A rolling-sliding bench test for investigating rear axle lubrication

Benjamin C. Stump, Yan Zhou, Michael B. Viola, Hai Xu, Randy J. Parten, Jun Qu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

An automotive rear axle is composed of a set of hypoid gears, whose contact surfaces experience a complex combination of rolling contact fatigue damage and sliding wear. Full-scale rear axle dynamometer tests are used in the industry for efficiency and durability assessment. This study developed a bench-scale rolling-sliding test protocol by simulating the contact pressure, oil temperature, and lubrication regime experienced in a dynamometer duty cycle test. Initial bench results have demonstrated the ability of generating both rolling contact-induced micropitting and sliding wear and the feasibility of investigating the impact of slide-to-roll ratio, surface roughness, test duration, and oil temperature on the friction behavior, vibration noise, and surface damage. This bench test will allow studying candidate rear axle lubricants and materials under relevant conditions.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)450-459
Number of pages10
JournalTribology International
Volume121
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2018

Funding

Research was sponsored by the Vehicle Technologies Office, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy . Appendix A This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC, under Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the U.S. Department of Energy. The United States Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the United States Government retains a non-exclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, world-wide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for United States Government purposes.

Keywords

  • Contact fatigue
  • Hypoid gear
  • Lubrication
  • Rear axle

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