Maintenance Technology August 2015 - (Page 36)
LUBRICATION STRATEGIES
Keep Hydraulic Fluids
Contaminant Free
Hydraulic systems rely on vital fluids
to transfer and amplify power and
lubricate critical components. Protecting
those fluids from contamination
should be a top priority.
Ken Bannister, CMRP, MLE
Contributing Editor
DESPITE THEIR COMPLEXITY, hydraulic systems are very
forgiving beasts-almost too forgiving for their own good.
They'll tend to perform inefficiently for a long time before
catastrophic failure occurs. Unfortunately, this forgiving nature
can foster a widespread, apathetic approach toward failure
prevention, efficiency optimization, and service life-cycle
management. Fluid is the most important part of any hydraulic
system and when systems fail, the cause is most often related
to fluid/fluid contamination. Those failures usually take other
critical equipment and processes with them.
Exorcise the "big three"
Understanding how contaminants enter a hydraulic system
is key to development of an effective maintenance strategy.
36 |
MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY
Hydraulic-fluid contamination comes in three major forms:
solid particulate, water, and air. All of these can seriously affect
the fluid and the equipment components it serves. Maintaining
hydraulic fluids in optimum condition requires measuring,
controlling, and preventing the introduction of these contaminants. Since contamination in any form can be inherent and
induced, understanding how the three types enter a system is
important in developing effective preventive-maintenance (PM)
strategies.
Solid-particulate contamination. Hydraulic system components are designed to operate with tolerances that can be as
close as 1.5 microns. Solid particulate most often manifests
itself as grit or dirt that, if allowed into a system, can be
extremely damaging to bearing surfaces and hydraulic seals.
The solid particles, which can be more than 100 microns in
size, will set up in a three-body abrasion state and easily score
the mated machined surfaces, creating rapid bearing and
component-surface wear, leading to unwanted fluid bypass that
reduces operating efficiency. Solids contamination will also
cause valve stiction, increased fluid viscosity, and unwanted
fluid leakage through nicked and scored cylinder seals.
If your equipment is new or rebuilt, solids contamination
in the form of leftover dirt or swarf from the manufacturing/
rebuild process could be present in the hydraulic lines. Prior to
initial startup, lines should be wad cleaned, existing oil flushed
from the system, and new, correct-viscosity fluid added.
Many end-users are unaware that solids-contamination levels
can be excessive in new oil supplied from the manufacturer or
introduced by the supplier if bulk-transferred through dirty
transfer hoses and equipment. When receiving new-especially
bulk-oil, always perform an oil analysis to detect solids and
water contamination.
While new oil can often be found at a 19/17/14 cleanliness
AUGUST 2015
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Maintenance Technology August 2015
My Take
Uptime
For On The Floor
Industry News
Ultrasound: Aural Intelligence
Excellence in Action
Cool Advice on Hot Motors
Step Up to Greater Electrical Awareness
Keep Hydraulic Fluids Contamination Free
Five Steps to Workplace Desirability
Put a Good Base Under Your Pumps
QR-Code POI System for Quick Problem Solving
Products
Marketplace
Contrarian View
Ad Index
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