Photo By Ana Henderson | Yuma Test Center (YTC)’s Combat and Automotive Systems Division test engineers see...... read more read more
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Yuma Test Center (YTC)’s Combat and Automotive Systems Division test engineers have seen combat vehicles like the JLTV, AMPV, Bradley, Paladin, Abrams and many more come through for testing. The combat vehicles are put in extreme conditions, driven thousands of miles, driven up and down extreme-grade hills and more. When it’s time to assess how the vehicles are performing, oil analysis is one of the metrics used.
“One of things that is important is knowing how well the engine’s oil lubricated system of the vehicles performed. That they are not being degraded by the loads we put on them,” explained Larry Nelson, Physical Scientist at YTC’s Material Analysis Lab.
The lab looks for characteristics in the oil that indicate wear compared to industry and current fleet operated by the Army.
Drivers and maintainers take samples at various milestones, in some cases every 25 hours, to provide to the analysis lab. When the vehicles undergo maintenance samples are pulled again. In addition to the in-house analysis, the team would collect separate samples to send to an outside lab for compliance with the Army Oil Analysis Program (AOAP). Considering tests can run for months at a time, that’s a lot of samples.
“At that time, we would literally be running all the data here, and then we had to pull additional samples to send them to Army labs for compliance and oversight,” explained Nelson. Adding, “It was literally double the work.”
Because the lab sent samples off site, extra time was consumed with shipping, analysis, data reporting and any maintenance actions needed.
In 2012, the lab looked at taking over the process — at the time it couldn’t be done. In 2016, they revisited the idea and began the process. In 2021, the lab received the final approval.
“They understood our capabilities and our training” he said of the AOAP.
The three-member lab team has 60 years of combined experience. Since the approval, Nelson earned his Laboratory Lubrication Analyst level II certification, and a second team member is working on the certification. Another advantage they had was their well-equipped lab.
“We have the most technically advanced oil analysis lab in the Army at Yuma Proving Ground. We have a lot of technologies other labs don’t have.”
It’s been about a full year that the lab is able to independently perform the required oil analysis.
“We are using the same system for doing the oil analysis for both the test side and the AOAP compliance side. All the samples that are pulled for test purposes count now towards compliances purposes.”
Making redundant work a thing of the past.
They can also process samples of aircraft oil for the aviation side.
“We made it that YPG, as far as the oil analysis side, is self-sufficient.”
| Date Taken: | 02.06.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.06.2025 14:32 |
| Story ID: | 489977 |
| Location: | YUMA PROVING GROUND, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 71 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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