How to Operate a Portable Oil Friction Test Machine
Machine: Lube oil friction test machine · Purpose: test the lubrication and anti-wear performance of lube oil or additive blends, and observe oil temperature change.
Test Condition
Under 220 V supply, ordinary oil locks the machine with 3–4 weights, while anti-friction oil allows more than 12 weights without locking.
Operation Steps
- Connect the power and start the motor. Thoroughly grind the axle sleeve with ordinary lubricating oil — press the oil stone evenly with your thumb, then wipe the sleeve clean and switch off the motor. Grinding removes the influence of any residual oil film or nano film on the result.
- Fix the steel ball in the trough of the short lever, add ordinary lubricating oil into the oil cup, then fit the oil cup and the long / short levers.
- Start the motor and let it run for a moment. Then every ~10 seconds add one weight to the end of the long lever — each weight equals about 100 kg of pressure on the friction pair. Record the weight count and watch the ammeter: an increasing pointer means rising power consumption, and power consumption means fuel consumption. As noise grows, keep adding weights (about 3–4 pcs) until the abrasion wheel stops and the machine locks — then quickly switch off the power. Remove the weights and short lever, and observe the depth, area and roughness of the wear mark on the steel ball.
- Rotate the steel ball to a fresh angle and reinstall the lever. Grind the axle sleeve again, because the previous test wore it and it must be flattened.
- Add the anti-friction lubricating oil under test into the oil cup.
- Add weights one by one again. Ordinary oil locks at about 4 weights, but the anti-friction oil keeps running past 12 weights. The ammeter pointer moves only slightly — current × voltage = power consumption, so a small change means electricity (and fuel) saving. You can even remove the oil cup: the machine keeps running on the nano film alone.
- Remove the steel ball and compare the two wear marks side by side.
Note: every time you change the oil, grind the axle sleeve clean with the oil stone. If the sleeve is not clean, the machine will shake with noise and the experimental results will be affected.
Related product: Portable Oil Friction Tester →
What is the Copper Strip Corrosion Test?
Operation code for copper corrosion analyzers · ASTM D130 / GB/T 5096
Preparation Before Test
Test piece preparation: use silicon carbide or aluminum oxide sandpaper (or gauze) to remove surface flaws from the copper strip. Then finish with 65-grade (240 micron) abrasive to remove marks left by coarser grades. Polish the strip on a flat surface with kerosene or washing solvent wetted sandpaper, moving the strip against the sandpaper, and handle it with ash-free filter paper or clamps — never let fingers touch the copper. Wipe the polished strip with filter paper and immerse it in cleaning solvent until use.
Sampling: fill the container with the sample as soon as possible after sampling. Protect the sample from direct or even scattered sunlight.
Test Procedure
Pour 30 ml of the clear, water-free sample into a clean, dry test tube. Within one minute of final polishing, immerse the clean copper strip in the sample, cork the tube with a vented cork, and place it in a water bath at 50 ± 1 °C for 3 hours. After 5 minutes you may inspect the copper. Pour the tube contents into a 150 ml tall beaker so the copper slides in gently, remove it immediately with stainless steel tweezers, wash off the sample with solvent, and blot dry. Compare the strip against the corrosion standard color chart under light refracted at a 45° angle.
Copper Strip Corrosion Classification (excerpt)
| Class | Designation | Description |
|---|
| 1 — Mild | 1a | Mild discoloration — light orange |
|---|
| 1b | Deep orange |
| 2 — Moderate | 2a | Moderate color change — amaranth |
|---|
| 2b | Light purple |
| 2c | Shallow violet blue, or silver, covered in purple |
| 2d / 2e | Silver / brassy or golden |
Related products: ASTM D130 Copper Strip Corrosion Test Machine → · LY-172 LPG Corrosion Bath →
What is the Flash Point Test? Which Method is Suitable?
Flash point knowledge · ASTM D92 / D93 / D56 / D3828
What is Flash Point?
The flash point is the lowest temperature at which a volatile substance vaporizes into a flammable gas. The sample is heated while an ignition source is applied at intervals; the temperature at which the vapor above the sample flashes (ignites) is recorded as the flash point.
Why Test Flash Point?
Flash point data supports quality control, transport and storage regulations, CLP regulations and waste disposal rules. It appears in product specifications to international and national standards — commonly ASTM D92, ASTM D93, IP 170, ASTM D56 and ASTM D3828 — warning of fire risk and guiding safe manufacturing, transport and storage. Changes in flash point also measure batch consistency.
Materials Flammability Classification
- Extremely flammable: flash point below 0 °C
- Highly flammable: flash point below 21 °C
- Flammable: flash point below 55 °C
Open Cup vs. Closed Cup Tests
Open cup tests (e.g. Cleveland, Small Scale open cup) simulate ignition of spilled liquid in uncontained conditions: the sample cup is heated openly and an ignition source passes over the surface at intervals. Results vary with the distance between substance and ignition source, so test methods fix exact height dimensions.
Closed cup tests (e.g. Abel, Pensky-Martens, Tag) contain the sample and introduce the ignition source into the cup itself. This better simulates real conditions such as inside a fuel tank, gives more precise and lower (safer) results, and is generally adopted as the industry standard.
Non-Equilibrium vs. Equilibrium Methods
Non-equilibrium methods heat the liquid at a steady rate while applying the flame at regular intervals. Instrumentation is universally available, but each flame dip lets volatile components escape — possibly giving artificially high results — and 50–80 ml samples are required.
Equilibrium methods keep liquid and vapor in temperature equilibrium. Traditional versions use slow water-bath heating, but the Small Scale method achieves rapid equilibrium with only 2–4 ml of sample in under two minutes — improved precision, low cost, fast results, and a widely adopted flash / no-flash format.
Which Method Should You Use?
The appropriate method is usually cited in the product specification or regulation — and a stated referee method takes first choice. Where several alternatives exist, consider sample size, testing speed, precision and available instrumentation. For samples that may contain volatile contaminants, an equilibrium method such as Small Scale flash / no-flash is commonly recommended.
Related product: Fully Automatic Flash Point Tester →