The Automated Spectrometric Oil Analysis Decision Taking Procedure as a Tool to Prevent Aircraft Engine Failures

The purpose of spectrometric oil analysis is: – To diagnose imminent wear inside engine assemblies so that possible failures can be avoided, – To forecast and evaluate acquired data statistics regarding the operation of engine assemblies under known climate and operational conditions. Apart from the above mentioned double aim of the lubricant analysis laboratory, its importance is established from the extent of these measurements from the Air Force, where they were initially implemented, to the Navy and the Army and customers with large fleets. The present work presents spectrometric oil analysis as a diagnostic maintenance tool, it refers to the evaluation methodology and criteria of spectrometric oil analysis that come from aeronautical equipment (as it applies to the Hellenic Air Force), it describes the operation of a database used for the derivation of automated decision taking codes according to specific criteria described in US NAVAIR technical manual and highlights the importance of this procedure to preventing failure in reciprocating piston and turbine aircraft engines. Selected data from the spectrometer are also presented to point out the importance of the methodology in failure prevention as it applies in reciprocating internal combustion engines, a helicopter gearbox and a turboprop engine.