INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CONTROL, AUTOMATION AND SYSTEMS

http://www.researchpub.org/journal/jac/jac.html

VOL.2 NO.3

October 2013

Inspecting Metallic Wear Particles Contaminating

Lubricating Automotive Engine Oils
1

Al-Osaimy A. S. , Elhabib O. A.

1,2

1,3

and Ali W. Y.

Faculty of Engineering, Taif University, P. N. 888, Al-Taif, Saudi Arabia,

2
Faculty of Engineering, Al-Neelain University, Sudan,
3
Faculty of Engineering, Minia University, El-Minia, Egypt.

Abstract: The present work investigates metallic wear

particles in lubricating oils of automotive engines by
Ferrographic oil analysis. This procedure can help in
predictive maintenance of automotive engines by
determining the surfaces which suffer excessive wear. Oil
samples taken from oil filters of automotive engines have
been examined. Ferrographic oil analysis is used to
quantify metallic wear particles retained by oil filters to
monitor wear process, indicate wear mechanism and
detect wear abnormality. The visual inspection of those
particles by microscope can identify the metallic surfaces
from which wear particles were removed.

Furthermore, the transfer from one wear mechanism to the

other and the abnormality of wear can be identified.
Itoffers a guide to interpret the data obtained during the
study of tribological problems such as friction, wear and
lubrication as well as developing filtration technology.
Furthermore, it helped in considerationsfor exercising
predictive maintenance and condition monitoring of the
mechanical equipments.
It was found that oil filters contain the most significant
wear particles and solid contaminants which characterize
the mode of engine wear. Besides, they remove and store
metallic, non metallic and polymeric particles generated
from the rubbing surfaces. The size and morphology of
wear particles obtained from oil filters that are much
bigger than those deposited by Ferrography, described the
past history of wear and signaled the early failure of the
sliding surfaces through following the striation marks
caused by abrasion, [2 - 8]. The temper colours of wear
particle surface, which can give specific information about
the temperature of the sliding surface from which wear
particle was removed, were much pronounced for oil filter.
It was found that wear particles retained by oil filter of an
internal combustion engine working in El-Minia
Governorate, Egypt, were examined by optical microscope
to reveal details of size, shape and quantity of particles,
[9]. It was detected the generation of large severe wear
particles that signal the imminent failure of wearing
surface. Particles in the form of loops, spirals, and bent
wires were generated, where increase in the number and
size of these particles showed that an abrasive wear
mechanism is progressing rapidly. Sand particles of
different size in relatively high concentration were
detected. Based on this observation, it can be concluded
that the prevailing mode of wear was abrasion.

The temper colours of wear particles were observed to

differentiate metallic materials such as steel, cast iron,
nickel and austenitic stainless steel. Silver, cadmium,
chromium, aluminum, magnesium, titanium and zinc did
not respond to heating to any significant extent. Copperbased alloys which may show temper colors are readily
identified by their characteristic yellow or bronze color.
The change in their colours may help in determining their
materials and temperature of the surfaces from which
they were removed. Based on that observation, the early
failure of the moving surfaces inside automotive engines
can be detected.
Index Metallic wear particles, steel, cast iron, copper, lead,
tin, surface temperature, automotive engines, lubricating
oil.
I. INTRODUCTION
Inspection of solid contaminants in lubricating oil guided
the study of tribological problems such as friction, wear
and lubrication as well as developing filtration technology,
oil additives and testing both bearing and mating surface
materials. Specific information to identify the wear and
solid particles contaminating lubricating oils used in
different applications was provided, [1]. This information
can help in identifying images during the visual inspection
of those particles by microscope and the description of
wear mechanism which generates those particles.

The mechanism of generation of very large flaky wear

particles as a result of the severe wear of internal
combustion engines at starved lubricated sliding is
explained on the basis of the breakdown of the lubricant
film causing the instability of the shear mixed layer

51

accompanied by the localized adhesion and severe plastic

flow of the surface, [10]. Inspection of oil filters by the
proposed method can detect early the start of the failure
stage of the sliding surfaces. Consequently, the oil filter
should be removed and inspected for every oil change. The
conclusion that can be drawn from the wear debris analysis
is that the sliding surfaces were wearing out due to surface
fatigue (pitting). The presence of fatigue particles of
relatively large sizes suggests that an overload condition
may have caused the surfaces to fail.

carbon and/or alloy steels to a lighter or silver blue, cast

iron to dark brown with slight dark blue areas. Lead
remains unaffected by heating.

