Lubricant service life refers to the time until specified ageing criteria are reached, e.g. additive degradation, oxidation, viscosity change, oil separation in greases or increasing acid number. The main factors are temperature (rule of thumb: +10 °C approximately halves the service life), load, shear, contaminants (water, particles) and air ingress.
In oils, good oxidation stability, effective filtration and reliable water separation extend the service life. In greases, the base oil, thickener, NLGI class (National Lubrication Grease Institute) according to DIN EN ISO 2137 and mechanical stability determine the behaviour. It is important to distinguish between shelf life and service life.
Condition monitoring – e.g. oil/grease analysis, temperature and vibration data, particle-related cleanliness assessment (e.g. ISO 4406) – enables replacement and relubrication intervals to be tailored to requirements. This reduces downtime, increases plant availability and lowers life cycle costs. Formulations and tests should refer to DIN/EN/ISO standards to ensure comparability and legal certainty in the DACH region.
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