GKN Driveline to open tribology lab

Automotive Industries, August, 2004

GKN Driveline is opening a tribology lab in Auburn Hills, Mich., that primarily looks at the performance of various greases and lubricants used in the millions of constant velocity joints (CVJ) that it produces each year.

Those efforts are part of an extensive research and development program that involves more than 50 GKN Driveline engineers and is designed to ensure and improve product quality and performance.

The laboratory is meant to help the company develop smaller, lighter driveline components for increasingly powerful engines. A forged steel constant velocity sideshaft transfers the power of the engine to the wheels. It must withstand the mechanical stresses of high-speed operation and the high heat that goes along with it. The same is true for the grease that keeps the moving parts in the CVJ lubricated.