Two air filter carriers will be installed in the Mercedes-Benz Actros starting in early 2017. The structural parts are made of Durethan AKV 50 H2.0 from Lanxess, a polyamide 66 with a glass fiber content of 50% by weight. They are the first plastic carriers to be used as load-bearing structural elements in a truck air filter system from Mercedes-Benz.
Lanxess says that the advantage of its structural material is that it significantly reduces costs compared to the previous component design in steel, but still meets the high demands on dynamic strength. In addition, the weight of the components can be reduced by a total of 2.9 kg or considerably more than 50%.
To test the dynamic strength and functionality of the polyamide carriers, the service life of several vehicles was tested on the company’s own rough road test track. The two structural parts successfully passed the test.
LANXESS developed Durethan BKV 235 H2.0 XCP specifically for oil pans
