GKN Aftermarkets & Services News http://www.gknservice.com/ en GKN Aftermarkets & Services News http://www.gknservice.com/EXT:tt_news/ext_icon.gif http://www.gknservice.com/ TYPO3 - get.content.right http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 +0200 A new generation of CV joints developed by GKN reaches the independent repair market http://www.gknservice.com/gb/news/date/2012/03/08/a_new_generation_of_cv_joints_developed_by_gkn_reaches_the_independent_repair_market-11.html A few years ago, GKN managed to launch a technological trend reversal with an innovative...
  • Reliable transmission of the torque with constant velocity between the drive and the power take-off
  • Wheel-side bending angle of up to 50° to facilitate the steering motion of the driven wheel in a small vehicle-clearance circle
  • Differential-side bending angle >30°, travel distance in the constant-velocity shaft up to about 50mm to facilitate suspension movements and compensate alignment offset between the differential and the wheel
  • The best-possible vibration decoupling between the engine/transmission unit and the wheel suspension to prevent comfort restrictions for the vehicle occupants.
    • The new technology has been adapted to the requirements of today's vehicles. The Countertrack® joint this resulted in (see Photo 2) can be viewed as a significant technological leap as compared with previous designs.
    An increased power density of >15%, accompanied by a reduction of the losses of >30% and a compact design which is adapted to the available space in the vehicle, does not permit replacement with an "imitation joint". Picture no. 3 shows a concrete example that confronted GKN while developing the driveline for a premium SUV manufacturer. Due to the extreme installation space restrictions on the transmission, there was a need for joint with higher power density. As compared with the old version, with the new technology it was possible to reduce the outer diameter of 106 mm to 94.2 mm. That corresponds to a weight reduction of 12%. The significant increase of the power density can be attributed, among other things, to the significantly reduced temperature level made possible with the countertrack principle.  

    The achieved performance improvements

    As compared with the old joint generation, significant improvements were attained in the driveshaft performance features:
    • 30% lower losses were achieved for the entire bending angle range
    • The bending angle increases more than 30% at the same efficiency 
    • 25% higher torque power input
    • 15% weight reduction with higher performance data
    In vehicles which already use this technology - see Countertrack® photographs - it is not possible to replace it with an "imitation" joint during repairs. You can already deduce that from the information stated. For that reason, make sure you replace with an original GKN joint. That is the only way to be sure that the vehicle will still be soundly and safely on the road tomorrow.]]>     Thu, 08 Mar 2012 11:47:00 +0100     Summertime - Holiday season http://www.gknservice.com/gb/news/date/2011/07/25/summertime_holiday_season-27.html Now is the time to give your car its holiday checkup to make sure that the car will be save with... Causes of spring breakages Problems with springs in today’s cars are almost always caused by a breakage in the spring, often after just two or three years. With the new high-strength steels, it is now possible to significantly reduce the weight of the compression springs. The spring steel must be strongly tempered in order to achieve this high strength, which compromises its durability. The steel becomes brittle. Springs are among the vehicle components that are subjected to the greatest stress, and heavy loads and driving on bad roads during the holidays take care of the rest. The road dirt kicked up by the tires can damage the protective surface of the springs. As a result, the spring steel can rust. Most compression springs, especially the last half-coil, tend to rust for this reason. The powerful forces between the spring and the spring support plate mean that grit stuck between these two components scratches the surface of the steel. It causes microscopic cracks that can expand with every movement of the suspension, which can ultimately cause a catastrophic defect in the spring. Compression springs often break when a car drives over a curb. The impact load, combined with heavy loads, provides so much force that the spring can break suddenly. A car with a broken spring is not safe to drive. Often, drivers do not even notice a broken spring. However, a defective spring can have serious effects on the car’s balance and braking behavior.

    Regularly check and replace springs

    Spring supplier GKN / SPIDAN advises mechanics to carefully check every spring – especially the ends of the springs – with a flashlight whenever the car is on the hoisting platform. They must consider that a spring showing signs of corrosion (rust) can break at any time! Vehicle owners should be notified that a broken spring can have serious consequences for the safety of the car. Springs showing signs of corrosion should be replaced immediately. Springs should be replaced in pairs, using springs with the same specifications as the manufacturer’s original springs. All SPIDAN brand springs are manufactured in OE plants according to these specifications. The company catalogue offers suspension springs for all common European and Asian vehicle models. In addition, GKN provides a 10-year warranty for all SPIDAN springs that are installed in pairs. Read more > ]]>     Mon, 25 Jul 2011 08:13:00 +0200     Tailor-Made Quality by the Driveshaft Specialist http://www.gknservice.com/gb/news/date/2010/03/26/tailor_made_quality_by_the_driveshaft_specialist-17.html GKN expands range of replacement propeller shafts. In the new parts catalogue GKN offers their... propeller shafts both in the Uni-Cardan product range for light commercial vehicles and in the passenger car replacement part section under the brand names SPIDAN and LÖBRO. With these GKN covers the demand for all vehicle repair segments using propeller shafts. As the propeller shaft is a safety critical item GKN, the leading OEM can offer the following:
    • Solutions for small and large deflection angles
    • Weight reduction by way of material optimisation and joint selection
    • NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) analysis and adjustment
    • Optimised lifetime at high speed
    • High torsional stiffness
    • Optimised crash behaviour
    The expanded product range has also been made available by GKN in their online catalogue and in the current TecDoc version. Furthermore available are printed catalogues and also  PDF files for download. ]]>     Fri, 26 Mar 2010 09:05:00 +0100