154 HYDRODYNAMIC LUBRICATION [CHAP.

plotted against temperature on ASTM paper so that straight lines are

obtained. The two reference oils and the unknown oil are seen to have
the same viscosity at 210F. The viscosities of the three oils are different
at 100F and the space between the 0 and 100 VI oil intercepts is divided
into 100 VI units. The unknown oil shown is seen to have a VI of about
60.
To apply this system to an oil having any viscosity at 210F, it is
necessary to have a pair of standard 0 and 100 VI oils, each having this
viscosity at 210F, so that L and H may be determined. Tables have
been prepared by the ASTM13 which give the value of L and H corre
sponding to any value of viscosity at 210F. The charts given in the
Appendix (Charts A-l to A-3), enable the viscosity index of any oil to be
readily determined if its viscosities are known at 100F and 210F. If
viscosities of an oil are known at two other temperatures, the viscosity-
temperature characteristic may be plotted on ASTM paper, and the
viscosities at 100F and 210F may then be determined by linear extra
polation. The first chart is for very light oils and is plotted in terms of
centistokes instead of SUV because viscosity determinations for oils of less
than about 40 SUV are generally made using an Ostwald-type viscometer
rather than the Saybolt instrument.
To illustratp the use of these charts, consider an aircraft engine oil
having viscosities of 120 and 1,500 sec at 210F and 100F, respectively.
By locating point A on Chart A-3, this oil is seen to have a viscosity index
of 105. Such an oil is considered satisfactory, as far as VI is concerned,
for use in a modern reciprocating aircraft engine.

TABLE 5-2. VARIATION OF VISCOSITY OF THREE LIQUIDS WITH PRESSURE

Relative viscosity
Prpssn rp nfm

Water Lard oil Mineral oil

i 1,0 1.0 1.0

1,000 1.08 2.8 4.3
2,000 1.16 5.6 15
4,000 1.36 17.4 112

6-6. Pressure Variation of Viscosity. The viscosity of a lubricant is

found to increase with pressure; the increase is at a very slow rate at first,
but it gradually rises with subsequent increase in pressure. In fact, the
logarithm of the absolute viscosity of an oil varies nearly linearly with
pressure. It is convenient to remember the pattern of the influence of
temperature and pressure upon the viscosity of a lubricating oil by recall