Heavy Trucks

MAE 442 Spring 2009 Beth Harrington

Overview
Who am I? Commercial Vehicles Trucking Industry Chassis Engine Transmission Axles Brakes Suspension Manufacturing Fuel Consumption and Alternative Fuels Environmental Regulations

Who am I??
Beth Harrington Associate Engineer for Volvo 3P
Rear Suspension Department

International Graduate Program Alumni BSME from NCSU May 2008 MSME from NCSU EOL December 2010 Wolfpack Motorsports Baja SAE Alumni

Commercial Vehicles
Trucks Buses Construction Equipment Farm Equipment Defense Vehicles Emergency Response Vehicles

Trucking Industry Quick Facts

In 2008, the trucking industry hauled 10.2 billion tons of freight, or 69 percent of total U.S. freight tonnage, collecting 83.1% of total transport revenue. There are 3.5 million truck drivers in the United States Total industry employment is 8.7 million, or one of every 15 people working in the United States. Most individual long-haul drivers average from 100,000 to 110,000 miles driving per year. Manufacturers design trucks to run 1 million miles or more. The US long-haul, heavy-duty truck transportation industry is currently experiencing a national shortage of 20,000 truck drivers. A Class 8 truck reflects a heavy duty truck over 33,000 lbs Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. The trucking industry is a backbone of the American society, and a key indicator of the economic situation. When the trucking industry is in trouble, so are we.

North American Trucking

There are 4 competitive class 8 truck manufacturers in the US:

Daimler Freightliner & Western Star

Volvo Group- Volvo & Mack

Navistar - International

Paccar - Peterbilt & Kenworth

Global Industry
Trucking can be found around the world, but in drastically different applications:

Rough, long haul over the Australian outback.

Tractor + trailer length regulations in Europe

Cold and icy in Canada

Truck Applications
Highway
Long Haul Heavy duty Regional

Vocational
Construction Refuse

Chassis Components
Chassis Frame Rails
The frame of a heavy truck is the backbone of the whole operation. Everything must mount to it or sit on it. It must be able to twist to varying road conditions while supporting the other truck functions.

Frame Bending
The bending moment is the force acting on the frame from all the components on it as well as the input from the trailer and the road below. The Resisting Bending Moment is the maximum load or force that the frame can support without permanent damage. RBM = S*I/C
Where RBM = resisting bending moment (in-lb) S = stress or yield point of the rail (lb/in2) I/C Section modulus (in3)

Chassis Equipment
Fuel Tanks Exhaust equipment After treatment Fifth Wheels Mudflaps Battery Boxes Back of Cab Access Steps Deck plates

Powertrain - Engines
Diesel engines I assume you all know about the diesel engines and if not you can Wikipedia it! The standard sizes for heavy duty diesel engines ranges from 11 liters to 16 liters. Fuel economy and Power are both extremely important in the trucking industry. Unfortunately these dont normally go together

Engine Components
Engine Block
Cylinders Valves Pistons Crankshaft Flywheel housing and oil pan Timing gears Overhead Camshaft Oil system Fuel injection system

Air intake and exhaust

Turbocharger Intercooler

Cooling system

Powertrain - Torque
To find a happy median, these diesel engines are high torque. This means that we can increase performance and better fuel economy through a high torque rise.
Torque rise is the difference between torque at rated speed and peak torque expressed as a percentage of torque at the rated speed.

Torque Rise (%) =

Example:

Difference in Torque Rise 100% Torque at Rated Speed

Peak Torque Rise = 1500 lb-ft Torque at Rated Speed = 1300 lb-ft % Torque Rise = (1500-1300)/1300 x100 Torque Rise = 15%

Powertrain - Transmission
The transmission and rear axle(s) provide the necessary gear ratios to effectively utilize engine power. We want to obtain the most efficient working range, which encompasses maximum horsepower produced per gallon of fuel consumed.

