Since the implementation of GB1589, lightweighting has become the word that all truck-related people have been able to keep. In many ways to achieve lightweighting, the use of airbag suspensions to replace the steel suspension is seen as a very important link. In this exhibition of parts and components in Frankfurt, there were many airbag suspension manufacturers from China and abroad who came to the exhibition. We also learned about airbag suspension.
â— There is still lag in the maturity of foreign markets
At the most, it is also where the future of lightweight 1T airbag suspension is? In today's domestic airbag suspension market, ContiTech (a sub-brand of mainland China), Goodyear (an airbag suspension section of which has been acquired by Stymocorp), and Firestone are the three brands with a relatively high share. Most of the original OEM parts of domestic OEMs are their products. The staff of the mainland and Stymoco told us that the application of airbag suspensions on trucks has become very common abroad.
At the exhibition, there was a manufacturer of axles from Jiangxi. Their airbags were purchased from Firestone of the United States. After assembling the entire axle, a large part of them were sold back overseas. In addition, they will also supply domestic vehicle manufacturers. However, domestic manufacturers will mainly deploy these airbag suspensions to vehicles exported to Southeast Asia and the Middle East. In other words, the final destination of these products is almost all foreign.
Asked the reasons, everyone said that the previous policy was unfavorable to this block. Today, although the policy has been tilted, there is still a certain lag in the market. The mainland staff reluctantly stated that "ten years ago it was said that the airbag suspension was a trend, and it is still so."
In fact, in China, airbag suspension has long been used on buses. It has been widely used. According to the staff of the company, the new energy buses and 7.5 meters of passenger cars in China are now equipped with standard airbag suspensions. The staff of the mainland said that due to the maturity of applications, bus manufacturers will only purchase core parts from them, while truck companies will purchase the entire assembly.
â— Difficulties have cleared up the potential is huge
However, with the implementation of GB1589, more and more OEMs have begun to favor airbags that meet the demand for light weight, and there have been car companies launching new models equipped with airbag suspension. In the past, only airbag suspensions were chosen for vehicles that transport precision instruments, and today many general cargo transportation units are considering this configuration.
On the other hand, with the introduction of technology, the cost of airbag suspensions continues to decline. According to reports, the cost of an airbag suspension on a car has dropped from more than 30,000 to about 18,000, almost half of the original.
The tilt of policies and the reduction of costs all make the domestic market a huge potential. During the exhibition, both foreign and domestic companies have indicated that they will pay close attention to China's airbag market in the future. In the near future, airbags in the truck sector will be used in a large area like the bus industry.
In addition, due to the high demand for airbags in buses, there is no shortage of airbag manufacturers in China. At the exhibition, Senmiao Shock Absorbing Technology Co., Ltd. from Qingdao is one of the original factory suppliers for a heavy truck company in China. The staff told us that the airbags they sell to the repair shop are set for about 300 yuan. However, because the automakers will have arrears for purchases and the services have higher requirements, the airbags sold to them will have a price of 600 yuan. Yuan around! I have always thought that the purchase price in bulk is certainly cheap, but the reality really subverts my opinion.
â— Not only does the lightweight balloon play a big role
Talking about the lightweight of the airbags, the staff of the Jiangxi Long Axle told us that under the same load capacity, an axle using airbags can only reduce the weight of 200 kg compared to axles using steel panels. In other words, if a six-axle vehicle uses airbag suspension from the front axle to the trailer axle, it can also light up to 1.2 tons. The role of lightweighting is very limited.
However, in addition to being lightweight, air bags have many advantages. The most obvious is its damping effect. A good shock absorption effect can not only better protect the goods, but also improve the safety of the vehicle, and it also has certain benefits for improving the speed of the vehicle.
For heavy-duty vehicles, the lifting bridge is a good configuration to improve the load-bearing capacity of the vehicle and reduce the friction of the tire. The presence of the lift bridge must be attached to the airbag suspension. With the development of the bridge in recent years, airbag suspension will also have very long-term development.
Although the effect of lightweight is limited, airbag suspension does have a very big effect on the performance of the vehicle. With the gradual increase in domestic manufacturers, the gradual decline in prices, and the relative tilt of the policy, airbag suspension advantage is still very obvious, in the near future, there will be more and more trucks equipped with this configuration.
Shijiazhuang Shangzu Building Materials Technology Co.,Ltd. , https://www.shangzuchem.com