Why is a high lube oil level in the main engine reduction gear sump undesirable?
• Reduction gear sump function and why correct lube oil level is critical • What happens when rotating gears contact too much oil (churning losses, foaming, heat) • How aerated oil affects lubrication, cooling, and bearing protection
• Think about what physically happens inside the gear case if the oil level is so high that the gear teeth or wheels are deeply submerged while spinning at high speed. • Consider how this extra contact with oil would affect friction, heat generation, and whether air might get mixed into the oil. • Ask yourself if these possible effects are independent, or if one problem in the sump can easily cause the others to happen together.
• Visualize the gears turning in a bath that is too deep and what that does to oil movement (splashing, whipping, foaming). • Recall whether aerated (foamy) oil cools and lubricates as well as solid, non‑foamy oil. • Decide if it is realistic that only one of the listed problems would occur, or if an excessively high level would likely cause several problems at once.
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