Vehicular Air Compressor Development in Relation to Engine Development, Vehicle Design and Brake System Security

Design advances of air compressors for buses and trucks are reviewed. Volumetric delivery, supplied pressure, and heat removal are discussed in detail. Results show that the single-cylinder air compressor with a delivery of 500 1/min at 10 bar will retain its dominant position in industrial use for years to come. Present design limits displacement to about 300 cm³.

New designs of valve-plate cooling have raised previous limitations of compressor performance, which may be necessitated by increased use of compressed air for auxiliary purposes. Single-stage delivery can now provide 20 bar, and replacement of ring plate valves allow compressor speeds above 3000 rpm. Operating temperature improvements are discussed in terms of various heat-transfer mechanisms, integrity of seals, and lessened carbon deposition in the oil line. Several variations of the new design are presented and performance characteristics are compared to conventional models.