Product Code:SAE ARP6255
Title:Aviation Lubricant Tribology Evaluator (ALTE) Method to Determine the Lubricating Quality of Gas Turbine lubricants
Issuing Committee:E-34 Propulsion Lubricants Committee
Scope: Lubricant load carrying performance is an important parameter when considering evaluation/approval of a lubricant for a specific application. The Aviation Lubricant Tribology Evaluator (ALTE) is a device used to rate the relative lubricating quality of gas turbine turbine oils. Employing ball-on-cylinder philosophy, a non-rotating steel ball is held in a vertically mounted chuck and forced against an axially mounted steel cylinder with an applied load. The test cyclinder is rotated at a fixed speed while being partially immersed in the test fluid. This maintains the cylinder in a wet condition and continously transports a film of test fluid to the ball/cyclinder interface. The wear scar generated on the test ball isa measure of the fluid lubricating properties.
Rationale: Lubricant load carrying performance is an important parameter when considering evaluation/approval of a lubricant for a specific application. The Aviation Lubricant Tribology Evaluator (ALTE) is a device used to rate the relative lubricating quality of gas turbine turbine oils. Employing ball-on-cylinder philosophy, a non-rotating steel ball is held in a vertically mounted chuck and forced against an axially mounted steel cylinder with an applied load. The test cyclinder is rotated at a fixed speed while being partially immersed in the test fluid. This maintains the cylinder in a wet condition and continously transports a film of test fluid to the ball/cyclinder interface. The wear scar generated on the test ball isa measure of the fluid lubricating properties.