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The rheological behavior of automatic transmission fluids (ATF) ranges from moderately shear-thinning to Newtonian. However, no commercially available ATFs are known to display shear-thickening behavior. A theoretical investigation was performed to determine if any advantages could be derived from the use of shear-thickening ATF in automatic transmission components and subsystems. A series of theoretical shear-thickening, shear-thinning, and Newtonian fluids were modeled by a power law function and compared to a reference shear-thinning ATF in simplified representations of transmission components and subsystem geometries. The results indicate that a shear-thickening ATF with zero shear viscosity, infinite shear viscosity, and power of 417 mPa-s, 6.23 mPa-s, and 1.03(dimensionless), respectively, displays optimized behavior with respect to the reference shear-thinning ATF.

An integrated approach to modeling end of useful life of an automatic transmission fluid (ATF) has been developed. The flexible fluid life model allows either predictive or real-time calculations of the end of useful fluid life under different transmission design strategies and customer driver behaviors as reflected in operating temperatures, shift characteristics, fluid volume and fluid distribution throughout the transmission. An estimation of remaining useful fluid life is monitored using two metrics, namely bulk oxidation, as a general indicator of fluid quality, and frictional degradation, as an indicator of shift quality. As operating conditions increase in severity, ATF is subjected to conditions that may shorten its life. Using the developed technique, ATF useful life can be better predicted.

Rheological properties of automatic transmission fluids (ATFs) are typically characterized by their kinematic (ASTM D 445) and Brookfield (ASTM D 2983) viscosities. However, ATFs contain polymeric viscosity modifiers, which often result in non-Newtonian fluid behavior as the polymers align and stretch under the shear stresses experienced in automatic transmissions. Therefore, the standard rheological tests, which are normally run under low shear stresses, may not adequately characterize an ATF's flow properties under the operating conditions of the automatic transmission. This study was designed to characterize the rheological properties of ATFs containing different amounts of viscosity modifiers, different base oil types and different levels of permanent shear stability under the shear and temperature conditions which exist in automatic transmissions.