Analyzing Contaminants, Stains and Debris – Part 2

Analyzing Contaminants, Stains and Debris – Part 2

Posted by in Contaminant Analysis on 06. Jul, 2010 | 2 Comments

Abrasive Contaminants A gas transmission compressor shaft in a facility in China began showing excessive wear at the bearing journals during initial mechanical testing (spinning) of the compressor. The plant operator suggested the tin based babbitt bearings were the source of the wear. Our analysis of the bearings showed that the babbitt and bond fully [...]

Analyzing Contaminants, Stains and Debris – Part 1

Analyzing Contaminants, Stains and Debris – Part 1

Posted by in Contaminant Analysis on 02. Jul, 2010 | 1 Comment

The impact of contaminants, stains or debris can range from nuisance to root cause of catastrophic failure. The nature of these materials presents some special analytical challenges. First, only extremely small amounts of material are usually present and available for analysis. Second, they typically result from an unintended and therefore undocumented variable in the manufacturing [...]