Surface chemistry of wet clutch influenced by water contamination in automatic transmission fluids

Lubricated friction interfaces used for wet clutches produce different friction behaviours depending on the lubricant conditions. Usually the lubricant conditions vary for water contamination in automatic transmission fluid (ATF). The presence of water retards the ATF performance by increasing the friction and can influence the deterioration of the clutch plates. Water as a polar contaminant can change the absorbability of the surface active additives, which might cause the characteristic friction behaviour. The aim of this paper is to verify the surface chemistry of tribotested standard friction interfaces lubricated with water contaminated commercial ATF (DEXRON® VI). The evidences of the influence of water on ATF performances were shown by surface analyses.