to optimum oil use and longer equipment life.

By Steve Waggoner

For several decades, used oil analysis has been a by-word in the realm of lubricated components in aggregate and other stationary equipment. Management and maintenance personnel in the quarrying and construction materials industries will recognize the various operational and other problems that are common to aggregate equipment, and they probably know how important oil monitoring is for the well being of their equipment. What they may not know is how to design, monitor, and benefit from a used oil analysis program appropriate for their specific operational conditions. Optimum monitoring of equipment health will require planning the appropriate array of oil tests, sampling intervals, and interpretation of analysis data.

Maintenance challenges

There are several operational problems, types of contaminants, and other external issues that may be seen during the lifetime of aggregate equipment. These include mechanical problems, oil problems, contaminants, and maintenance issues. Following are some specific types of these issues.

Mechanical problems: