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The popularity of SUVs and light trucks in North America, combined with the return to rear-wheel-drive cars globally, is significantly increasing the installation rates of torque control devices that improve vehicle stability and drivability. As with other driveline hardware, it is important to optimize the friction material-lubricant-hardware system in order to ensure that a torque control device provides consistent performance over the life of the vehicle. While there are many publications on friction tests relevant to automatic transmission fluids, the literature relating to torque control testing is not as well developed. In this paper we will describe the development of a break-away friction screening test using a Full-Scale Low-Velocity Friction Apparatus (FS-LVFA). Additionally, we will illustrate how this screening test can be used to investigate the fundamental friction material-lubricant interactions that occur in continuously engaged limited slip differentials.

The popularity of SUVs and light trucks in North America, combined with the return to rear-wheel-drive cars globally, is significantly increasing the installation of torque control devices that improve vehicle stability and drivability. As with other driveline hardware, it is important to optimize the friction material-lubricant-hardware system to ensure that a torque control device provides consistent performance over the life of the vehicle. While there are many publications on friction tests relevant to automatic transmission fluids, the literature relating to torque control testing is not as well developed. In this paper, we will describe a split-mu vehicle test and the development of a split-mu screening test. The screening test uses the SAE#2 friction test rig and shows how results from this test align with those from actual vehicle testing.

Two-stroke engine keep-clean data is presented to demonstrate the deposit removal capabilities of a premium fuel additive. In this testing, the fuel additive was added as a top-treatment to a 50:1 blended fuel-oil mixture. Engine testing was conducted on an EchoTM SRM-265 (25.4 cc) string trimmer run under a standardized test cycle. Test measurements included piston deposits, ring deposits, and exhaust port blockage. In addition, a more complete data set was analyzed and several variables were investigated including: different base gasoline fuels, ethanol level (E0 and E10), additive dose (none, low, and high), and fuel stabilizer dose (none and high). Post-test inspection of engine parts using fuel additives showed a high level of clean surfaces, which maintained the engine at its original performance.