What is ISO 22286-Determination of the dropping point of grease about?
ISO 22286 is a safety standard on the determination of the dropping point of grease with an automatic apparatus.
ISO 22286 specifies a method for the determination of the dropping point of lubricating grease using an automatic apparatus.
Dropping point is a temperature at which grease passes from a semi-solid state to a state sufficiently fluid to flow, under the effect of its own mass, through a calibrated orifice drilled at the bottom of a standardized cup, under the form of a drop.
Who is ISO 22286- Determination of the dropping point of grease for?
ISO 22286 on the dropping point of grease is relevant to:
- Oil and gas industry
- Lubricant and industrial oil manufacturers
- Mechanical engineers
- Quality control and testing authorities
Why should you use ISO 22286- Determination of the dropping point of grease?
The dropping point of lubricating grease is the temperature at which grease passes from a semi-solid state to a liquid state under test conditions.
This change of state is typical of greases that contain organic thickeners (soaps mainly) exhibiting phase changes and softening when the temperature is increased. Non-soap greases (like bentonite or silica greases) are described as “not fusible”, i.e. have no dropping point. Upon heating, they can separate oil.
Results of the dropping point test are indicative of the maximum temperature at which grease can be heated without complete liquefaction or oil separation. The dropping point is a useful indication of the grease type.
For soap-based greases, it is related to the nature of the cation. At equivalent cation, complex soap-based greases have dropping points higher than that of simple soap-based greases. This characteristic can be used for manufacturing quality controls and for establishing product specifications.