Solid particles contaminated in lubricating oil have detailed

information about wear mode, [11]. Examining the form of
particle shape, composition, size and quantity indicates
excellent failure analysis. Ferrography is one of the methods
used to examine wear particles. It is based on the magnetic
precipitation of ferromagnetic and paramagnetic wear
particles from the oil onto a thin glass slide called a
Ferrogram substrate for examination by bichromatic light
microscope or scanning electron microscope (SEM), [12 14]. The wear of internal combustion engines has been
studied by Ferrography, [15 - 17], in which engine tests
were developed for the determination of the wear particle
generation rate and oil filter efficiency. Examples of particle
generating surfaces include the cylinder liner, piston rings,
main bearings, crankshaft, camshaft and valve guides. The
carbon soot contained in the exhaust products can be
absorbed into the oil film on the cylinder wall, [18 - 20].
Sand particles can enter into the system through intake air,
fresh oil and fuel.

Oil samples were collected from five different automotive

engines running in Taif City in Saudi Arabia as well as
their oil filters. The filter element was removed from the
filter housing. A square piece, 20 20 mm, of the pleated
papers was cut and ultrasonically scrubbed in 50 ml of
normal heptane to redisperse the particles for 30 minutes.
To inspect wear particles retained by the oil filter
Ferrograpghy was used.Ferrography includes an instrument
for the making of Ferrograms and bichromatic optical
microscope for visual inspection of solid particles on the
Ferrograms. The testsamples was prepared by using three
cubic centimeters of the wash and one cc of the fixer. The
prepared sample was pumped across the transparent
substrate which is mounted at slightly inclined plane and
subjected to highly divergent magnetic field so that the
magnetic particles deposit along the length of the substrate.
A wash cycle is used to remove the residual oil and cause
the wear particles to adhere permanently to the Ferrogram,
Fig. 1 which is further examined by the Ferroscope, Fig. 2.

In the present work, the metallic wear particles, retained by

the oil filter, were considered to determine the working
surface temperature before failure in order to control the
performance of the lubricant and surface materials.
II. EXPERIMENTAL

Heat treating Ferrograms and observing the change in

appearance of the particles may help in determining the
composition of wear particles of ferrous alloys. The effect
of heating wear particles for periods of 90 s at increments of
temperature was investigated using a standard laboratory
hotplate. The temper colours of wear particles were
observed to separate metals and alloys into four groups
characterized by 52100 steel, cast iron, nickel and austenitic
stainless steel, respectively, [21]. Silver, cadmium,
chromium, aluminum, magnesium, titanium and zinc did not
respond to heating to any significant extent. Copper-based
alloys which may show temper colors are readily identified
by their characteristic yellow or bronze color prior to any
heat treatment. Because of the electronic mechanism of
oxidation, the oxide film formed is remarkably uniform in
thickness and in optical properties so that optical
interference can give rise to the appearance of colors
depending on the thickness of the film. The rate of oxidation
and therefore the thickness of an oxide film is determined
by the crystallographic orientation of the substrate metal.
It had been established that heating the Ferrogram for 90 s
at 330 C turns low carbon and/or alloy steels blue, cast
iron brown but does not affect lead, [22, 23]. Heating of
the Ferrogram to 370 C for a further 90 s changes low

Fig. 1 Ferrograph.

the lack of lubrication. The materials of wear particles

expected are cast iron resulted from excessive piston
ring/cylinder wall, steel from crankshaft and camshaft
surface failure and non-ferrous metals from bearings
surface, Fig. 3. The examination of the oil filter
disassembled from the tested engine revealed the presence
of very large flaky wear particles removed from the
surfaces of pistons, piston rings, cylinder liners, sliding
bearings and crankshaft. The formation of those particles
could be resulted from the severe wear of machine
elements at starved lubricated sliding. The mechanism of
the generation of such particles is explained on the basis of
material transfer onto the counterface forming a well
adherent layer of the transferred material, which is
probably the softer, [23]. The accumulation of the layers of
the transferred material may produce the relatively large
wear particles which were adhered to the counterface by
the action of the contacting asperities then removed from
the surface when the shear stress exceeds adherence
between transferred layers and counterface.

