The ASTM D6184-17 standard, developed by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), describes a test method for determining the oil separation tendency of high temperature lubricating grease. This test method should be continued for 100 hours at 30 degrees Celsius unless other conditions are required by the grease specification.
.jpg "ASTM D6184-17 Standard Test Method for Separation of Oil from Lubricating Grease (Conical Sieve Method)")
This test method can be used on any grease with a processed penetration greater than 220 mm/10⁻¹ (NLGI consistency number 3 or softer). However, this test method is not suitable for greases with a penetration greater than 340 mm/10⁻¹ (NLGI consistency number less than 1).
As the lubricating grease separates the oil, the consistency of the remaining material may change, which may affect the product's ability to function as designed. The test results obtained with this test method are intended to correlate with oil separation that occurs in 16 kg grease buckets during storage. It is not intended to predict oil separation tendencies of grease under dynamic service conditions.
During testing, the weighed sample is placed in a cone-shaped wire sieve, suspended in a laboratory tube, then heated under static conditions at the specified time and temperature. Unless the grease specification requires otherwise, the sample is tested at 30 degrees Celsius for 100 hours. The separated oil is weighed and reported as a percentage of the mass of the initial test sample.
The ASTM D6184-17 standard is used for specifications and quality control.
The cone sieve method (commonly known as the cone discharge test) for measuring leakage from lubricating grease is virtually identical to Federal Test Method (FTM) 791C Method 321-3 for oil separation from lubricating grease (static technique). Although not a precise statement, Method 321-3 has been used for many years in military and industrial grease specifications to determine fluid separation tendencies. However, the test method described in the ASTM D6184 standard complements the shortcomings of Method 321-3.
Our organization, among the numerous test, measurement, analysis and evaluation studies it provides for businesses in various sectors, also provides standard testing services for the separation of oil from lubricating grease within the scope of ASTM D6184-17 standard, with its trained and expert staff and advanced technological equipment.
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