Improvements to the Aluminum Beaker Oxidation Test (ABOT) for Automatic Transmission Fluids

The Aluminum Beaker Oxidation Test (ABOT) is a bench test required for official Ford MERCON® automatic transmission fluid (ATF) qualification. A continuous quality improvement approach identified inconsistent pump performance as the leading cause of test variability. A modified pump was developed to obtain consistent performance. The modified pump had a higher flow rate and a greater inlet suction than the original pump. An improved data acquisition and control system monitored and controlled the major test variables including pump operation. Our baseline fluid control limits decreased by 70% using the new ABOT system. From an experimental matrix, the new ABOT differentiated good, borderline and fail samples. The experimental data also show that a continuous 300 hour test sequence does not adversely affect test results. This paper documents the development of the modified pump and the results of baseline and matrix testing using the new ABOT system.