The trucks of Indian commercial vehicle producers have to withstand a lot, including unsurfaced roads, high dust levels and high humidity. The air cleaner system from MANN+HUMMEL makes sure that they can reliably master these conditions.
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Systems competence for commercial vehicles
It is difficult to imagine Indian roads without the buses, vans and trucks produced by Ashok Leyland. The company is the second largest producer of commercial vehicles in the country. Now for the first time, for its high performance trucks, Ashok Leyland will use an air cleaner system from MANN+HUMMEL which the filtration specialist has developed and produces locally in Bawal. A special point here is that in order to keep costs low the engineers used many standard components for the air cleaner. Only the dirty air and clean air ducts are individually adapted to the requirements of the customer. In addition, the air cleaner housing was complemented to include a component to fit the customer specific assembly. This is a mounting bracket around the housing which enables fitting of the air cleaner in any required position. In order to avoid problems caused by high dust levels, a pre-separator has been integrated in the air cleaner. This separates coarse particles from the air flow already upstream of the main filter element and therefore extends its service life. The intelligent integration of the pre-separator in the housing means that no additional installation space is required. That saves money as well as components. Metal clamp fasteners hold the parts of the air cleaner housing and filter element together free of vibration and enable easy servicing.
Environmentally friendly and reliable
The filter element has a cellulose filter media with a high dust holding capacity. The safety element made from a non-woven fabric protects the clean air side during servicing or when the main filter is damaged. Both elements do not require metal elements to make recycling easier and protect the environment. The pleats of the main filter element have an efficient design to enable maximum filtration performance and an extended service interval. The vehicles produced by Indian manufacturers are mainly on the road in countries with humid and warm climates. Therefore it is essential to protect the filter element against humidity especially with a front air intake. A water separator integrated in the dirty air duct of the system provides the necessary protection. The inflowing air is deflected by 90 degree. In this process the water droplets hit the inner wall of the duct to form a film of water. The water collects in an area with reduced flow and is removed from the system via a water drain valve. As a result, only dry air reaches the filter element and the maximum filter performance is maintained. The dirty air duct is made from plastic and elastomer components. This combination of materials and numerous ribs provide the required stability to counter the effects of vibrations.
Flexible and stable
The engineers also pursued a similar strategy with the clean air duct. Elastomer parts with numerous ribs compensate engine movements and simultaneously withstand negative pressure and high temperatures. A mechanical service display informs the driver about the ideal time for a service. The customer is impressed by the low pressure drop and large dust holding capacity of the MANN+HUMMEL air cleaner system. Used in commercial vehicles the air cleaner system offers a long service life under extreme conditions – at low costs. The excellent cooperation offers potential for further common projects.
Advantages at a glance
Use of many standard components reduces costs
Mounting bracket allows 360 degree mounting
Integrated dust pre-separator in the air cleaner housing
Water separator in dirty air duct to protect the filter elements
Low pressure loss and high dust holding capacity of the complete system