Fig. 2 Ferroscope.
It is well known that identifying the materials of wear
particles can help in determining the source of wear
particles the surfaces which suffer excessive wear. Wear
severity of automotive engines was detected by examining
wear particles contaminating lubricating oil. Table 1 lists
some of the major metals constituting wear particles as
well as element surfaces from which those particles are
removed.
Table 1 Metals of the wear particles.
Metal
Aluminium
Copper
Chrome
Iron
Lead
Tin

III.

Element
Piston, bearings.
Main bearings and bushes.
Piston rings.
Cylinder liners, camshafts
and crankshafts.
Main bearings and bushes.
Main bearings and bushes.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Inspection of wear particles retained by the oil filter

showed complete surface failure detected by very big wear
particles. Wear particles were of surface striation
indicating severe sliding. This would be occurred due to

Fig. 3 Main components of the automotive engine.

The wear particles retained by the oil filter that
disassembled from the tested combustion engine are shown
in Figs. 4 - 16. High alloy steel wear particle is shown. A
distinctive blue colour (330 C) with a subsequent fading
to a grey colour (400 C) is evident, Fig. 4. This is
catastrophic sliding wear mode, which is indicative of
failure of the surfaces. Excessive surface shear stresses
cause complete breakdown of one or both surfaces and
generate free metal wear particles having dimensions
ranging up to 1 mm. This particle was generated from steel
surfaces inside the engine such as crankshaft and camshaft.

another part of the system embedded in one of the sliding

surface such as a lead/tin alloy bearing, where they protrude
from the soft surface and penetrate the opposing wear
surface. The maximum size of cutting wear particles
generated in this way is proportional to the size of the
abrasive particles in the lubricant.

Fig. 4 High alloy steel wear particle.

Big free metal particle resulted from complete surface
breakdown is shown in Fig. 5. It consists of steel of blue
(up to 330 C), grey, deep bronze and some mottled bluing
(up to 400 C). This particle was removed from the surface
of crankshaft and camshaft. This particle resembles severe
sliding wear. It was formed in condition of inadequate
lubrication. Particles of that type are thick and rounded.
The mechanism of wear is scuffing or scoring, where wear
particle was generated by high load/velocity. The particles
tend to have a rough surface, jagged circumference and
striations on its surface indicating a sliding contact.

Fig. 6 Nonferrous lead/tin alloy wear particle.

Severe wear particle of different colours caused by the
frictional heating is shown in Fig. 7. The colour variation
of this particle from blue (330 C) to yellow (400 C)
shows the temperature distribution of the worn surface.
The temperature increase is directed upward regardless the
direction of the striation marks. The removal of such
particle may be caused by surface fatigue indicated by the
straight edges. The green colour integrated with the blue
indicates that the particle was removed from surface of
chrome alloyed steel.

Fig. 5 Big free metal particle.

Nonferrous lead/tin alloy wear particle is shown in Fig. 6.
The color and brightness of lead/tin alloy particle indicate
the type of the particle. The particle has straight edges as
well as surface striations. An abrasive wear particle of steel
is penetrating the lead/tin alloy wear particle. This abrasive
wear particle might be generated from hard abrasive
particles such as contaminants like sand or wear debris from

Fig. 7 Severe wear particle.

The temper colours shown indicated that the

temperature increased up to 400 C, except the
localized zone of blue and green colours, where
temperature increased up to 330 C. Presence of surface
striations of straw colour confirmed that temperature
exceeded 400 C. The temperature increase may be
caused by severe abrasive wear mechanism prevailed
before the removal of such particle. This particle was
generated from camshaft and crankshaft surfaces.

Wear particle of medium alloy steel such as cast iron or

case hardened low alloy steel is illustrated in Fig. 10. These
alloys are generally about 3.5 wt. % carbon. The
mechanism of wear of that particle was scuffing. This
particle has a rough surface. Because of the thermal nature
of scuffing, quantities of oxide are present indicated by
evidence of partial oxidation.

