• ATF Lubricity Test Rig (BOCLE)

ATF Lubricity Test Rig (BOCLE)



Covers the assessment of the wear aspects of the boundary lubrication properties of aviation turbine fuels on rubbing steel surfaces.

  • Simple to use interface – digital computer control of all instrument functions 
  • Standard ASTM D5001 test sequence pre-loaded into ABT microprocessor controller – operator fits cleaned specimens, adds fuel sample & presses the ‘Start Test’ button
  • Automatic control of test sequence - no operator-included variability in test results
  • Automatic flow controllers for moist and dry air - no operator input required to control the humidity and flow rate of the conditioned air
  • PC-based data logging of motor speed, test duration, fuel temperature, air temperature, humidity recorded during the test & a summary printed out confirming that all parameters were within the specified limits
  • Interchangeable humidity & temperature probes - humidity and temperature measurement does not need to be re-calibrated, simply replace the combined relative humidity and temperature probe with an exchange pre-calibrated unit
  • Heating & Cooling System through Peltier Heating & Cooling System 
  • Digital Microscope with Image Acquisition System & software 
  • PC-based data acquisition & analysis system of motor speed, test duration, fuel temperature, air temperature, humidity

The instrument consists of a rotating test ring against which a fixed test ball is pressed with the required force. A fuel bath containing the fuel under test is placed on – movable stage under the test ring. The temperature is controlled and the air is conditioned. The fuel under test is conditioned by maintaining the fuel temperature at 25°C with 10% relative humidity and is passed through the test area which is enclosed. After conditioning of the fuel, a test ball of 12.7 mm diameter is pressed against the outer surface of the test ring. The lower part of the test ring is immersed in the test fuel bath. The test ball is pressed with a force of 10 N against the test ring. The test ring is made to rotate at 240 RPM for a period of 30 minutes after which the test stops. The wear scar on the test ball is studied and the scar diameters of the wear scar (major and minor axis) are measured. Data Acquisition Test parameters such as speed, test duration, fuel temperature, air temperature and humidity are acquired, displayed and recorded. The acquired data can be viewed in graphs. The data acquisition system provides the users with the facility to superimpose up to four test graphs for comparative viewing.

  • Basic Test Rig with PC based Controller
  • Humidity Control System
  • PC Based Data Acquisition Software for RPM Motor and Fuel Temperature
  • Digital Microscope, 100x with Image Acquisition System and Software
  • Test Balls (25)
  • Test Rings (25)
  • Tool kit

Fluid Volume - 50 ± 1.0 mL  
Fluid Temperature - 25 ± 1 C  
Fluid Ambient Temperature - + 5.0 to +35.0 C
 Conditioned Air - 10 ± 0.2% relative humidity at 25±1 C 
Flow rate through Fluid 0.5l/min 
Flow rate over the fluid 3.3l/min 
Fluid Conditioning Time - 15 min 
Fluid Test Conditions - 3.8 L/min flowing over the fluid 
Applied Load - 1000 g (500g weight) (±1g) 
Cylinder Rotational Speed - 240 ± 0.5 rpm 
Test Duration - 30 ± 0.1 min 
Data Acquisition & Analyze - Motor speed, Fuel temperature, air temperature , humidity & test duration. 
Test Ring - Dia 49.25 to 49.10, Thk 13.11 to 13 (SAE 8720 Steel, Hardness 58 to 62 Rc, surface finish Rq 0.51 to 0.71 micron). 
Test Ball - 12.7mm (0.5 inch)  (AISI 52100 Steel, Hardness 64 to 66 Rc)

230V, 50Hz, 2 KVA, 1 Phase, 1.5 KVA Max.

Below are links to tutorial videos for this product