Dana Holding Corp published a new white paper for the commercial trucking industry that addresses the need for fleets and original-equipment manufacturers to properly manage the higher driveline torques that are resulting from the increasing use of more fuel-efficient downsped engines.
Titled “The Right Solution for Downsped Engines,” the paper is free and may be downloaded at: www.danacv.com/downspeedingwhitepaper
Authored by Andy Nieman, vice president of global engineering for Dana Commercial Vehicle Technologies, it describes the motivations behind downspeeding, what constitutes downspeeding, and fuel consumption and environmental benefits. The piece goes on to explain how the resulting higher torques place added stress on a vehicle’s axle, driveshaft, and inter-axle.
Different strategies are then presented for managing the higher torques, including Dana’s recommendation for specifying proper driveline components. These components, the paper explains, need to be carefully engineered, thoroughly tested, and proven to be fully capable of delivering the necessary performance in a high-torque environment.
Charts are also provided to help illustrate the data provided and support Dana’s conclusions.
The Dana system optimized for engine downspeeding includes the Spicer® AdvanTEK 40 tandem axle, the SPL 350 driveshaft, and the SPL 250 inter-axle shaft.
The other piece of Dana’s engine downspeeding solution is the SPL 350 driveshaft and SPL 250 inter-axle shaft, which have been engineered to maximize the efficiency and durability of the Spicer AdvanTEK 40 tandem axle and low-rpm engines.
For more information, visit www.danacv.com/advantek40.