What is AW Hydraulic Oil?

AW is the abbreviation for anti-wear, anti-wear hydraulic oil is necessary for hydraulic machinery. Without hydraulic oil the machinery is unable to operate, this is because hydraulic machines rely on the hydraulic oil medium as means to create and transfer energy that can be then used throughout the system to complete tasks.

Anti-wear hydraulic oil is a mineral based hydraulic oil and has additives placed into the mixture to extend the lifespan of the oil and provide greater thermal stability. Mineral based oils differ from synthetics because mineral based hydraulic oils are derived from crude oil whereas synthetic hydraulic oils are man-made in a laboratory. 

Now we know that AW is the abbreviation for anti-wear mineral based hydraulic oil we can move forwards and investigate the meaning of the number that is attached to the AW. If you have any experience working with or even being around hydraulic machinery then you may have heard of or seen AW32, AW46, AW68. These are the three types of anti-wear hydraulic oils that Custom Hydraulics & Design stocks and has the greatest experience with.

Now we know that AW is the abbreviation for anti-wear mineral based hydraulic oil we can move forwards and investigate the meaning of the number that is attached to the AW. If you have any experience working with or even being around hydraulic machinery then you may have heard of or seen AW32, AW46, AW68. These are the three types of anti-wear hydraulic oils that Custom Hydraulics & Design stocks and has the greatest experience with.

However, we cannot forget the correlation the temperature has on hydraulic oils, whenever the operating oil is cold it becomes much thicker, thus resulting in delayed energy creation and transfer, however, the opposite happens whenever the operating temperature of the oil is higher. When hydraulic oil reaches, a high temperature level the oil will become much runnier and thus lowering its viscosity level and allowing for easier energy transfer. 

For example: AW32 will flow better in colder weather than AW46 this is because the viscosity of the AW32 hydraulic oil is inherently more viscous than the AW46, or AW68 options. 

It is important to make sure that your hydraulic system is operating at an appropriate temperature level to prevent the wear of components within the system and the risk of the oil heating to a flash point. Failure to regulate system temperatures can result in mechanical failure and possible injury to operators.