Is it poisoning somewhere?.. Here is a modern solution for transporters

In recent years, the revenues of transport companies have fallen and the prices of spare parts, including tires, have risen significantly. About 30 thousand rubles is the most ordinary “budget” tire with a diameter of 22.5 inches. But someone who is accustomed to premium brands now pays up to 90 (!) Thousand rubles per cylinder … To save, extend the life of tires – this idea has now captured the minds of ATP foremen and owners.

One of the factors that directly affects tire mileage is pressure. And most importantly, unlike the human factor (grinding the sidewalls of the tires to the curbs, fast cornering of the truck with side sliding and black marks on the pavement), this technical parameter is manageable. Its main task is to prevent (minimize) trips with low tire pressure. This not only shortens the service life of the latter, but also increases rolling resistance and thus fuel consumption. For fleets with hundreds of units of rolling stock, and even more so for multi-axle and dual-tyre tires, using tires with a strict standard pressure can save several million rubles per year.

As you know, the easiest way to control the pressure (kicking with a boot before a flight) is mainly suitable for four tires of a light van at a price of 5000 rubles per cylinder. On large-capacity mainline trains, automated control systems have proven their effectiveness, additionally with wheel pressure sensors (a simplified method of detecting a flat tire by the difference in the readings of standard ABS rotation sensors is yesterday). But also among the manufacturers of full-fledged tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS), there are companies with a different approach to informing the driver.

Most, including leading Western suppliers of TPMS, are limited to a check engine light on the instrument panel. That is, if something catches fire that did not burn before (check engine or check tires), the instruction advises the driver to immediately go to the service.

A more intellectually advanced system is offered by the Krasnoyarsk company Acceptum-Engineering. Yes, it was our Russian manufacturer who even went beyond simple import replacement and offered a product significantly superior in quality to the “replaced”.

The EVA PRO hardware and software system takes into account not only the values ​​of pressure and temperature inside the wheel, but also the ambient temperature. This allows you to detect an air leak (with a small puncture, for example), even if the tire has warmed up in motion and the pressure has increased – remember that any gases expand with increasing temperature. On most other TPMS, the indicator simply goes out – the temperature of the puncture has risen, the pressure has returned to the tolerance limits. And when the tire is completely empty, it’s too late …

The EVA PRO system displays the pressure and temperature readings in the wheel on a separate display included in the kit. The processor constantly calculates the recommended pressure value and compares the data from the wheels on the same axle. In case of deviation from the recommended value, as well as in case of a large pressure difference in adjacent twin tires, the frame of the position corresponding to the wheel in the diagram is marked in red. In case of a significant deviation – ​the position turns red all over the area – it is difficult not to notice and a text message appears on the screen and an audible alarm sounds. You can only turn off the “alarm” by inflating the tire to the recommended pressure – that is, after it has been repaired.

So it is not possible to ignore the problem, especially since the program not only sends all data to the personal account of the fleet manager, but also ranks all the cars on the list. At the head of it are cars with the most “phlegmatic” drivers who are not really concerned about fuel consumption and tire mileage.

Viktor Kochergin, head of the column of Keramzit Plus LLC, Novosibirsk:

“Our company’s cars are used for the transportation of grain crops in the regions of the Siberian Federal District. There are about two dozen 50-cubic-foot dump-trailer-grain transporters in the park. Tractors – two-axle Scania and Volvo. We have been using EVA PRO tire pressure monitoring systems for over two years. Initially, we bought kits for seven roadtrains: 12 wheel modules for the entire linkage, plus monitors and master blocks. In operation, the system has proven its effectiveness – due to the timely detection of a pressure drop, it was possible to save about a dozen tires from destruction. In the future, we plan to equip other roadtrains in our fleet with this system.

We chose the wheel sensors for internal placement – they are reliably protected against water, dirt and other external influences. When mounting the tires (and we already had to change tires after natural wear), there was no damage to the sensors installed in the rim recess. The latest generation of EVA PRO kits – one of which we recently bought – already include improved wheel sensors with elastic antennas, they are even more resistant to accidental tire inflation.

In addition to the main function of “rescuing” a tire worth 30-40 thousand rubles (as you know, with a critical pressure drop, it can simply explode on the go), the pressure control system also allows you to avoid delays in the delivery of goods. In cars with Eva Pro, we almost never have to replace a flat tire ourselves, because at the first sign of pressure loss, the driver sees this on the monitor and immediately makes plans to drive to the nearest truck tire service. Where the wheel needs to be removed and disassembled is with the help of a pneumatic wrench, tire changer and other professional equipment. A complete repair with the elimination of damage takes much less time than installing a spare wheel at the roadside, delivering the cargo to the recipient on time. In addition, the EVA PRO system shows the driver and the temperature in the wheel, which also helps to detect a malfunction in time – for example, an overheating of a stuck brake mechanism or failure of the hub bearings.

Igor Ivashkin, individual entrepreneur, Krasnoyarsk Territory

“Our company has six long-distance trains with Volvo FH tractors and refrigerated trailers and low loaders. The latter have dual 17.5-inch wheels, making it very difficult to check tire pressure in the traditional way. Getting to the inner wheel flap with a handheld gauge isn’t easy, and drivers are unlikely to do this, as expected, for every long-haul flight. This means that the risk of premature failure of expensive tires is high. The solution to the problem was found in the installation of an automated tire pressure monitoring system. In our region, such specialized equipment is produced by the Krasnoyarsk company Acceptum-Engineering – we decided to try its EVA PRO kit. The system was installed on the first road train more than three years ago as an experiment. When we saw the positive effects, four more kits were ordered and to date we have fitted five of the six towbars with EVA PRO sensors and monitors.

On 22.5-inch wheels of tractors and refrigerated trailers, pressure and temperature sensors are mounted in the wheels and attached to the discs with special clamps. Such sensors are not suitable for 17.5-inch low-loader wheels – they will interfere with tire fitting. I had to install external sensors – they screw onto the valves instead of caps.

In general, the system works without failures, the batteries of the sensors are still native, no other parts of the system had to be replaced. In occasional cases of minor malfunctions, for adjustment or just a routine examination, specialists from the manufacturer’s service department came.

During the operation of pressure measurement systems, we have already saved several tires by detecting breakthroughs in time. A red warning label lights up on the monitor installed in the cab and the driver immediately sees which wheel has lost pressure. After stopping and inspecting this tire, he often sees damage or a foreign object visually protruding from the tread. But even if everything is in order outwardly, the driver goes to the nearest tire shop for diagnosis and repair. If the pressure has dropped critically – as a rule, a rather large cut is visible in the tire – you need to jack up the axle and put the spare wheel on it.

An additional feature of the EVA PRO system – tire temperature monitoring – can also be useful in the event of brake failure. And in this case, it is possible to call the service in advance and avoid accelerated wear of the brake pads and discs.

About company

CompThe company “Acceptum-Engineering” with headquarters and factory in Krasnoyarsk was founded in 2015 and started developing a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). With the involvement of experienced robotics and radio engineering specialists, a prototype wheel module with pressure and temperature sensors was developed and operation tested along the entire length of the road train without the use of additional radio signal amplifiers.

In 2017, a prototype internal equipment was installed on a Volvo FMX dump truck used in a coal mine. In the following years, the TPMS, which received the name of the EVA PRO hardware and software complex, was constantly improved, and in 2019 many sets began to operate at enterprises with large fleets. At the same time, the EVA PRO project became a resident of the Skolkovo Innovation Center. At the end of 2020, second-generation hardware and software systems have been serially launched.

Author: Anton Utkin

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