This year at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky, Dana Holding Corporation revealed a brand new dual range disconnect concept tandem axle—the AdvanTek Dual Range Disconnect. A prototype of the AdvantTek system has been undergoing testing during the past two years and it will begin field testing sometime this year. The tandem axle is said to improve powertrain efficiency from 2 to 5 per cent more than other traditional 40k axles on the market, and it also enables further engine downspeeding. Any auto mechanic college graduate can confirm that these features are quite impressive.
If you are planning to pursue dispatcher training, the AdvanTek Dual Range Disconnect axle is one truck you’ll want to keep your eye on, as it not only has the potential to allow trucks to accelerate to highway speed, but it also improves fuel economy. Read on to learn more.
The AdvanTek Dual Range Disconnect
The AdvanTek axle is designed to disconnect the inner-axle shaft at highway speeds to provide improved efficiency. It was created specifically with Class 8 vehicles in mind and it provides the traction and dependability of a 6×4 configuration, but with the reduced drivetrain losses and enhanced efficiency of a 6×2 composition. Another great advantage to Dana’s AdvanTek axle is that its configuration allows the truck to use fewer gears in the transmission and in turn, this would also eliminate the need for larger engine mounts and frame rails while improving the truck’s overall performance.
How It Works
Individuals with auto mechanic training will find the electronic functions of the AdvanTek also very interesting. When a truck that uses the AdvanTek axle approaches highway speeds, an electronic control unit featured in the axle coordinates with the engine and transmission to disconnect the inner-axle shaft from the power divider. As a result, this allows the axle to function much more efficiently. Additionally, the forward axle is shifted to a quicker ratio, which brings the engine speed down to approximately 900 rpm—ideal for highway cruise control driving.
A Growing Demand for Efficient Trucks
Dana’s new AdvanTek axle concept could not have come at a better time, as there is already a growing demand for more efficient transportation vehicles. Since Class 8 trucks are among the largest vehicles on the roads, it only makes sense that regulations would begin to change regarding their fuel economy.
Says Mark Wallace, executive vice-president of Dana and group president of Dana On-Highway Driveline Technologies, “New fuel economy regulations for linehaul trucks are on the immediate horizon, and truck manufacturers are already addressing the challenge of reducing fuel consumption beyond the levels that can be achieved through today’s conventional powertrain systems.”
Are you interested to work with new technology like the AdvanTek Dual Range Disconnect?
