I started some time ago a new activity on ferrography testing. I know how to do ferrograms but have some trouble in their intrepretation (the books ain´t enough I´m afraid). How and where can I develope this technique skills? I live in Portugal where none knows this test.

Hello Duarte,

Unfortunaly, I do not know of anyone who trains in ferrography in Europe. Below is a link to the website of PredictUSA which does training in the United States.

The fellow who trains people in ferrography is Ray Daley who was involved in the developement of this technology and trained me.

http://www.predictusa.com/ferrography.htm

Regards,

-Kris Sonne

Thank you for the reply. I have already been in Predict but I missed one day training course and I didn´t catch quite well particle classification and rating. And now they don´t provide assistance anymore. What is the scope of your work and testing as a predictive maintenance technician? Is ferrography included in your analytical capabilities?

The classification is in size (micron), shape (morphology), and look of the metal particle. Along with the course was included the "Partice Atlas" which has excellent pictures and descripions on what the particles are and how they are formed. With heat treating you can even tell what type of steel/iron the particle is made of enabling you to get a good idea of what component it is out of. I will try to see if there is anything of the type available for free on the internet (you can purchase them from Predict in both CD and poster form).

As a Technician I have been involved mostly as a vibration guy, but as of a few years ago I crossed over to the dark side to oil analysis. It is pretty cool understanding both and seeing how they relate to each other. Consulting and plant auditing are also in my scope of work although I am not the lead technician in that regard.

Ferrography is in my capabilities, but it is time consuming because I do not perform this on a day-to-day basis.

Regards,

Duarte,

The best way to develop this skill is to sit under the elbow of an experienced technician for a period of time. Do you work with an oil lab that conducts this type of analysis now? Perhaps you could gain access to this lab to participate in analysis for a week of hands-on training.

Drop me an email if you can't find any answers there.

I am on my own in the lab. I have the Wear Particle Atlas handbook from Predict and been in a training course in Predict, but it is not enough to be autonomous in this field. I do know how to operate the tests but I have low confidence in interpreting the ferrograms.