Improvements to Filter Debris Analysis in Aviation Propulsion Systems

The accurate analysis of metallic wear debris is fundamental to determining the health of aviation propulsion oil-wetted systems. The oil filter is an excellent source of wear debris, however methods for removing and assessing the debris have traditionally involved tedious visual examination of the filter pleats and manual counting of particles. This report describes two enhanced methods for extracting and assessing filter debris: the first method uses a manual extraction and capture process; the second method uses a commercially available instrument for automatic extraction and quantification.