Bendix announced a line haul and lighter-duty air brake on Tuesday, to launch in the second half of 2024.
The ADB22X-LT has been redesigned to remove weight from the caliper and carrier, creating the lightest air disc brake assembly on the market, the company says. It achieves a torque rating comparable to the original ADB22X.
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"To meet their lighter-duty needs, fleets and owner-operators wanted a lower-weight air disc brake with all the performance, safety and maintenance advantages of the original ADB22X," says Mark Holley, director of marketing and customer solutions, wheel-end, and Bendix. "Our new, optimized version delivers a premium braking solution capable of meeting a wide range of these needs, including line haul. The lower weight — a reduction of 7.2 lbs. — per wheel end ... translates into increased payload capacity and improved fuel efficiency. When you add in the improvements we've made to the ADB22X in the past few years, the result is a brake that makes sense both on the road and from the perspective of total cost of ownership."
Bendix is also introducing iSense and iSense Pro brake wear sensing, available for all versions of the ADB22X. The technology, the company says, reduces maintenance costs by alerting fleets, via telematics, when ADB pads are nearing end of life. This helps fleets avoid the risk of damaging rotors through early detection of worn pads while allowing the design of optimal friction replacement schedules.
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Air disc brakes provide a car-like feel, Bendix says, with straight, stable stops and greater reliability because there is no brake fade or degradation of stopping power. The company says these brakes complement its active safety technologies, such as Wingman Fusion and ESP Electronic Stability Program, because it provides consistent stopping power to help these systems perform at their best.
Since 2005, Bendix has produced more than 6 million ADB22X brakes. Worldwide, it says that between it and parent company Knorr-Bremse, more than 60 million air disc brakes.
"Our focus, as ever, remains squarely on constantly evolving our products to meet the industry's needs," Holley says. "In the case of air disc brakes, that includes driving out weight and operating costs while increasing the options — such as the ADB22X engineered for lighter-duty applications — we make available to our fleet partners. We listen closely to these partners, as together we work to shape tomorrow's transportation."
