Engine Lubricants Technical Committee

Introduction

The CTLM (Comité Technique des Lubrifiants Moteurs) is the French equivalent of the previous ELTC (Engine Lubricants Technical Committee) of CEC. It comprises GFC member companies from among the:

• Automobile and Industrial Vehicle Manufacturers, Equipment Suppliers
• Oil and Grease Industries, Additive Suppliers
• Test Laboratories, Engine or Petroleum Products Users.

Main objectives

• Identify National needs for test procedures for the evaluation of engine lubricant performance in light or heavy vehicles.
• Develop, publish and distribute these procedures and ensure they are kept up to date.
• Liaise with similar committees in Europe (CEC) and other standardisation groups such as the BNPé.

Organisation

CTLM Chairman:

Laurent TIQUET (Renault)

The CTLM meets twice a year with 10 to 20 participants. It is made up of groups and sub-groups. The working groups are:

• LM2 - Preselection Laboratory Tests – Chairman: R. IOVINE (Total France)
• LM3 - Rating – Chairman: Jean-Claude FORT (IFP)
• LM5 - Characterisation of Used Oils – Chairman: Laurent TIQUET (Renault)

GFC Working groups details

LM-2: PRESELECTION LABORATORY TESTS

Chairman: R. IOVINE (Total)

This group works at standardising the preliminary tests used in laboratories for the development of lubricants and, whenever possible, avoid the proliferation of similar tests. These tests aim at providing help in formulating engine lubricants.

They may be part of the process of lubricant approval or final homologation but are not meant here to replace engine tests.

5 sub-groups are working on specific studies :

• SG1 - Bearing corrosion (GFC-Lu-026-T-98 test method)
  Leader: R. Iovine (Total France)
• SG2 - Micro-coking (MCT) (GFC-Lu-027-A-03 test method)
  Leader: R. Iovine (Total)
• SG3 - Coking (PCT) (GFC-Lu-029-T-00 test method)
  Leader: R. Iovine (Total)
• SG4 - Gasoline engine oil dispersivity
  Leader: L. Tiquet (Renault)
• SG5 - Diesel engine oil dispersivity and thickening
  Leader: L. Tiquet (Renault)

Note: SG1, SG2 and SG3 are now surveillance sub-groups, following the publication of their test methods.

LM-3: RATING GROUP

Chairman: Jean-Claude Fort (IFP)

Engines, parts or test units are rated to note visually a special feature (wear, cleanliness, deterioration, etc.) that could not be detected in the conventional way.

This group is therefore helping other CTLM research and is involved in the following areas:

• Micro-coking and Coking: in defining a rating procedure for the plates used during tests.
• Organising Rating Workshops for French Raters: for rating engine parts (pistons, rocker pads ...) and coking plates.
• Participating in other rating workshops (CEC).

LM-5: CHARACTERISATION OF USED ENGINE OILS Chairman: Laurent Tiquet (Renault).

This group is developing procedures of characterisation of used engine oils more particularly as regards to acido-basicity, oxidation, engine oil nitration and lubricant dilution by fuel.

LM-5 comprises 4 sub-groups:

• SG1 – Base number Leader: L. Tiquet (Renault)
• SG2 – Acid number Leader: L. Tiquet (Renault)
• SG3 – Oxidation – Nitration (PAI method) Leader: R. Iovine (Total France)
• SG4 – Fuel dilution (petrol and gasoil) Leader: L. Tiquet (Renault)