However, his life was changed forever after a crash at Texas Motor Speedway in which he nearly lost his feet and legs. After more than 20 operations and two years of rehabilitation, Hamilton returned to IndyCar racing and qualified for the 2007 Indianapolis 500, where he posted an impressive ninth-place finish. He now provides driver analysis for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network.

In February 2009, Hamilton formed a Firestone Indy Lights team with Kingdom Racing. Brandon Wagner serves as the team’s driver and scored the team’s first win in 2010.

On May 1st, Hamilton will deliver the keynote address at Reliable Plant 2012, discussing how he fought his way back to the cockpit after almost six years away from racing. His experience will provide inspiration and motivation for anyone looking to race back from adversity.

In a recent interview with Machinery Lubrication, Hamilton explained the roles lubrication and oil analysis play in racing.

Q Do you recall an instance when good lubrication or bad lubrication directly influenced the outcome of a race?

A More so failure of lubrication has affected the outcome of a race due to not being able to finish the race, and yes, I have had and have seen that happen many times.

Q How important is the analysis of used motor oils to monitoring and optimizing engine performance/health in motor sports?

A Our teams analyze the oil constantly to make sure they are getting the least friction and wear but the best performance.

Q Do race teams today give much importance to the type and brand of lubricants they use?

A Not so much the brand but the quality.

Q Are aftermarket additives used with motor oils in the racing industry?

A Some teams do use additives if the series allows.

Q Do you have any personal preference of a motor oil type and brand that you use in your automobiles?

A I really do not have a preference, but we are always looking for the best.

Q Can you share any particular experience you’ve had regarding lubricants or lubrication in the racing industry?

A I have always tried to research oil to get an advantage over the next guy. I have succeeded and have also failed by overworking the lubricants.

Taken from Machinery Lubrication.

We are debuting this book at Noria’s Reliable Plant Conference, May 1-3 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Just stop by the TESTOIL booth #320 to get your complimentary copy.

We look forward to seeing you at the show.

The question of the cost to analyze samples onsite versus offsite is a good one. Too many people are motivated to test samples in-house and completely dispense with offsite analysis based simply on cost.

The perception is that oil analysis costs can be significantly lowered by testing onsite. This is a somewhat misguided approach because by the time you buy the right equipment, maintain and calibrate it, maintain the lab, pay and train the staff to use the equipment (it typically takes a dedicated resource or full-time equivalent to run an onsite lab) and buy any consumables, the costs may be similar to or perhaps slightly higher to test onsite.

The value of onsite analysis is immediate feedback, the ability to retest on the spot and the message this sends to the organization as a whole. However, without considerable investment in instruments and people — equivalent to staffing a full-scale commercial lab — there will always be tests and expertise missing that need to be addressed through offsite analysis.

Onsite tools for oil analysis can provide a wealth of almost instant information on which you can make immediate maintenance decisions. However, keep in mind that even though onsite tools can produce results worthy of scheduling maintenance or some other action, you can’t accurately compare lab results to onsite results for the same test. Different methods will provide different results.

There are many other tests and kits available for use in the field and in the plant. Before you embark on the journey to onsite testing, you need to first ask yourself, “What will I do when I get this information?” In today’s tough economy, you must embrace technology that adds value. No matter if the oil analysis data you receive is from a field kit or a commercial lab, if you do not use it to make sound maintenance decisions (and just tuck the report away), then it really is a wasteful activity. Start by focusing on what information you need, then research the onsite options that are available.

Taken from machinery Lubrication’s online publication

Overtesting

A recently visited paper mill had a rather robust oil analysis program. This program was further optimized by the corporate reliability manager. The maintenance manager had a positive feeling about the benefits of predictive technologies and was supportive of the oil analysis program. While this was all seemingly positive data, the drawback was that the manager decided he wanted all equipment to be incorporated in the oil analysis program, including small centrifugal pumps containing less than even a quart of oil.

Taking this approach would have meant that the mill would run hundreds of oil samples on at least a quarterly basis. Adding to this, when following proper sampling procedures, we understand that the sampling hardware must first be flushed. When sampling small reservoirs, such as those in small centrifugal pumps, following the flush portion and then sampling, a complete oil change would have occurred on every pump each quarter. Considering the increased lubricant consumption coupled with the additional cost of testing the oil samples, you can see how the overall costs would add up quickly.

Although the maintenance manager should be commended for his aggressive drive toward equipment reliability, moving forward with the initially desired approach would have been costly, significantly reducing the program’s overall return on investment (ROI). 

