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The automotive vehicle market has seen an increase in the number of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), and forecasts predict additional growth. In HEVs, the hybrid drivetrain hardware can combine electric motor, clutches, gearbox, electro-hydraulics and the control unit. In HEV hardware the transmission fluid can be designed to be in contact with an integrated electric motor. One transmission type well-suited to such hybridization is the increasingly utilized dual clutch transmission (DCT), where a lubricating fluid is in contact with the complete motor assembly as well as the DCT driveline architecture. This includes its electrical components and therefore raises questions around the suitability of standard transmission fluids in such an application. This in turn drives the need for further understanding of fluid electrical properties in addition to the more usually studied engineering hardware electrical properties.

Consumer demand for size, weight and horsepower has dictated a prominent role for sport utility vehicles and light trucks in the product lines of major North American automobile manufacturers. Inherently less efficient than passenger cars, these vehicles will be facing more stringent light duty CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards beginning in 2005 when mileage targets will be elevated to 21 mpg; this figure will be further increased to 22.2 mpg by 2007. In order to accommodate both public demand and CAFE requirements, vehicle manufacturers are seeking ways to improve fuel economy through design and material modifications as well as through improvements in lubrication. The axle lubricant may have an important impact on fuel economy, and axle lubricants can be tailored to deliver higher levels of operating efficiency over a wide range of conditions.

The lubricant is a key component in the successful operation of a manual transmission, but it is important that the interactive effects with the friction material are understood. This paper examines the effect of several key additive components on the friction and wear performance of a single sinter composition in a carefully controlled laboratory test. In addition, the test method allows one to develop information about the shift behavior of the fluid-synchronizer material combination which provides useful information about shift quality. From the original experimental design program a predictive model was developed and an optimized formulation was tested as a validation of the results.