An American National Standard

Designation: D 6553 – 00

Standard Test Method for

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Coolant Compatibility of Way Lubricants
This standard is issued under the fixed designation D 6553; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.

1. Scope solution (see Note 1) are stirred for 5 min at 54°C (see Note 2)
1.1 This test method measures the ability of single-use way in a graduated cylinder. The time required for the separation of
lubricants to separate from metalworking coolants (synthetic the emulsion thus formed is recorded. If complete separation or
coolants, semisynthetic coolants, and soluble oils) or other emulsion reduction to 3 mL or less does not occur after
alkaline aqueous fluids. standing for 30 min, the volumes of oil (or fluid), water, and
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the emulsion remaining at the time are reported.
standard. The values given in parentheses are for information NOTE 1—Distilled water is not a satisfactory aqueous phase for testing
only. the ability of way lubricants to separate from coolants because distilled
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the water gives different results from coolants. The best procedure is to use the
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the actual coolant that the way lubricant will contaminate. A buffer solution of
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro- pH 9.0 may be used in place of a specific coolant to predict the
separability from alkaline coolants in general.
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica- NOTE 2—It is recommended, however, that the test temperature be
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use. For specific raised to 82 6 1°C when testing way lubricants more viscous than 90 cSt
precautionary statements, see Section 7. (mm 2/s) at 40°C.

2. Referenced Documents 5. Significance and Use

2.1 ASTM Standards: 2 In the normal use of a way lubricant in a machine tool, the
D 1193 Specification for Reagent Water way lubricant eventually becomes a contaminant that may
D 1401 Test Method for Water Separability of Petroleum emulsify into the coolant. It is generally desirable to remove
Oils and Synthetic Fluids this contaminant by skimming; otherwise, the coolant lifetime
D 4057 Practice for Manual Sampling of Petroleum and may be significantly shortened. This test method provides a
Petroleum Products guide for determining the separability characteristics of way
lubricants that are expected to get into aqueous alkaline
3. Terminology metalworking coolants. It is used for specification of new oils
3.1 Definitions: and might be useful in monitoring of in-service oils.
3.1.1 cuff—a layer between the way oil layer and the coolant
or buffer layer that contains significant amounts of both. In 6. Apparatus
describing this intermediate layer, cuff is preferred to emulsion 6.1 Cylinder, 100 mL, graduated from 5 to 100 mL in
since many of the coolants are themselves emulsions. 1.0-mL divisions, made of glass, heat-resistant glass, or a
chemical equivalent. The inside diameter shall be no less than
4. Summary of Test Method 27 mm and no more than 30 mm throughout its length,
4.1 This test procedure is essentially identical to Test measured from the top to a point 6 mm from the bottom of the
Method D 1401, with the actual coolant or an alkaline buffer cylinder. The overall length of the cylinder shall be 225 to 260
replacing the distilled water of that test method. A 40-mL mm. The graduation shall not be in error by more than 1 mL at
sample and 40 mL of either actual coolant or a pH 9.0 buffer any point on the scale.
6.2 Heating Bath, sufficiently large and deep enough to
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permit the immersion of at least two test cylinders in the bath
This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D02 on
Petroleum Products and Lubricants and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee
liquid up to their 85-mL graduations. The bath shall be capable
D02.L0 on Industrial Lubricants. of being maintained at a temperature of 54 6 1°C (see Note 2),
Current edition approved Aug. 10, 2000. Published October 2000.
2
and shall be fitted with clamps, which hold the cylinder in a
For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, [Link], or position so that the longitudinal axis of the paddle corresponds
contact ASTM Customer Service at service@[Link]. For Annual Book of ASTM
Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on to the vertical center line of the cylinder during the stirring
the ASTM website.

