Clean lubrication is incredibly important to maintaining and protecting your equipment. Inside the lubricant we can find particles that get there through air movement, seals, lubrication degradation, wear metals and residual particles from manufacturing. When these particles circulate at high pressure through a system they can cause erosion.
However, the greatest wear comes from particles that get trapped in load areas, such as piston walls, gear systems, and other areas. A strong enough particle can damage metal rather than break it. Damage to metal always introduces more particles into the system, increasing the rate of wear.
Fluid analysis companies typically express test results based on the ISO 4406: 1999 fluid cleanliness standard. Use a three-number system to rank the cleanliness of the system – Example: 19/16/13. The first number represents the number of particles present measuring greater than 4 microns. The second represents particles larger than 6 microns and the third represents those greater than 14μm.
This information is used to identify the degree of contamination of their systems so that they can deal with the problem before it becomes a catastrophic failure. Samples can be drawn before and after in-line filters and compared to see if the filter is working properly.
