Goodyear Engineered Products

www.goodyear.com

New Hose Technology

GOODYEAR ENGINEERED PRODUCTS EUROPE

Goodyear Engineered Products is one of the leading global suppliers of technical rubber products. The product range consists of:

Goodyear Engineered Products in Europe has been increasing its presence in Europe over the last few years. It transformed itself from an American importer into a true European supplier, with its headquarters in Kranj, Slovenia, which is located in he corner south of Austria and east of North Italy.

Today it produces Airsprings in Slovenia and in France and the production of Belts and Automotive Hoses is in Slovenia. Many OE customers are already being supplied from the ISO/TS16949 certified operations.

At several European customers innovative OE products have been introduced. These new products are designed for superior performance, noise reduction or lower emissions.

Manufacturing hoses in the European Union

The air-conditioning hose manufacturing was started last April and with Slovenia having joined the European Union on May 1st, 2004, the air-conditioning hose plant thus represents Goodyear’s first automotive hoses manufactured within the E.U.

These hoses are all supplied from the Distribution Centre in Slovenia, which operates a very professional multilingual Customer Service team.

Kris Bruyland, Business Manager Automotive Hoses Europe, answers the question : why production in Slovenia?

Help protecting the environment

Most automotive air-conditioning systems are using the R134a refrigerant. This R134a is not ozone depleting (as the banned R12 used to be), but R134a still has a global warming effect. The Global Warming Potential (GWP) is 1300 versus the reference gas CO2 with GWP = 1.

The less R134a evaporates from a car system,

The Goodyear hose is build with a barrier-technology, which includes a special layer of PA (polyamide) which keeps the R134a permeation as low as possible. The new 4890 SLE hose has improved the combination of PA and rubber layers into a hose which succeeds to reduce the R134a emissions down to 4 times less than most currently used products.

The barrier concept and such innovative products are in production in Slovenia.

Lowest permeation

To test the R134a emission (or "permeation") the OE industry has developed several laboratory tests which are set to simulate a life time permeation in a few weeks elevated temperature testing, for example at 90 C continuous.

 
Click to enlarge
  

The chart shows results to a permeation test which is common in the car industry. The results demonstrate the excellent performance of the 4890 SLE and a few more innovative Goodyear air-conditioning hoses.

Formed hoses

Today's modern engine rooms require ever more tight packaging, not leaving much available space for hose line routing. In order to assist space problem solving, the Goodyear air-conditioning hoses are also available in formed hoses, which can be provided in all kinds of tight shapes and in the different hose constructions.

Future technology on the 2008 horizon : CO2 systems

The automotive industry is working hard on developing air-conditioning systems with a much lower GWP, such as systems operating with CO2. These systems can be expected around 2008, but still have several challenges ahead related to high operating pressures, high temperatures and the required low leakage rates.

Goodyear has been developing a hose, which would be able to operate in such demanding environment, whilst still offering a durable and very flexible connection. First prototypes of such "polymeric" hoses have been delivered to the industry for evaluation and have been fitted in some research vehicles.

For more information on Goodyear Automotive Hoses, please contact:

Kris Bruyland
Business Manager Automotive Hoses Europe
Goodyear Engineered Products
Skofjeloska C.6
4000 Kranj
Slovenia

Phone +386.4.20.78025
Fax +386.4.20.66410
e-mail : autohose.europe@goodyear.com

 

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