Viscosity testing is utilized to find the thickness of any oil or fluid that is needed for a machine to operate and can tell us a lot about the interior conditions of that machine. Any machine that has a piston, a rotor, or a gearbox is going to have its oil sampled and sent off to be analyzed, because the owner of that machine needs as much information as possible about the inner workings of a machine to determine what must be done to properly maintain it.

When a machine is in operation, it has a number of moving parts that are rubbing together at rather high speeds, creating a large amount of friction that causes the parts to wear out. The primary purpose of many machine oils is to cut down on the friction created by moving parts, therefore saving those parts from untimely deterioration and premature replacement.

A lubricant has to be just the appropriate thickness in order to do its job appropriately, because one that is too thin will not provide the right amount of lubrication, while one that is too thick can be difficult to pump and build up internal pressure. When you have the viscosity for a machine evaluated, you are given a lot of information that will help you figure out whether or not the oils you use are ideal for your machine, as well as many other things.

All sorts of conclusions can be drawn from the information provided as a result of one of these tests, from what oil should be used to what kind of conditions the oil is coming in contact with. When the viscosity of an oil changes, you could be dealing with anything from dilution caused by fuel or water getting into the mix to a high level of contaminants.

By collecting samples at regular intervals and sending them in to a trusted oil test lab, maintenance personal will receive much of the information they need to decide what sort of checks and repairs they must perform on the machinery. Informing the maintenance crew of an obvious difference in viscosity is just as good as telling them that something is not right with their machine, but knowing how exactly it has changed will give them a better idea of where they should begin the troubleshooting process and what they may have to do to fix any problems they find. Due to the extensive amount of information it offers us, routine viscosity testing is a large part of preventive maintenance and keeping the gears turning.