Wheel-fastening failures in British fleets of heavy trucks and buses doubled between 1975 and 1979, reaching an incidence estimated at 3 per cent a year. After introducing stringent maintenance procedures in 1979, the incidence is thought to have been reduced to 2 per cent. Any further improvement has to be a matter of engineering design, yet no accepted philosophy has been established on the subject and there is a shortage of fundamental information from which to predict performance. Work, both practical and theoretical, done so far at the Institute of Road Transport Engineers (I.R.T.E.) reveals that, especially with vehicles having top-rated axles and good braking and hill-climb performance, the commonly recommended clamping forces are insufficient to hold wheels firmly by frictional contact at the wheel faces. Furthermore, regular clamping torques do not strain wheel studs enough to retain adequate clamping force under influence of vibration and differential expansion of the clamped components when hot. A nationally funded empirical research programme is urged to confirm actuaL stress levels under dynamic load conditions and to establish sound engineering guidelines.
Wheel-security defects on heavy commercial vehicles
Raddefekte bei schweren Nutzfahrzeugen
Automobile Wheels and Tyres. I Mech E Conf., Sutton Coldfield, GB ; 1983-12 ; 155-158
1983
4 Seiten, 1 Bild, 4 Tabellen
Conference paper
English
Wheel-security defects on heavy commercial vehicles
Automotive engineering | 1983
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