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 D 6553 – 00
operation. The clamps shall hold the cylinder securely while its oughly with tap water and then with reagent water. Inspect the
contents are being stirred. cylinders for any residue or water droplets adhering to the
6.3 Stirring Paddle, made of chromium-plated or stainless inside walls. Both conditions indicate a need for additional
steel and conforming to the following dimensions: length, 120 cleaning.
6 1.5 mm (43⁄4 6 1⁄16 in.); width, 19 6 0.5 mm (3⁄4 6 1⁄64 in.); 9.2 Clean the stirring paddle and shaft with absorbent cotton
thickness, 1.5 mm (1⁄16 in.). It is mounted on a vertical shaft of or tissue wet with cleaning solvent and air dry. Care must be
similar metal, approximately 6 mm (1⁄4 in.) in diameter, taken not to bend or misalign the paddle assembly during the
connected to a drive mechanism that rotates the paddle on its cleaning operation.
longitudinal axis at 1500 6 15 rpm. The apparatus is of such
design that, when the cylinder is clamped in position and the 10. Procedure
paddle assembly is lowered into the cylinder, a positive stop 10.1 Heat the bath liquid to 54 6 1°C (see Note 2) and
engages and holds the assembly when the lower edge of the maintain it at that temperature throughout the test. Add coolant
paddle is 6 mm from the bottom of the cylinder. During the or buffer (see Note 3) to the graduated cylinder up to the 40-mL
operation of the stirrer, the center of the bottom edge of the mark, and then add to the same cylinder a representative
paddle shall not deviate more than 1 mm from the axis of sample of the oil (or fluid) under test until the top level of the
rotation. When not in operation, the paddle assembly can be oil reaches the 80-mL mark on the cylinder. Place the cylinder
lifted vertically to clear the top of the graduated cylinder. in the bath, and allow the contents to reach bath temperature.
Normally this will require about 10 min.
7. Reagents and Materials
7.1 Purity of Reagents—Reagent grade chemicals shall be NOTE 3—If initial volumetric measurements are made at room tempera-
ture, expansion occurring at the elevated test temperature will have to be
used in all tests. Unless otherwise indicated, it is intended that
considered. For example, there will be a total volumetric expansion of
all reagents shall conform to the specifications of the Commit- about 2 to 3 mL at 82°C. Corrections to each volume reading at 82°C,
tee on Analytical Reagents of the American Chemical Society, therefore, should be made so that the total of the volume readings made
where such specifications are available.3 Other grades may be for oils (or fluid), water, and emulsion does not exceed 80 mL. An
used, provided it is first ascertained that the reagent is of alternative procedure, which would avoid the corrections, is to make the
sufficiently high purity to permit its use without lessening the initial volumetric measurements at the test temperature.
accuracy of the determination. 10.2 Clamp the cylinder in place directly under the stirring
7.2 Purity of Water—Unless otherwise indicated, reference paddle. Lower the paddle into the cylinder until the stop
to water shall be understood to mean reagent water as defined engages at the required depth. Start the stirrer and a stop watch
by Type II of Specification D 1193. simultaneously, and adjust the stirrer, as required, to a speed of
7.3 Buffer Solution—A buffer solution of the desired pH 1500 6 15 rpm. At the end of 5 min, stop the stirrer and raise
may be prepared using reagent-grade chemicals and reagent the stirring assembly until it is just clear of the graduate. Wipe
water. the paddle with a policeman (see Note 4), allowing the liquid
7.4 Cleaning Solvents, Light-hydrocarbon, such as precipi- thus removed to drop back into the cylinder. Remove the
tation naphtha (Warning—Health hazard.) for petroleum oils. cylinder from the retaining clamps and transfer it carefully to
Use other appropriate solvents for dissolving synthetic fluids. another section of the bath. At 5-min intervals, lift the cylinder
7.5 Acetone. (Warning—Health hazard. Flammable.) out of the bath, inspect, and record the volumes of the way oil
7.6 Cleaning Reagent—Cleaning by either hot NOCHRO- layer, coolant or buffer layer, and cuff layer.
MIX (Warning—Corrosive. Health hazard. Oxidizer.) or a
24-hr soak at room temperature in MICRO solution gave NOTE 4—The policeman should be made of material resistant to the oil
or fluid.
acceptable, statistically equivalent results in roun robin testing.
11. Report
8. Sampling
11.1 Record the time (at 5-min intervals) until either (a) the
8.1 The test method is very sensitive to small amounts of
product passes the coolant separability requirements it is being
contamination. Take samples in accordance with Practice
tested against or (b) the test limit for coolant separability is
D 4057.
exceeded (usually 3-mL cuff or less for 30 min at 54°C and 60
9. Preparation of Apparatus min at 82°C). The maximum volume to be reported as the oil
layer is 43 mL (see Note 5). For uniformity, report the test
9.1 Clean the graduated cylinder by removing any film of
results in the manner shown in the following examples:
oil (or fluid) with cleaning solvent, followed by a wash first
with acetone and then with tap water. The glassware shall be NOTE 5—Certain way oils may produce a hazy oil layer. In situations in
further cleaned with a suitable cleaning reagent. Rinse thor- which the measurement of the oil layer and coolant or buffer layer
indicates essentially complete separation, the upper layer should be
reported as oil. If there are two layers and if the upper layer is more than
3
43 mL, this layer should be considered the cuff.
Reagent Chemicals, American Chemical Society Specifications, American
Chemical Society, Washington, D.C. For suggestions on the testing of reagents not 11.1.1 40-40-0 (20)—Complete separation occurred in 20
listed by the American Chemical Society, see Analar Standards for Laboratory
min. More than 3 mL of cuff had remained at 15 min.
Chemicals, BDH Ltd., Poole, Dorset, U.K., and the United States Pharmacopeia
and National Formulary, U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention, Inc. (USPC), Rockville, 11.1.2 39-38-3 (20)—Complete separation had not oc-
MD. curred, but the cuff reduced to 3 mL, so the test was ended.

