Additive technology for limited slip differentials

At the Division of Machine Elements, a research project called ’Wet Clutch Tribology’ is being carried out in cooperation with Statoil Lubricants R&D and Haldex Traction Systems AB.

Haldex Traction is a supplier of all-wheel drive systems featuring an electronically-controlled limited-slip wet clutch differential working as centre differential, connecting the drive shaft to the rear axle of the vehicle. The system is used in cars by companies such as Audi, Bugatti, Seat, Volvo and Volkswagen. In order to achieve the desired properties of the system it is important to have transmission fluids that give the ‘right’ frictional properties in order to transmit torque and suppress vibrations.

The main task of this thesis work is to investigate how different oil additives influence the friction in a wet clutch, in order to gain the ability to optimize the formulation of new additive packages for limited slip differentials.

After several tests, the resulting novel transmission fluid shows good performance, temperature dependence and friction characteristics compared to commercial fluids available today on the market and used in real cars.

Author: Trivino Flores, Rafel

Source: Lulea University of Technology

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