Knorr Commercial Vehicle System will invest 200 million in China in the next 3 years

The Knorr Group’s investment in China has continuously increased, and product, technology R&D, and management localization have continued to deepen. The cost competitiveness of products continues to increase, and the market position continues to increase. As a technical leader in ensuring the safe and comfortable transportation of road vehicles, Knorr Group advocates that all heavy-duty trucks and trailer wheels are equipped with disc brakes.

Disc brake application in Europe

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, European economic development was in a state of rapid growth. The raw materials needed for industrial production, and the living materials needed for people’s life are mainly transported by trucks. Due to the level of truck manufacturing and technical restrictions at that time, frequent traffic accidents occurred in bad weather such as rain, snow, and heavy fog. The occurrence of frequent traffic accidents on the one hand has caused disruptions to industrial production and people's lives; on the other hand, it has brought about strong public opinion pressure on the local government. In order to improve driving safety, European OEMs have introduced batch-type air-disc brakes since the early 1990s. By 2008, more than 95% of European trucks will be equipped with air-disc brakes.

Disc brakes advantage over drum brakes

The disc brake incorporates all components of the drum brake, including the automatic gap adjustment arm. Compared to the drum brake, the disc brake has the following advantages:

(1) Disc brakes are safer. The disc brake has a compact structure, a small number of components, and a high transmission efficiency. It exhibits the advantages of rapid and sensitive braking, and can meet the requirements of high braking torque, quick response, and short braking distance under emergency braking conditions. Tests have shown that the 6×4 tractor with full-disc configuration can be attached to a 3-axis trailer and the braking distance during emergency braking can be shortened by about 30%. When the emergency braking is performed at an initial speed of 60 km, the braking distance can be shortened by about 10 meters. Really prevent the tragedy of car crash.

(2) Disc brakes are lightweight. The data shows that the quality of the front axle of the disc brake heavy-duty vehicle can be reduced by about 20 kilograms, and the rear axle can be reduced by about 80 kilograms. For a 6×4 tractor, a 3-axis trailer is attached, and the vehicle quality is reduced by about 250 kg. With the enforcement of GB1589-2016, the use of a full-disposition configuration of vehicles is more efficient and fleets benefit more.

(3) Disc brakes are comfortable and high. The disc brake has no self-incremental effect and the braking process is more comfortable and smooth. Practice shows that the difference between the braking moments of the left and right wheels of the disc brake vehicle is within 10%, and the difference between the drum brake and the left and right wheels may be as high as 30%. . As a result, driving comfort can be improved.

Full disk configuration relative to rear disk rear drum configuration

Disc brakes can still exhibit excellent braking performance at high temperatures, and braking performance of drum brakes deteriorates significantly with increasing temperature. For a 6×4 tractor, a three-axle trailer is attached. Test data shows that when the temperature reaches 400° C., the performance of the disc brake is reduced by less than 10%, and the performance of the drum brake is reduced by about 50%. If front drum rear drum configuration is adopted, the front axle will bear more than 40% of the entire vehicle brake load during braking of the vehicle, resulting in further increase of temperature; when the temperature rises to 600°C, the front axle will bear more than 70%. Braking load, which brings extremely serious risks to driving safety!

Knorr Group is the world's leading manufacturer of rail and commercial vehicle brake systems and related parts suppliers. The annual turnover in 2016 reached 5.5 billion euros. About 25,000 employees work on the development, production and maintenance of brake systems, door systems, vehicle control systems and energy supply systems, air conditioning equipment, driver assistance systems and transmission systems, and engine components related solutions. As a technology leader, the company has made significant contributions to rail and road safety through its superior products for over 110 years. Every day, more than one billion people worldwide rely on the products provided by the Knorr Group.