SAE J306 explained

June 2, 2016

The need to ensure adequate lifetime protection of transmission and driveline

equipment is an increasing challenge for manufacturers. With ever-tightening fuel
economy regulations requiring engineers to explore every avenue to reduce weight
and mechanical losses in their products, lubricant volume and viscosity require
special attention.
At the same time, the market imperative to offer products with reduced total cost
of ownership requires that the fluids are specified to offer protection at extended
service intervals. It is crucial, therefore, that manufacturers can have confidence
that the fluids they specify will afford the required performance and reliability.
Standards defining the rheology of lubricants are fundamental to effective Driveline
equipment design, so that it operates with the performance and durability that
customers demand.
The name SAE the widely recognized acronym of the Society of Automotive
Engineers has long been synonymous within the lubricants industry as the
internationally recognized and popularly accepted classification and categorization
system for lubricants. While the SAE J300 and SAE J306 Standards may at first
glance appear broadly similar, SAE J300 is for motor oils and SAE J306 is for

automotive gear oils; the latter comprises both axle and manual transmission
lubricants.
These applications represent product categories that are clearly very different and
which fulfill completely different sets of requirements. It is therefore essential that
the grade scales defined under each standard are not confused or compared, as
the use of an inappropriate fluid can lead to catastrophic and highly expensive
equipment failure.
Under the SAE J306 standard, lubricants are defined in terms of a grade denoting
their minimum kinematic viscosity at 100C, as measured according to ASTM D445,
while also demonstrating shear stability over 20 hours using CEC L-45-A-99
(Method C). Some lubricants are further designated with the letter W (Winter),
signifying a low-temperature viscosity grade. In addition to their high-temperature
definition, these W grades are further defined as providing a maximum
temperature ranging from -12 to -55C at which they retain a threshold level of
viscosity.

Balancing blends for performance

Achieving the optimal lubricant for a given driveline application requires a thorough
understanding of both the equipment application and the properties of the base
fluid and additive package. Even for a comparatively simple SAE J306-compliant
monograde lubricant, performance additives will be used. The additive mix will
seek to reduce friction and remove heat, and will include extreme pressure anti-

wear additives to prevent wear, pitting, spalling, scoring, scuffing and other types
of distress that can result in equipment failure and downtime. Protection against
oxidation, thermal degradation, rust, copper corrosion and foaming also must be
provided.
The viscosity of lubricants tends to decrease with increasing operating
temperature. At elevated temperatures, the liquid becomes increasingly thin,
providing a lower level of protection. Conversely, at lower temperatures the fluid
thickens; the increased viscosity reduces the efficiency of the equipment it is
protecting. It follows, then, that for a driveline required to operate only at moderate
temperatures, a monograde product may provide adequate protection at an
optimal price point. However, for operation across wider temperature extremes, a
multigrade fluid engineered for a more balanced viscosity profile is required.

To achieve the required performance, multigrade fluids need additional additive

components. For example, depending on the extent of cold-temperature operation,
multigrade lubricants will require the addition of a pour point depressant, and in
the most extreme cases, additional viscosity modifier. The chart below provides an
example of a range of typical formulations and properties of SAE 90 from
monograde to a wide-span multigrade SAE 75W-90.

Pour point depressants and viscosity modifiers

In cold temperatures, the wax in base oil tends to separate out and form crystals
that interlock and lead to fluid thickening. As the fluid drops below the pour point,
this thickening increases significantly, leading to increased mechanical losses in
the equipment as well as reduced lubricant effectiveness. Pour point depressants
modify the shape of the wax crystals that form at low temperature, preventing
them from interlocking and thus reducing the pour point by as much as 40C.
The selection of the correct pour point depressant will be influenced by the choice
of base oil, the potential interaction with the performance additive package and
any viscosity modifier used, and the performance requirements and operating
environment of the equipment.
The viscosity modifier must also be selected to ensure compatibility with the other
lubricant components. For many specific applications, a range of polymer
structures have been developed to provide the desired viscosity modifier

performance. Selection of the right product for the right application is crucial in
order to avoid compromising equipment performance and durability.
Shear stability
Shear stability is a key aspect of SAE J306 compliance. Lubricants must stay in
grade after testing for 20 hours in order to confirm adequate shear stability. With
the increasing popularity of wide-span multigrade lubricants that require the use of
viscosity modifiers, some equipment manufacturers are specifying extended-hour
testing as a part of their approval process. This is because some viscosity modifier
technologies can continue to shear beyond the 20 hours specified under the SAE
J306 standard.
Reflecting changing demands
SAE J306 was originally defined in 1991 but was extensively revised in 2005 to
provide new grades and tighter classifications. These changes reflected the
increasing requirements for fuel economy and the trends for increased numbers of
gears in manual transmissions and for longer service drain intervals.
Lubrizol is ideally placed to assist its customers in navigating the complexities of
engineering the optimal fluid for their SAE J306-compliant applications, however
challenging these may be in terms of efficiency, performance, durability and
temperature extremes. With its world-class knowledge of additive technology and
its extensive range of viscosity modifiers and pour point depressants, Lubrizol can
provide solutions tailored to the requirements of any product or application.