The automobile air cleaner element (“filter element” below) is a part that needs to be replaced periodically, and making this part last longer is essential. Generally, to achieve longer life, it has been necessary to raise the space ratio of the material making up the filter element, but it is difficult to do this and maintain cleaning efficiency at the same time. For that reason, it has been necessary to select filter elements to suit the properties of impurities as well as the usage environment, and to replace these elements or remove impurities on a frequent basis.
In this research, a new filter element was investigated in order to achieve longer life without reducing cleaning efficiency.
Choosing a wet type, nonwoven filter made of hollow fibers and impregnated with oil enables not just the filter element’s mesh, but also the fiber surface, to trap dust, which compared to a nonwoven filter made of ordinary fiber produces a filter with not only higher cleaning efficiency but also a smaller decline in pressure and no loss of efficiency, even at high flow rates.