Trelleborg Sealing Solutions will be launching an innovative seal to help lower operating costs in the automotive industry.
The patented design of the unique Turcon® Roto L, to be unveiled at Autosport International 2015 at the NEC in Birmingham, means it only seals when required.
The Turcon® Roto L Seal is engineered to only seal around the axle of central tire inflation systems when required: when the tyre is pressurised to inflate or deflate it.
Conventional seals for central tyre inflation systems are constantly heavily in contact with a vehicle’s axle, wearing the seal and causing friction that uses energy. By eliminating friction when the tyre is not pressurized, Turcon® Roto L prevents unnecessary energy loss, cutting fuel consumption appreciably while also improving performance.
Though Turcon® Roto L was originally developed primarily for off-highway vehicles, Frank Kleemann, the product manager for the seal, believes there are other applications where it can provide benefits to users.
We believe Turcon® Roto L Seal can offer real benefits in performance cars. When super sports cars drive slowly, the tires should be kept at low pressure. At high speeds the cars will perform better if the tyre is at high pressure, or different on each wheel, depending on the track it is traveling on.
Frank Kleemann
Turcon® Roto L combines a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) sealing lip with a rubber jacket and a stable shape-forming metal part. The seal’s patented design means that for the majority of the time, the sealing lip is held up against the sealing surface. The seal is only activated when the system is pressurised. Then, the pressure causes the sealing lip to press against the sealing surface until the pressure is relieved. Afterward the jacket of the seal, acting like a spring, brings the sealing lip back to its original position.
To find out more about the The Turcon® Roto L Seal, visit www.tss.trelleborg.com.