Patent ID: 6651487
Filing Date: 2003-11-25
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
A method of testing a brake fluid to determine its suitability for safe operation in a brake system as a function of the fluid's boiling-point temperature, comprising the following steps:(a) determining a correlation between a variable indicative of a current content of a reactive constituent of the fluid and said boiling-point temperature of the fluid, where said reactive constituent is not water or moisture content in the brake fluid; (b) measuring a current value of said variable by combining said reactive constituent with a test reactant exposed to said brake fluid; (c) determining a current approximation of said boiling-point temperature of the fluid on the basis of the correlation between said current value and boiling-point temperature; and (d) establishing the suitability of the brake fluid for safe operation as a function of the current approximation of the fluid's boiling-point temperature on the basis of a comparison against a predetermined empirical threshold value.