Inadequate Testing

During a recent oil analysis program benchmarking exercise, it was asked how machines were selected for inclusion in the testing program. The initial response was, “We use criticality.” When the process used for criticality assessment was investigated, it was revealed that there was no real process. The machines were selected based on what I like to call “perceived criticality.” This resulted in a very small group of components initially being tested, although the program was growing in a methodical manner. When a machine component failed that was not part of the analysis program, the replacement component was then put on the program. So there was no real methodology at all.

This plant was experiencing a significant number of failures that could have been avoided had the program been put together properly in the first place. By taking this approach, the total cost of program development and optimization was incredibly high once the costs of missed opportunities were included into the equation.

Moving Forward

Oil analysis comes in three basic forms:

1. Commercial Lab Testing — Samples are collected and sent to a third-party laboratory for testing and analysis. This can take place on a routine basis or to confirm screening data from select on-site testing.
    
2. On-site Testing — Samples are collected and tested at the plant site using a number of potential on-site test equipment. Many advances have occurred in on-site test equipment that will be explored in a later issue of Machinery Lubrication.
    
3. Online Testing — Specialty meters (usually particle counters), moisture meters and dielectric testers are installed in a circulating system in order to capture “live” lubricant conditions. As with on-site testing equipment, this technology has grown significantly over the past 5 years.
    

Each of the basic types of oil analysis has an intended function and can offer significant benefit to the end user if deployed properly. For companies with a large number of lubricated components included in the oil analysis program, it is vital to incorporate some level of each of these categories for a well-rounded program.

Utilizing the criticality of machines that has been assigned through a documented method provides the best starting point in the decision-making process regarding which form, or combination of forms, is best for each component.

A plant with a well-developed criticality system already has the foundation for establishing an equally well-developed oil analysis program. Some of the primary decisions related to oil analysis that criticality can assist with include:

• Machine selection
• Reliability objectives
• Test slate selection
• Sample frequency

The days of the common test slate and frequency are over. The largest ROI will be achieved by using criticality to fine-tune an existing program and to get a new program off to an optimized starting point. The plant that does not have an established criticality assigned to machines should consider this foundational element. Without it, the entire predictive program is at risk of supplying less than the desired effect on overall reliability and ROI.

This article was written by Matt Spurlock, Noria Corporation.  Published in Machinery Lubrication Magazine

At Insight Services we believe that an educated customer really understands why they are taking oil samples. They get it.  The more knowledge they have, the greater monetary return to the program.   With this in mind, we have designed the oil analysis training course into the following three comprehensive modules:

• The Fundamentals of Lubrication and Wear
• Oil Analysis Basics
• Managing an Oil Anaysis Program

This one-day training course is considered one of the best educational experiences in the industry for the latest and most critical knowledge of oil analysis.  The training is designed for those seeking to create a world-class oil analysis program.

For more information check our registration page:
http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=hbduwzaab&oeidk=a07e5j11c7b21b3d405

By sampling after the pump and before the filter, you can still see an increased rate of wear generation with oil analysis. By reducing the background level of wear particles (noise), it is comparatively easier to detect the abnormal generation of wear particles assuming, of course, that the sample is drawn after the pump but before the filter.

You will also need to set alarms carefully, using statistics to derive level limits and rate-of-change limits. The benefit of engine life extension associated with polishing the oil is considerable and will easily warrant some efforts to ensure that oil analysis can still the generation of abnormal wear.

I would advise your client to make sure that any decision to extend the oil drain interval is backed up by oil analysis (oil properties, contamination and wear debris monitoring). It is unwise to arbitrarily extend oil drains unless the decision is supported by data. Excessive particle contamination level is just one reason why we may change the oil.

The best way to tweak your oil change interval is to make actual assessments of its condition and remaining useful life. Unlike routine oil analysis, the types of tests you might want to select could be more similar to what you see on your lubricant’s spec sheet.

Begin by talking to your lubricant supplier about which performance properties would need to be evaluated. These could include oxidation stability, rust/corrosion protection, air release and foam stability, demulsibility, anti-wear protection, viscosity index (VI), silt particle concentration and other essential performance properties. Expect the cost of these tests to run several hundred dollars. However, you only have to run tests on samples from a few representative machines.

Obtain the sample just prior to the currently scheduled oil change. Send this sample along with a sample of the new lubricant (for baselining purposes) to a lab that can perform ASTM performance tests. You may need to obtain several hundred milliliters of fluid of each sample.

Once the tests are complete and an assessment made on remaining useful life, a decision can then be made on whether the oil change interval can be shortened or lengthened. A reasonable safety margin needs to be included in the decision. Once changes in the drain interval are made, monitor the oil carefully.

