Feasibility of Field Test Kits for Assessing In-Service Condition of Army Engine Oils.

The Army has long needed portable test kits to determine in-service condition of crankcase lubricants and power train lubricants. The obvious benefits of using field test kits to establish in-service lubricant quality include elevated equipment readiness and reduction in maintenance costs. MERADCOMAFLRL initiated an R and D effort in December 1976 to develop a suitable mobile test kit, initially for crankcase lubricants. Several commercially available portable test kits were obtained and evaluated against standard ASTM laboratory test procedures which are normally employed to determine used-lubricant condemning limits. Some of the field test procedures were modified as required to enhance their utility or correlation potential. Source of the used lubricants included laboratory diesel engines operating in fuels and lubricants R and D programs at AFLRL M60 pilot fleet test vehicles at Ft. Carson, Co administrative fleet vehicles at Letterkenny Army Depot, PA and Ft. Sam Houston, TX and two privately owned vehicles at AFLRL. Results show that field test-kit improvements are required for visocity and acidity determinations and these two tests combined with portable dielectric constant measurements would have good potential to serve the Army needs. Overall results show that no single mobile test kit is available that will independently meet the Armys needs.