SKF has launched its energy-efficient (E2) tapered roller bearing (TRB) specially designed for truck final drive applications that reduces friction, ensures less fuel consumption and cuts emissions in heavy trucks. This product is part of SKF’s BeyondZero portfolio.
“All our product engineering efforts are focused towards having solutions that are energy efficient, long lasting and reducing cost for the truck and fleet owners. They should also be easy to install and cost efficient. It is all about saving money and time, and also reducing negative impact on the environment”, says Christian Genheimer, Product and Business Development Manager for business unit Trucks, SKF.
The SKF E2 TRB has been designed to reduce fuel consumption. Typical fuel savings achieved using this bearing in a truck final drive are approximately 0.15 l per 100 km, which for vehicles used on long haul routes adds up to an estimated saving of 150 litres per year. This gives a fast return on investment over time for truck and truck fleet owners, reducing the total cost of ownership.
In comparison with the SKF standard TRBs that already provide high performance in this category, the new SKF E2 TRB has been further improved with a friction reduction calculated at 30 per cent. This ensures energy savings of approximately 500 watts when the bearing is used in the pinion position. Unlike competing products, this friction reduction is valid over the complete rpm range. For a typical truck running 100,000 km per year, equipped with four bearings of this type, the reduction is estimated at 398 kg CO2 saving per year.
Specific features of the new bearing include fewer rollers, improved roller topography and modified raceway profiles. The improvement of rollers means that, despite their reduced number, the SKF E2 TRB offers the same nominal carrying capacity as standard TRBs.
The new SKF E2 TRB is interchangeable with the current standard TRBs which makes implementation easy and cost efficient.