铁谱分析技术是一种非破坏性的光学技术，通过评估润滑油、脂中磨损粒子的大小、形状、组成和浓度，确定机械设备部件的磨损情况。该技术也是检测设备运行状态是否正常的最灵敏技术之一。
Ferrographic analysis is a non-destructive optical technology, which determines the wear of mechanical equipment components by evaluating the size, shape, composition and concentration of wear particles in lubricating oils and greases. This technology is also one of the most sensitive technologies to detect the normal running state of the equipment.
1972年，美国试制成功铁谱仪应用于监测铁路内燃机车润滑油衰变及柴油机故障预测的报告面世，该报告成为铁谱分析的诞生标志。近几年来研究和实践的结果更进一步表明：铁谱分析方法比其它诊断方法（如振动法、性能参数法等）能更加早期地预报机器的异常状态，证明了这种方法在应用上的优越性。因此尽管这种方法出现较晚，但发展非常迅速。该技术不仅仅应用于内燃机车的发动机的故障预测，也应用于众多工业设备的故障预测和润滑油的研发及售后服务中，目前已成为了机械故障诊断技术中举足轻重的方法。
In 1972, a report on the application of a successful Ferrograph developed in the United States to monitor the deterioration of lubricating oil in diesel locomotives and the prediction of diesel engine faults was published. The report became a sign of the birth of Ferrography analysis. The results of research and practice in recent years further show that the ferrography analysis method can predict the abnormal state of machine more early than other diagnostic methods (such as vibration method, performance parameter method, etc.), which proves its superiority in application. Therefore, although this method appears late, it develops very rapidly. This technology is not only applied to the engine fault prediction of diesel locomotives, but also to the fault prediction of many industrial equipment, the research and development of lubricating oil and after-sales service. It has become a pivotal method in the mechanical fault diagnosis technology.