The advent of the dual clutch transmission, which combines the performance advantages and hardware systems of both manual and conventional automatic transmission designs, has led to the development of new lubricant technology. A dual clutch transmission lubricant requires a new, specialized additive technology to meet the unique, often competitive, requirements of the different elements of the hardware system: specific clutch performance requirements related to the wet clutches along with high load-carrying and thermal stability associated with the manual transmission.
We report the development of specialized lubricant technology that can be tailored to the specific requirements of the next generation, dual clutch transmissions.
Features of the new lubricant technology for dual clutch transmission fluid include:
excellent wet clutch friction performance
excellent anti-shudder friction durability
high thermal and oxidative stability
high load-carrying ability
excellent bearing performance
strong anti-corrosion performance
excellent compatibility
This paper will concentrate on the frictional performance of the wet clutch. This new hardware, which acts as both the vehicle launch and gear shifting device, is the most critical component addressed by the new fluid technology.