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 D 6553 – 00
TABLE 1 Coolant Compatibility Round Robin Results
Waylube # Aq. Phase Minutes to 3 mL Emulsion Remaining

Cooperator: 1 1 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 8 8
Date: Nov 26 Sep 17 Sep 30 Oct 10 Aug 20

9707221 DEI water 13 12 15 15 15 15 10 15 10 10

9707221 buffer 60+ 60+ 60+ 60+ 60+ 60+ 60+ 60+ 60+
(mL after 1 h 49 46 56 56 60 60 56 58 50 47 )

9707222 DEI water 17 17 20 15 20 20 15 20 20 15

9707222 buffer 60+ 60+ 60+ 60+ 60+ 60+ 60+ 60+ 60+ 60+
(mL after 1 h 47 46 59 59 59 55 58 54 50 50 )

9707223 DEI water 17 18 15 15 20 25 15 15 25 25

9707223 buffer 60+ 60+ 25 20 60+ 60+ 20 20 25 25
(mL after 1 h 11 6 0 0 9 11 <1 <1 <1 <1 )

9707224 DEI water 20 23 15 20 30 30 15 10 30 30

9707224 buffer 21 21 60+ 60+ 60+ 60+ 15 15 15 30
(mL after 1 h 1 1 16 9 18 18 <2 <2 0 3 )

11.1.3 39-35-6 (60)—More than 3 mL of cuff remained after [Link] Lacy or bubbles present, or both.
60 min—39 mL of oil, 35 mL of water, and 6 mL of cuff. [Link] Hazy (see Note 6).
11.1.4 41-37-2 (20)—Complete separation had not oc- [Link] Cloudy (or milky) (see Note 7).
curred, but the cuff layer reduced to 3 mL or less after 20 min. [Link] Combinations of [Link]-[Link].
11.1.5 43-37-0 (30)—The cuff layer reduced to 3 mL or less 11.3 Report the test temperature if other than 54°C and the
after 30 min. The cuff layer at 25 min exceeded 3 mL, for identification of the coolant or buffer if other than pH 9.0
example, 0-36-44 or 43-33-4. buffer.
11.2 The appearance of each layer may optionally be
described in the following terms: 12. Precision and Bias
11.2.1 Way Oil Layer: 12.1 Precision—The precision of this test method is as
[Link] Clear. illustrated by the round robin results shown in Table 1.
[Link] Hazy 12.2 Bias—The procedure in this test method for measuring
NOTE 6—A hazy layer is defined as being translucent. water separability has no bias because the value for coolant
separability is defined only in terms of this test method.
[Link] Cloudy (or milky).
NOTE 7—A cloudy layer is defined as being opaque. 13. Keywords
[Link] Combinations of [Link]-[Link]. 13.1 coolant separability; cuff; emulsification; semisyn-
11.2.2 Coolant or Buffer Layer: thetic coolants; soluble oil coolants; synthetic coolants; way
[Link] Clear. lubricants

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