Powertrain - Gear ratios

Selection of gear ratios by mating transmission and rear axle:
Important points to remember: Use past experience! Gear ratios should be numerically fast enough to assure desired speed for highway operation. Top speed should be approximately 5-10 mph faster than cruising speed or about 90% of governed speed. Gear ratios should be numerically slow enough to provide maximum grade performance with lowest gear combinations and maximum start-ability under all operating conditions. Overall gear reduction = Main Transmission Ratio x Aux. Transmission Ratio x Drive Axle Ratio

Rear Axles
Rear axles on a truck are the drive axles, while front axles are steer axles. It is possible to get up to 3 of either, although it makes one funny looking truck! To decide which rear axle you need you must look at: Gross weight of combination
Type of terrain Road speed Tire size Axle ratio required Transmission ratios Engine torque Engine speed Maintenance

Rear Axles
Rear axles may be classified as follows:
The dead axle carries the required load only. If the axle is in front of the drive axles, it is known as a pusher, and if it is behind, it is known as a tag. The live axle includes all necessary gears and parts for the transmission of power as well as facility for carrying the required load.
When looking at the live axle, we classify according to gear drive. Examples: Straight bevel gear Hypoid gear has more tooth contact than a straight bevel and therefore is stronger and quieter Double reduction provides greater overall gear reduction and is ideal for peak torque development and transmission. Especially desirable for starting heavy loads in adverse terrains.

Rear Axles

Rear Axles
Tandems two drive axle combination:
Advantages Greater legal loads Greater traction Greater flotation Better braking for greater safety Better load distribution over axles, tires an frame Reduced road shock

Most over-the-road trucks in North America have tandem axles for these reasons listed above. In Europe, a single rear axle is more common. These trucks are often labeled by the number of wheels they have:
4x2 4 wheels, 2 drive which means this is a single rear axle 6x4, 8x6, 8x4 are all common numbers to see.

Brakes
There are two types of wheel brakes that occur on heavy trucks

Disc brakes
Utilizes a caliper (1), brake pad (2), and rotor (3). Air pressure is converted to mechanical movement when it enters the brake chamber (A). When the push rod in the chamber is extended, the slack adjuster (B) is rotated, transmitting movement to the powershaft (C) which in turn presses the brake pads (D) against the rotor (E).

Brakes
There are second type of brakes are the:

Drum brakes
Utilizes a brake shoe to press against the brake drum. There are multiple types of drum brakes, but the most common is S Cam Brakes. These are applied when air pressure enters the brake chamber (1) extending the push rod, which is connected to the slack adjuster (2). As the slack adjuster moves, it rotates the camshaft pushing the brake shoes (3) against the brake drum.

Axle Suspensions
Good axle suspension must provide the following characteristics:
Capacity for supporting the load Transmission of full brakes and tractive effort to chassis frame Articulation of both axles for all road conditions Cushioned ride for driver and commodity, laden and unladen Proper tracking to promote safe steering and prevent excessive tire wear Easy maintenance and light weight

Axle Suspensions
Types of Axle Suspensions: Air Rubber Leaf Spring Solid Mount Air Suspensions: Ride is the most important quality to design for here comfort for the driver and protection for the goods being transported. Mechanical Suspension: These are more performance based, where roll control is king and ability to handle difficult loads and changing terrain. To obtain these, ride is often compromised.

Trailing arm air suspensions

Most popular for highway use Common characteristics: Axle clamped to a leaf spring Air spring sits on the rear of the leaf spring 4 shock absorbers Roll stiffening accomplished by twisting the axle housing.
Pros: Light weight, inexpensive Good ride Good roll stiffness, high roll center Cons: Torque reactive ride height and axle angles change in response to wheel torque Ride height adjustment critical for driveline Poor cross articulation Spring to axle connection is highly stressed.

Parallelogram Designs
Alternative air suspension design 6 torque rods to control axles Torsion bar for roll control integrated into lower torque rods. V-rods on top 4 air springs per axle Limited axle travel highway use

Parallelogram Design
Off-highway air suspension, designed for over 25% off highway. Tubes across bottom provides roll stiffening not found in trailing arm set up. Use of transverse torque rods important for roll control as well.

