Oil test apparatus

Claim 1

Apparatus for indicating the lubricating quality of engine lubricating oils adapted for high stress operating conditions as in aircraft and containing oxidation by-product inhibitors, by determining the amount of oxidation by-products in a sample of the engine lubricating oil after periods of use as the inhibitors lose effectiveness; and comprising housing means of portable nature for use at the site of testing and having a support surface, a pair of electrodes constructed of dissimilar metals having different rates of oxidation, means mounting said pair of electrodes on said support surface for relative movement therebetween for selective positioning thereof to facilitate placement of a discrete sample of the engine lubricating oil in contact with an electrode and to position the electrodes with adjacent surfaces thereof confronting each other in closely spaced relationship to provide a space therebetween for the discrete sample of the engine lubricating oil with the confronting electrodes positioned for contacting the oil sample therebetween and responsive to the presence of oxidation by-products by reaction of one of said electrodes to the amount of oxidation by-products in the oil sample for directly producing a flow of internally sourced current having a value proportional to said amount of oxidation by-products, and circuit means within said housing means electrically connected to said electrodes for electrically indicating the difference of oxidation rates of the two electrodes and thereby to reveal the lubricating quality of the oil sample being tested.