While fluid analysis is the best way to safely determine an optimal drain interval, the appropriate testing should be done by a reputable laboratory that uses reliable testing methods and produces quality results you can trust. Accredited laboratories are required to prove the accuracy of their results on an on-going basis or risk losing their accreditation.

This article was borrowed from http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/28799/removing-wear-particles.

Choosing the right blend of lubrication training, testing, business processes, and formulations can help keep your machines and components healthy and running smoothly.

“The training and development of lubrication skills is the hottest thing out there right now, and I believe it will be with us for a long time in the future,” says Bill Lyons, maintenance optimization manager at Holcim U.S. (www.holcim.us), a cement and mineral-component manufacturer headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.

During the past few years, many lubrication improvement projects were launched in most of Holcim’s 12 manufacturing plants, from storage and handling to regreasing bearings using ultrasonic measuring tools, explains Lyons. “I see our plants moving further with in-house oil analysis, helping to move us to a more proactive approach to better understanding the lubrication condition,” he says.

Lyons believes that increasing skill levels and using new technology has a great effect on costs. “I looked at our bearing spend five years ago, and the amount seemed very high to me,” he says. “Recently, I ran the same report, and I now see our bearing spend has dropped more than 50% since the previous report.”

Organizations like the International Council for Machinery Lubrication (www.lubecouncil.org) offer certification programs for lubrication technicians and oil analysts.

Lab testing approaches: Independent oil analysis laboratories must adapt to evolving customer requirements and technology continually. Insight Services routinely keeps its technicians and analysts abreast of changing base stocks and additive packages, and it’s actively improving its testing and reporting capabilities.

“We’re currently working on two changes to oil analysis testing in our laboratory — varnish analysis and filter debris analysis,” says David Kirkwood, business development manager for Insight Services. “Varnish analysis improvements include changes that will allow us to categorize the type of varnish, the make-up of the soft contaminant, and ultimately pinpoint the origin of the problem. Also, Insight will be able to use filter debris analysis to capture the organics that make up the varnish for closer examination.”

Reliability-focused practices: Lubrication process improvement providers use existing products to get better results. “Manufacturers are becoming wise to the value that machine lube processes can deliver,” says Mike Johnson, principal consultant for Advanced Machine Reliability Resources. “Regardless of the lubricant product used, approximately 80% of the potential for cost reduction and plant performance improvement is in reliability-centered lubrication practices.

Johnson developed an analysis tool called LubeCoach, a grease interval and volume calculator. It aids in selecting or correcting lube types, application volume, and frequency, and in solving process problems such as overfeed and underfeed.LubeCoach (www.precisionlubrication.com), available in multiple bearing application formats, is presently spreadsheet-based but will soon be offered in a Web-based format.

Advanced ester chemistry: Polyol ester (POE) fluid developments have resulted in new industrial lubricant products. “POEs are fantastic long-range solutions for air compressor lubrication. With fluid analysis, a customer can realize more than 8,000 hours of fluid life with POEs in air compressors,” says Jim Girard, vice president and chief marketing officer at Lubriplate Lubricants (www.lubriplate.com). Because fluid life is extended, less used oil requires disposal. POE-based fluids also minimize harmful air compressor deposits.

Girard likewise recommends POEs as high-temperature oven chain lubricants because they free and eliminate existing carbon buildup when used on oven chains. Reducing unhealthy volatile organic compounds (VOCs) this way makes the working environment safer and cleaner.

Targeted applications: Lubricant formulations often are designed to meet specific industrial conditions. Summit’s SumTech FGCO calcium oleate grease was designed specifically for the food service, beverage, and food processing industries. Among its properties are excellent water washout, higher weld load, and lower wear scar.

“Calcium-oleate-thickened synthetic lubricating grease is a high-performance alternative to calcium sulfonate grease,” says Ike Trexler, food and beverage industry market manager for Summit Industrial Products (www.klsummit.com). “This biofriendly grease thickener system is more robust and shear resistant with better low-temperature mobility.”

“The Hydroguard hybrid breather is designed with interior check valves to ensure system pressurization and to help protect system integrity, making the breather an ideal solution for wash-down applications and extremely harsh environments,” says Tara Ohning, Des-Case product manager.The Hydroguard hybrid breather from Des-Case (www.descase.com)increases lubricant reliability in low-flow applications by preventing contamination. Suitable for multiple industries, the product uses check valves and an expansion chamber to prevent moisture ingress. It breathes when pressured to do so, and then the air is cleaned and dried before it enters the system.

