AUTHOR=Lee Peter M. , Sanchez Carlos , Frazier Cole , Velasquez Andrew , Kostan Travis 

TITLE=Tribological evaluation of electric vehicle driveline lubricants in an electrified environment

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/mechanical-engineering/articles/10.3389/fmech.2023.1215352

DOI=10.3389/fmech.2023.1215352

ISSN=2297-3079

ABSTRACT=Electrification continues to permeate the automotive industry, with future projections showing an exponential growth in market share for both light and heavy-duty applications. Existing test methods for automotive applications were developed to model internal combustion engine vehicles and drivelines and are not appropriate for electric drivelines that experience stray electric currents. Tribometers can be used to evaluate friction and wear on modeled surfaces simulating in-vehicle operation. In this work, a commercially available tribometer was modified to isolate an electrical input into a tribological contact. After necessary modifications to the tribometer, a test matrix was completed investigating different temperatures, load conditions, speed conditions, voltage input type, frequency of AC signal, and shape of AC signal. These parameters were tested on three lubricantstwo typical automatic transmission fluid formulations and a gear oil used in differential applications. Friction was measured throughout the tests and wear scar width was measured at the end of each test. Results indicated that temperature, DC voltage, AC frequency, lubricant, and test profile had statistically significant differences on wear scar width. For electrical parameters, AC frequency produced different results from DC voltage, or when no voltage was applied. This significance only applied to one lubricant, with the other two lubricants having mixed results.