ONBOARD MONITORING OF ENGINE OIL RESOURCE WORKING-OUT RATE IN WHEELED AND CATERPILLAR MACHINES

Abstract

An engine oil is capable reliably and longtime to perform specified functions only in the case when its properties correspond to those thermal, mechanical and chemical impacts to which the oil is subjected in the engine. Compatibility of the engine design, its uprate and oil properties is one of the main conditions for provision of high operational reliability. Type and properties of fuel, quality of an engine oil, engine type, its design, its health, its operational regime and conditions and a number of other factors influence on intensity of oil contamination in the operated engine. Oil quality is deteriorated due to accumulation of incomplete combustion products in it and this process is associated with the engine's health. This leads to reduction of viscosity, deterioration of lubrication ability, troubles in fluid friction mode. Combustion products have rather high amount of aggressive corrosive oxides.Service-life of engine oil prior to its change is determined not only by automobile mileage or tractor operating time but also by the period of time within which this work has been carried out. Corrosion processes are speeding up, protective processes are worsening, oil ageing is accelerating when vehicles have short daily and small mileages. So it is necessary to change oil at least annually.A new method for onboard monitoring of engine oil resource working-out rate in wheeled and caterpillar machines has been developed in the paper. Usage of fuel expended volume by engine while determining engine oil resource working-out rate makes it possible timely to assess a residual resource of the engine oil and also predict the date of its change at any operational period of wheeled and caterpillar machines.

Keywords

• rate of remaining life
• engine oil
• wheeled and tracked vehicles