Specialty chemicals company LANXESS has taken a new test bench for additivated hydraulic fluids into operation at its Mannheim, Germany, site. It is being used to test the additive package Additin RC 9200 N, as well as other fluids. These high-performance additives are used to formulate hydraulic fluids that are utilized in large commercial vehicles such as excavators, combine harvesters, or construction vehicles.

As the market requires test runs to be performed using various grades of oil and the test capacity at hydraulic unit manufacturer Bosch Rexroth is only available on a limited basis, the LANXESS Additives (ADD) business unit decided to build its own test bench to conduct these tests. Additin RC 9200 N has already been approved by the mechanical engineering company in March 2018. All end products that pass the test are published in a list of recommended products for high operational safety.

Successfully tested additive packages receive a seal of approval from the OEM. This means those lubricant manufacturers that use one of these packages to formulate their hydraulic fluids meet the requirements of the hydraulic unit manufacturer and are listed accordingly. Another advantage of Additin RC 9200 N is that it is particularly economical to use as it is dosed at just 0.6% in a mineral base oil. Similar products have a significantly higher dose of additive, ranging from 0.85% to 0.95%.

Challenging test procedure for hydraulic fluids

The operational safety of its hydraulic pumps and motors is extremely important to Bosch Rexroth. Until now, the company has carried out the relevant tests for Additin RC 9200 N itself in accordance with its internal guideline RDE 90235 (“Hydraulic fluids based on mineral oils and related hydrocarbons”). This is a scientifically standardized test procedure that assesses the behavior of the lubricant and the interaction in the hydraulic pump and motor under realistic operating conditions.

Bosch Rexroth is thus responding to the significantly increased power density of its systems and the equally more stringent requirements placed on the lubricant. The pump test introduced by Bosch Rexroth in 2015 goes far beyond what current DIN and ISO standards require, according to LANXESS.