1 Scope
This Technical Report discusses the impact of changes in International Standards for particle counting, contamination control, and filter testing.
Liquid automatic particle counters (APCs) are used in monitoring contamination levels in hydraulic fluids, to establish component and assembly cleanliness level specifications, and in determining filter efficiencies and particle size ratings. As a result of the replacement of ISO 4402 with ISO 11171 (APC calibration), the replacement of ISO 4572 with ISO 16889 (multi-pass filter test), and the publication of ISO 11943 (online particle counter calibration), the quality and reliability of particle count and filter test data have improved, increasing their usefulness to industry. However, the resultant redefinition of particle sizes and the use of a new test dust affect how contamination levels and filter performance are reported and interpreted.
NOTE The first editions of ISO 11171, ISO 16889 and ISO 11943 were published in 1999; all three of these International Standards either have been, or are in the process of being, revised.