What Is Pneumatic Leak Testing?

Pneumatic leak testing is used on products like final drives, hydraulic motors, medical devices, and fire sprinkler systems. In this article, we are going to discuss how pneumatic leak testing is used on final drives.

Pneumatic leak testing, also known are air leak testing or pressure decay testing, is an effective way to check equipment for leaks. It makes use of pressurized air to determine the presence of leaks and can also provide additional information about leakage rates. In short, different sections of the final drive are pressurized, timed, and any pressure decay is recorded (i.e., records any drops in pressure over time).

Pneumatic leak testing is a popular choice for finding leaks because it is non-destructive, clean, and repeatable – making it ideal for testing final drives and hydraulic motors after they have been repaired, rebuilt, or re-manufactured.

Pneumatic Leak Testing Final Drives

The first step after rebuilding/re-manufacturing/repairing a final drive is to perform such a leak test to check the integrity of the drive. Here at Final Drive Parts, we use a Cincinnati Test Systems Sentinel C20 pneumatic leak detector.

First, the test is run on the hub section which includes the face seal and the lip seal. This allows the seals to be checked for leaks before the drive is processed any further. Once it has passed that test, the main housing is pressurized and checked for leaks. If that test is passed, then the brake housing is checked.

Once a test has been performed, the results are logged into our quality control system for traceability and quality assurance, along with information about who performed the test.

Additional Testing

After leak testing has been completed and the final drive has passed, hydraulic performance testing is run that includes idle test, load test, case drain flow, brake engage and release pressure, RPM performance, and, if applicable, dual speed performance.

Conclusion: Industry Standard for Final Drives and Hydraulic Motors

Pneumatic leak testing is an industry standard for checking the integrity of various types of equipment including final drives and hydraulic motors. It is an effective way to make sure that repaired/rebuilt/re-manufactured final drives have no leaks.