20120118051 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PARTICLE ANALYSIS - A method for wear analysis. The method includes introducing a lubricant sample into a tube. The lubricant sample includes debris, wear, or other particles of different sizes. The tube includes a number of filter patches, each of a predetermined pore size. The method further includes centrifuging the tube for displacing the lubricant sample, and the wear particles thereof, along a length of the tube. The filter patches impede passage of wear particles of a size larger than their pore size therethrough, thereby separating the wear particles according to the sizes of the wear particles. The tube is attached to a handler of a centrifuge for centrifugation by the centrifuge. Multiple tubes can be attached to multiple handlers of the centrifuge for simultaneous centrifugation by the centrifuge. Centrifugation tubes (or tubes) are also provided by the present disclosure. | 05-17-2012 |