trailer world issue One 2010

Issue One 2010 19 discussion about the EuroCombi, the dis- cussion on the 60 Tons issue. With more loading length and payload capacity, in ratio to the cost, transport becomes more efficient. The driver costs remain constant, diesel prices rise only moderately but not in a linear fashion. With innovative chassis designs we can make a significant contribu- tion to their success. Remember the advent of the steered axle, that makes long articu- lated trucks significantly more manoeuvra- ble and easier to control? sult: using EBS controlled brake systems commercial vehicles decelerate much more effectively these days. Shorter braking dis- tances have saved lives, that is certain. Or the TRS system (trailer roll stability) that automatically brakes a vehicle that enters a curve too quickly, it has established it- self nationwide and has improved safety significantly. More payload, more transport volume – what consequences does this hold for the chassis? Sager: Of course, the chassis and the axles will continue to be optimised to gain payload, Actually, however, the question is rather: will future vehicle designs remain the same as they are today? Consider the How will you meet these requirements? Sager: I think that we can confidently say that at present the safety level is quite high. In trucks but also in the trailers, there are safety systems that already surpass the usual motor car equipment. The consistent decline in traffic fatalities is proof of the fact that the HGV industry has performed very well. Rossenbach: If we retain the same rate of development, we can continue to expect substantial progress. Consider the late 90s for instance, when an axle weighed more than 500 kilograms. Currently, it weighs only around 400 kilograms; we took away a good 20% from the product, and increased its lifespan at the same time. If we consider braking distances, we arrive at a similar re- »Today an axle weighs only 400 kg – we have taken a full 20% out of the product.« Photo:Fünf6 Personal details Dr. Frank Sager (45) has been running BPW‘s Development, Construction and Testing department since summer 2007. The electrical engineer with a PhD offers extensive experience in vehicle safety, software development and telematics, having been involved in corresponding development work at Bosch, VDO and Daimler (HGV). Bernhard Rossenbach (43) is responsible for Product Man- agement at BPW. He joined the company back in 1994, imme- diately after obtaining his engineering degree. The graduate mechanical engineer gained a wide range of experience in many different jobs and central positions for the company. BPW development engineers, Dr. Frank Sager and Bernhard Rossenbach, being interviewed by HGV journalist Wolfgang Tschakert.

trailer world issue One 2010

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