<title>Increasing predictive program effectiveness by integrating thermography and lubricant analysis</title>

Abstract

As today's marketplace becomes more competitive, companies are continually searching for more efficient ways to maintain plant equipment. As a result, predictive maintenance (PDM) techniques are frequently utilized to help reduce maintenance costs and increase equipment reliability. Two PDM technologies that have enjoyed widespread success in many different industries are lubricant analysis and infrared thermography. Lubricant analysis is a very effective technique in the identification of both machine and lubricant deficiencies. Problems such as bearing wear, gear wear, lubricant contamination and degradation are identified utilizing technologies like ferrography and physical properties testing. Infrared thermography has likewise enjoyed much success in various electrical, mechanical, and process applications. High resistance electrical connections, excessive friction, insulation degradation, and roofing deterioration are just a few of the more common problems detectable utilizing infrared thermography. Although each PDM technology has its own distinct area of specialization, the greatest benefits come from the integration of each technology into a comprehensive PDM program. This paper focuses on the interrelationship between lubricant analysis and infrared thermography and successful applications where these two PDM technologies have been used together to identify and solve equipment specific problems.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.