Comparison of friction performance of four anodised aluminium surfaces for use in a clutch actuator

• Investigation of friction performance of four anodised aluminium surfaces.
• A reciprocating sliding test setup simulating clutch actuators is used.
• The extruded surface cracks during testing.
• The high pressure die cast has poor oxide quality, thin and uneven.
• Permanent mould cast has the lowest friction coefficient and sand cast the highest.

Clutch actuators in the automotive industry are used to convert the force applied by the driver to the clutch. A typical pneumatic actuator consists of an anodised aluminium cylinder in which a piston, with a rubber lip seal and a PTFE guiding ring, slides. The system is silicone grease lubricated. The aluminium cylinder is most often cast, e.g. permanent mould, sand, or high pressure die cast. An interesting alternative is extrusion. After anodising the cylinders display different surface topography due to, amongst other things, the fabrication method. In this study, the friction behaviour of the anodised surfaces from the four mentioned methods are investigated in a reciprocating sliding test. Two test setups were used, one simulating the real contact situation, and one using a simpler sphere on flat geometry. The extruded surface oxide cracked during testing, resulting in very fluctuating friction behaviour. The high pressure die cast surface showed rather good results, but never the best. However, it is considered not suitable for the application due to its poor oxide properties. The permanent mould cast surface displayed the lowest friction coefficient, while the sand cast surface often showed the highest friction.