CONTROL OF ENGINE TEMPERATURE ON ENGINE TEST BEDS

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS in the evaluation of lubricant performance is the maintenance of constant temperature throughout the test run. Even small, local variations must be avoided if the results of, for example, comparative wear tests are not to be obscured by extraneous factors. Refined laboratory means of temperature control, which can provide very high accuracies in the right environment, are not altogether suitable for workshop test bed conditions, where vibration may be high, considerable process lags are involved, and frequent changes in operating conditions may be called for.