Friction and lubrication testing apparatus

Abstract

Unsatisfactory lubrication is a very common trouble and the selection of the very best lubricant, considering both quality and cost, is extremely difficult because of the almost complete absence of definite and precise information upon which to base an intelligent judgment. It was the realization of this unsatisfactory condition, brought home by the difficulty of choosing between different lubricants for use in the University Power Plant that led the Engineering Experiment Station to attempt to develop apparatus and methods of testing that would yield definite information about the friction and the working characteristics of lubricants under service conditions. This Bulletin is a preliminary report on the progress of this investigation.