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Pictured here is the Motor Oil Viscometer that tests the Apparent Viscosity at –20C and –25C Centipoises. This particular testing is done on 15W-40 and 10W-30 motor oils. If these oils pass this test, then we have the confidence of knowing that the entire Dept. of Roads motor vehicle fleet won’t be out of commission the first time the temperature drops below zero!

Motor Oil, Gear Oil, and Hydraulic Transmission Oil are tested several times throughout the year in our laboratory as shipments arrive. This kind of testing has precedence over all other kinds of testing with the exception of Highway Traffic Paint.

(The equipment used to perform most of the tests on these oils is shown on this page. Neutralization Number and Percent Sulfated Residue are also run, but not illustrated here.)

Pictured above is some of the equipment that the Bituminous Lab uses to provide results for the Flashpoint test (above left) and the Pour Point test (above right). They also test the Viscosity Index and Viscosity, cSt, at 40C and 100C. All remaining reported test results are provided by our laboratory.

Pictured above on the left is the Infrared Spectrometer. At the first of the year, it is used to provide an Infrared Spectrograph baseline “fingerprint” of the different oils and lubricants we test. This provides us with data as to the additive packages used in the production of the product. Throughout the rest of the year we compare the additional received samples to the baseline to ensure that there are no detrimental changes to the additive packages.

Above and to the right, is the X-Ray Fluorescent Spectrometer. This unit is arguably the most heavily used instrument in our laboratory. It is used to test the elemental composition of nearly every type of sample we receive at the atomic level. For lubricants and oils, this instrument provides us with the percentage of Sulfur, Phosphorous, Zinc, Calcium, Sodium, and Magnesium to an accuracy of 0.01%.