Gearboxes, differentials, final drives and planetaries should be closely monitored for dirt and water contamination, although the type of wear occurring is usually the biggest concern. Direct Read Ferrography provides a ratio of large ferrous to small ferrous particles and reports a quantitative value that indicates the amount of ferrous wear occurring. Analytical Ferrography is a qualitative rather than quantitative analysis of ferrous wear that provides digital imagery of the actual particles. AF and DR are tremendously helpful in trend analysis.
Tests include:
Wear Metals
Water by Crackle %
Viscosity @ 40° C
Acid Number
Oxidation
Particle Quantifier