Article originally published on Noria.com.
Mixing lubricants of the same type but different viscosities will obviously have an impact on the viscosity of the lubricant within the asset. The final viscosity will be variable and based on the viscosities of the fluids that are mixed and on the quantities in which they are mixed.
If the final viscosity of the mixed fluids is too low, the resulting film thickness will not be sufficient to provide adequate separation of the two bearing elements, which likely will lead to failure. If the viscosity is too high, increased energy consumption and heat generation can result. Imagine running in water on the beach. Water has a viscosity of 1. As the viscosity increases, it will take more effort to run through that water.