This article was featured in Plantservices.com and authored by Sheila Kennedy, managing director of Additive Communications.

The answer to your question can likely be summed up in one word — dilution! Assuming, as you state, that you are sampling on the return lines from each bearing, the reason for the low wear metal levels is likely due to the comparatively high oil volume in the return lines. In oil analysis, wear debris is measured in parts per million. When you state “2 ppm tin,” what you are actually saying is “2 mg of tin for every kilogram of oil.”

So the same amount of wear debris distributed in a large volume of oil, such as a circulating turbine, will generate a much lower ppm than the same amount of wear in a small wet sump system where the volume of oil is typically much smaller.

To minimize the effects, try to ensure the sample is taken as close to the bearings as possible. In addition, ensure that the sampling method is precisely controlled with the same method used every time, including flushing volumes. You might also need to tighten your alarms considerably to the extent where “normal” really means 0 ppm of tin (and other key elements), and any slight increase (even just 1 to 2 ppm) is considered “cautionary.”

Other possible causes of the low wear metal limits could be a failure mechanism, which really doesn’t generate significant amounts of wear debris, or one that creates larger sized particles (in excess of 5 microns), which do not show up in conventional elemental spectroscopy techniques. However, given the nature of this application, dilution is the most likely cause.

While most lubrication teams grasp the importance of good oil sampling, they are not exactly sure how to address the specifics. The good news is that instituting a quality oil sampling program in a plant is generally a relatively inexpensive exercise with high, short-term paybacks. If you haven’t instituted a world-class oil sampling program, now is a good time to start. If a sampling program is in place, maybe now is the right time to review it for compatibility with reliability goals. Don’t let a poor oil sampling program shoot your oil analysis program from the sky.

Article borrowed from Machinery Lubrication.

The fluids located within each of these machines are generally necessary for normal operations, with many machines needing more than just a single type of fluid. In some machines, they are required to properly lubricate and reduce the friction created by moving parts, which allows helps keep the machine at a safe working temperature. In order machines they are critical to the operation because they are actually what operate the machine, like in a backhoe, which uses compressed oil to transport a hydraulic piston in and out to control the position of the machine’s digging arm.

If any of these important fluids gets contaminated or lose their original properties over time, they will no longer be able to keep the machine running safely, which often leads to some very serious and costly malfunctions. It has been shown through a great deal of research that the majority of equipment failures are the result of none other than contaminated and poorly maintained fluids, so taking care of those fluids is the number one way to take care of the machines they are used in.

One thing about heavy machinery is the fact that there is no amount of maintenance that will prevent them from gradually wearing out over a certain number of years. As moving parts wear out, they are torn down into billions of tiny particles, which will be circulated through the oil until the oil is filled with tiny particles of whatever material the parts are created from. A maintenance crew can learn a lot about what is going wrong in a machine by analyzing the fluids and seeing what sort of contaminants are present and what materials they are made out of, which can then be matched with the parts that are wearing out.

Oil analysis testing permits a machine owner to understand the condition of their machines and fluids and figure out what steps they must take to better maintain their investments. Providing samples of these fluids for routine tests and reports can keep an owner from having to deal with countless expensive downtimes and repairs over the lifetime of their machines and keep the machines running longer.

The fluids located within each of these machines are generally necessary for normal operations, with many machines needing more than just a single type of fluid. Oils that are used to lubricate a machine do so by eliminating the resistance between moving parts that would generally cause a great deal of friction and results in excessive wear. In other machines they are critical to the operation because they are actually what operate the machine, like in a backhoe, which uses compressed oil to transport a hydraulic piston in and out to control the position of the machine’s digging arm.

Unless there is a highly skilled maintenance crew on standby around the clock, it is imperative that the fluids used to operate a machine not become contaminated and left untreated, because this will result in some costly problems. Contaminated fluids make up the vast majority of industrial maintenance issues that result in countless hours of downtime and some very expensive part replacements and repairs.

No matter how highly lubricated a machine’s inner parts are, they are sure to deteriorate a certain amount over time. When a machine part wears down, it leaves behind millions of small particles that get trapped in the fluids, making the fluids contaminated and no longer ideal for normal operations. Through proper analysis, the experts will discover the volume of particles that exist in the oil and where they came from, which will tell the maintenance personnel a lot of what they need to know about the machine’s various issues.

Oil analysis testing allows a machine owner to understand the condition of their machines and fluids and figure out what steps they must take to better maintain their investments. With the information provided from one of these tests, a company should be able to save their self from hours of downtime and spending thousands of dollars to repair problems that could have easily been prevented.