In 2004, a field trial was initiated over a four-year period with tactical and combat vehicles. The spectrum included armored reconnaissance vehicles (ARV) as well as main battle tanks (MBT). Oil samples removed from the monitoring well were taken every 90 days with an oil sampling kit normally used for aviation components. To avoid cross-contamination with other functional fluids taken from the vehicle, every sample was taken with a new sampling kit.
Among the monitored vehicles were 40 main battle tanks (Figure 1), 25 armored infantry fighting vehicles (AIFV), 16 armored howitzers, 25 armored reconnaissance vehicles (ARV) and 10 mechanized infantry combat vehicles (MICV).
Figure 1
The evaluated oil parameters included:
- Kinematic viscosity (40 and 100 degrees C) and VI
- Water content
- Blotter spot test
- Oil dilution by fuel (GC)
- Soot content (IR)
- Nitration (IR)
- Oxidation
- Sulfation
- Organic contamination
- Wear and additive elements (AES)
- Particle quantifier index (PQI)
Many challenges were encountered, such as sampling by non-professionals, rotation in the staff, decreased availability of the vehicles, different oil service quality and engine oil compositions, non-documented oil refill quantities and long-term used vehicles with unknown current engine conditions. There was also a need for continuous evaluation and suitability testing of gained results, as well as strong varying vehicle mission profiles and sophisticated diagnostic research to gain reliable information concerning engines with suspected impending failures. In addition, the oil condition data could not be correlated with fuel consumption since the last oil service, as some vehicles had been operated for several hours without refueling before sampling.
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