Development of Motor Vehicle Ventilation System Particulate Air Filters

The development of a particulate filter for a motor vehicle ventilation system is based on filter performance requirements, vehicle's operational environment, available space, filter media properties, and filter element technology. The design process includes analyses of theoretical and empirical models describing filter media performance and aerosol flow in filter housings and through filter elements. Filter media are carefully selected based upon these models and simplified laboratory tests. The filter element design is evaluated in great detail through a series of laboratory and field experiments.

This paper shows the process of cabin filter design, including filter media selection and experimental evaluation. Four recently published ISO and SAE test methods are discussed in detail. One of them, the SAE J1669 test procedure, was used to determine full scale filter element performance characteristics.