TECHNICAL NEWSLETTER Edition 12_ August 2015
WHAT’S INSIDE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE! COMMERCIAL VEHICLE BATTERIES IN FOCUS The commercial vehicle battery of today has to survive something like a non-stop ride on a “Tagada” carousel, the well-known feature of virtually every fairground. This is because the vibration demands made on a modern truck or van battery are even more testing than the violent ups and downs that the courageous passengers experience on such a roundabout. For apart from permanently increasing requirements with regard to capacity and cold starting, the battery must also survive impacts, acceleration, oscillations and centrifugal forces without any loss of power. What is the main difference between a current commercial vehicle battery and a car starter battery? First and foremost, both batteries need to provide reliable starting in every situation and must be able to supply the electrical system with sufficient power even when the engine is not running. The burdens on a commercial vehicle battery are nonetheless far higher than those on a car battery, as vibration marathons and cyclical loads are extremely demanding. Consequently, the design of a top quality commercial vehicle battery is different with thicker plates and a full surrounding grid frame, which furnishes mechanical stability (see illustrations 1 and 2).
A nonwoven is used on the separator in order to improve vibration and cyclical resistance. While bonding of the plates onto the battery floor and the securing of the entire set with ribs secure a solid seat and thus ensure maximum vibration tolerance. The hotel function The amenities in a modern commercial vehicle can even compete with those in a hotel. Cold drinks, a television in the evening and fresh coffee and toast in the morning are all at hand. Coaches and long-distance trucks in particular have innumerable electrical consumers on board and when the engine is not running, the entire electrical supply load falls on the batteries. For the batteries this means the highest demands on cyclical resistance and charging capacity. New environmental requirements with regard to trucks The current EURO 6 exhaust gas standard for a reduction in pollutant engine emissions demands additional measures on the part of truck manufacturers. For example the urea (Ad Blue) tank in combination with an increasingly large fuel tank means that batteries must frequently leave their traditional location on the vehicle frame. And following a search for new installation possibilities , many truck manufacturers have opted for the rear axle of the truck tractor unit (see Illustration 3).
Illustration 3. Rear chassis battery installation Illustration 1. Full surrounding frame
Illustration 2. Plate thickness
This positioning requires the highest level of battery vibration resistance and owing to the fact that access is more difficult, low- or zero-maintenance battery types are employed. The Banner Buffalo Bull SHD and SHD PROfessional
Banner GmbH, A-4021 Linz-Austria, Postf ach 777, Banner Straße 1, Tel. +43/(0)732/38 88-0, Telef ax Sales +43/(0)732/38 88-21599, e-mail: of f ice@bannerbatterien.com Author: Thomas Langthaler, Marketing
represent ideal choices in this situation. The playing field of tomorrow European standards are being adapted to these ever increasing and changing demands and the current draft of the EN 50342-1 foresees new stipulations regarding vibration and cyclical resistance, and water consumption. The top products from Banner already meet these new and stringent requirements. In view of these developments, the nonstandardised term super heavy duty (SHD), which the battery world uses widely and to date has stood for the fulfilment of the strictest demands with regard to cyclical (E4) and vibration resistance (V3), is set to experience a further upgrading. As a result, in future customers will continue to receive optimum products for their individual applications. What makes Banner truck batteries so successful? Banner deliberately relies on cast positive grids (book casting) and hybrid design. In this case, the positive plate consists of a lead-antimony alloy and the negative plate of a lead-calcium alloy. The advantages are clear, as thanks to hybrid technology a combination of a long-proven process with excellent mechanical characteristics, high cyclical resistance, low water consumption and easy charging makes the Banner brand the benchmark for commercial vehicle batteries. Therefore, leading commercial vehicle manufacturers rely on Banner batteries. Among others companies such as Daimler, Caterpillar, Liebherr and Kässbohrer, etc. have all long relied upon Banner’s quality and know-how, as well as its recipe for success, which is comprised by the highest product standards, strong brands, technical competence and reliability.