Leaf Springs
Stack of leaf springs, connect at one end with a shackle. The shackle prevents the leaves from elongating when compressed, and allows for fore-aft movement.
Pros Durable Decent loaded ride Good articulation and ground equalization Cons Poor unladened ride Low roll center Difficult to align

Walking Beam
The walking beam replaces the spring and the trunnion The beam is welded or cast with bronze or rubber bushings
Pros Excellent articulation / ground load equalization good mobility High roll center, good rollover resistance Easy to align Cons Very expensive Very heavy

Static Roll Threshold

A challenge here is what we call roll control. The static roll threshold (SRT) of a vehicle is a measure of the likelihood of that vehicle rolling over sideways. Vehicles with a low SRT are more likely to roll over than those with a higher SRT, especially when going around sharp bends and in sudden emergency manoeuvres. To ensure their stability, heavy vehicles with a gross vehicle mass (GVM) greater than certain specified limits need to meet a minimum static roll threshold value.

SRT =

T 2H

T = track width H = CG height, = the roll angle due to compliances (tires, suspension, etc)

Manufacturing Processes
-500 employees -Current rate 36 trucks a day highest 107 a day in 2006 -Truck in process of combining all sub components is 6 hrs. -Total build time from beginning to end delivered to the customer 46 hrs.

Truck begins process with frame rails, axles, and cross members installed Air lines, air tanks and electrical harness Brake hoses Chassis is painted

Flexibility in plant allows for building of: Dump, Highway, Concrete pumpers, AWD, Telma Retarders, Central Tire Inflation, Tri Steer/Tri Drive, Lift Axles, Hybrid, LNG/CNG

Manufacturing Processes
Fuel tanks installed Engine installed with all piping Installation of DPF and batteries Power steering piping Cab installation Air and electrical connections between chassis and cab made Tires installed Fluids filled Truck started and driven offline

Fuel Consumption
We talked about fuel efficient engines, however there are a few other factors often considered when discussing fuel economy: Weight the lighter the truck, the better fuel economy it gets. This also goes hand in hand with the amount of cargo that a truck can pull due to both local and federal weight restrictions. Operator driving style it is obvious that a driver can change the fuel economy, but what can a fleet manager do about it? Most truck brands now offer remote monitoring systems that feed information such as rpm, fuel economy, average speed, and more remotely from the truck to the fleet manager. On highway trucks usually get between 5.5 and 6.5 mpg

Alternative Fuels
Every aspect of the automotive industry is looking into alternative fuels, and the truckers are no exception. The Volvo group is looking at 8 different ways ranking them from best to worst in their opinion. Peterbilt already offers hybrid vehicles in the market today, and the other OEMs are not far behind. The best application for hybrids is in the refuse division. With the stopping and starting of garbage and recycling trucks, this is the perfect way to run off battery and allow it to charge. Mack Trucks has 2 vehicles being tested in NYC waste management as we speak.

Environmental Regulations
Over the past 5 to 10 years, the trucking industry has been burdened with environmental regulations, and most of the product development money of most major corporations is going to this. The step process: 2004, 2007, and 2010. Trucks manufactured after January 1, 2010 must nearzero emissions.
EPA 2010 Regulations aim to reduce atmospheric pollution by significantly reducing nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM), and hydrocarbon (HC) emissions from diesel engine-powered heavy trucks.

SCR
Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR)
is one of the most cost-effective and fuelefficient vehicle emissions control technologies available to reduce diesel engine emissions.

It is called "selective" because it reduces levels of NOx using ammonia as a reductant within a catalyst

system. The reducing agent reacts with NOx to convert the pollutants into nitrogen, water and tiny amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) natural elements common to the air we breathe everyday.

known as Diesel Exhaust Fluid, which can be rapidly hydrolyzed to produce the oxidizing ammonia in the exhaust stream. SCR technology alone can achieve NOx reductions in excess of 90%.
http://www.mackscr.com

The reductant source is usually automotive-grade urea, otherwise

Heavy Truck Engineering

Working with big trucks is extremely fun and challenging because everything is bigger, tougher, and engineered for greatness. And remember behind every great car, there is a great truck.

Truck Information References

Motor Truck Engineering Handbook James William Fitch, 4th ed. OEM websites:
www.peterbilt.com www.kenworth.com www.freightliner.com www.volvo.com/trucks www.macktrucks.com

Land transport safety authority SRT Calculator User Guide EPA website www.epa.gov Frost and Sullivan Automotive Practice EPA 2010 Emission Regulations Start Showing Its Impact Michael Brown Class 8 Truck Rear Suspension Overview www.Factsaboutscr.com The truckersreport.com