Fig. 10 Alloy steel wear particle.

Fig. 8 Steel alloy wear particle.

Wear particle of copper alloy, Fig. 11, shows the yellow

brown color with a slight darkening of the color toward
black. Deep surface striations are shown. Presence of
those particles indicates wear severity of the surface from
which it was removed. The wear particle was generated
from bearing and bushes surfaces.

Copper particle in yellow and brown colour is deposited,

Fig. 9. The origin of the copper particles may be from the
sliding bearings of the camshaft and crankshaft. The size
and shape of copper particles predict the early failure of
bearing surface. The copper wear particle shows surface
deep striations and mottled appearance with varying
intensities of brown. This appearance may also be caused
by thin films of steel transferred to the copper alloy surface.
This particle was generated as a result of heat and lubricant
starvation.

Fig. 11 Copper alloy wear particle.

Severe sliding wear particle is identified by parallel
striations on its surface, Fig. 12. The severe sliding wear
Fig. 9 Copper wear particle.

particle of high alloy steel shows evidence of temper

colors. Formation of such particles indicates the marginal
lubrication prevailed inside the automotive engine.

Fig. 12 Severe sliding wear particle.

Lead/tin particle in its temper colour is shown in Fig. 13.
The origin of the lead/tin particle may be from the sliding
bearings of the camshaft and crankshaft. The size and shape
of the wear copper particle predict the early failure of
bearing surface.

Fig. 15 High alloy steel wear particles.

Severe wear particle of different colours caused by the
frictional heating is shown in Fig. 16. The colour variation
of this particle from red (540 C) to orange (400 C) to blue
(330 C) shows the temperature distribution of the worn
surface. The temperature increase is directed upward
regardless the direction of the striation marks. The removal
of such particle may be generated from surface fatigue
indicated by the straight edges.

Fig. 14 Lead/tin wear particle.

Figure 15 shows high alloy steel particles, where the
majority of the particles suffer from surface striations
indicating the severity of sliding. High alloy steel covers all
stainless steels. As the temperature of the sliding surfaces
increased, no significant change in color could be observed.
Such particles are generally generated from wear of the
camshaft and crankshaft.

Fig. 16 Severe steel wear particle.

Few thicker ferrous wear particles are shown in Fig. 17.
They are partially oxidized cast iron and stainless steel
severe wear particles as well as low alloy steel particles in
blue of 330 C temperature. The origin of cast iron
particles might be from the surface of cylinder liners and

02

piston rings, while steel from surface of shafts and timing

gears.

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Fig. 17 ferrous wear particles.

IV.

CONCLUSION

Inspection of wear particles by microscope can be applied

to monitor the condition and performance of automotive
engines by determining the working temperature of moving
surfaces and performance of lubricating oil. Inspection of
temper colours of wear particles will enable the detection of
a critical operation of the engine through knowing the
maximum surface temperatures during the generation of the
wear particles. With the knowledge of the materials of the
wear particles the source of excessive wear could be
identified. Besides, application of the proposed method
could provide an insight into the wear mechanism
responsible for the abnormality of the wear particles.
REFERENCES
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05

Authors: Bibliography

Associate Professor Dr. Eng. Ali S. Al-osaimy

Associate Professor Dr. Al-Osaimy A.
S. is the dean of faculty of Engineering,
Taif University. He was graduated from
University of Pittsburgh 2000. His field
of interest is Fluid Mechanics and heat
transfer. for more information please
visit web page: http://www.tu.edu.sa/

Associate Professor Dr.Osman. Elhabib

Associate
Professor
at
Chemical
Engineering Department, Al-Neelain
University, Khartoum, Sudan. Recently,
he is working as Associate Professor at
Faculty of Engineering, Taif University,
Saudi Arabia, working at the same time as
a Consultant at University Agency for Graduate Studies
and Research.

Professor Dr.Eng. Waheed Y. Ali

Prof. Dr. Ali W. Y. is working as a

professor of mechanical design and
tribology in Production Engineering
Department, Faculty of Engineering,
Minia University, Egypt. Now he is
working at Faculty of Engineering, Taif
University, Saudi Arabia.

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