“How can our maintenance personnel determine the root cause of foam when it appears in our oil sight glasses?”
Foam may seem harmless, but if unaccounted for, it can lead to serious issues in a machine. Foam finds its way into the oil volume’s headspace after the oil has initially become aerated. Small amounts of air in oil isn’t uncommon, particularly if the oil is expected to become agitated, such as in a gear system. However, as oil becomes more aerated, air bubbles will rise to the surface. Depending on the surface tension, these bubbles will either burst or stay intact in the form of foam.
