The OELCHECK Tribologists – competent and practice-oriented

Friction, wear and lubrication – this is what the interdisciplinary science of tribology, a sub-area of mechanical engineering, is all about. Accordingly, OELCHECK tribologists have an extensive knowledge about the materials used to build machines and engines. They are familiar with the correlations in physics and chemistry and can make statements about the structure and application of lubricants and describe their changes. They are also familiar with a wide variety of production processes and the special operating conditions under which engines and plants work.

[Translate to "English"] Unsere Tribologen

To ensure that OELCHECK’s tribologists can assess each analysis thoroughly and individually, they have developed inhouse limit and warning values for what are now more than 200,000 plant types. In doing so, they were able to draw on their expertise and on information from the large OELCHECK database with its values from over four million samples. In the comments of the laboratory values, they do not only address their overall result. The OELCHECK tribologists also make specific recommendations for further action - such as maintenance and care measures.

Long operating times and wear in view
If you want to use a lubricant sustainably and usually for a longer time than recommended by plant manufacturers, you inevitably also have to consider its interaction with the component it lubricates. After all, the long-term use of a lubricant shall never have a negative effect on the condition of the plant and thus on the operational safety or the manufacturer's warranty.

The OELCHECK tribologists therefore do not only consider the usually more than 40 individual values of an analysis alone. In their commentary of a laboratory report, they address wear processes, contaminants such as water or dust, and the overall condition of the lubricant. Increased values for wear metals, for example, indicate wear of components or component damage at an early stage, depending on the operating time. Among other things, possible contamination allows conclusions to be drawn about the effectiveness of filters. Changes in additive concentration may indicate residues from production processes. Viscosity or oxidation indications suggest an excessive operating time, overheating or mixing. All these values influence the service life of the lubricant and the wear behavior of the lubricated components. The condition of a lubricant with its many facets provides information on whether and how long an oil or grease can still be used.

Trend analyses increase the information value
If a lubricant from a particular application is examined at regular intervals, the OELCHECK tribologists can make an assessment as part of a trend analysis. If changes in individual values are identified as negative trends, the user can be advised to take suitable measures to counteract the negative trend at an early stage in similar plants.

Thanks to the observation of trends, our tribologists can also advise in a much more targeted manner on individually adapted change or relubrication intervals, improved oil care or even a change of oil type.

Trend analyses are becoming increasingly important. They are not only a decisive instrument for the sustainable use of lubricants, but often also a prerequisite for an extension of maintenance intervals approved by the manufacturer.

Why oil analyses?