New Federal-Mogul Unipiston® Seals Higher Pressures, Enables More Compact Clutch Designs
Injection molding of high-modulus elastomers is industry-first, enables better fuel economy and reduced emissions
Burscheid, Germany, November 5, 2014 … Federal-Mogul Powertrain, a division of Federal-Mogul Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ:FDML), has developed groundbreaking clutch piston technology that will allow vehicles with automatic or dual-clutch transmissions to become more fuel-efficient. Federal-Mogul Powertrain’s new high-modulus Unipiston® allows transmission designers more flexibility, including increased clutch apply pressures, higher rotational clutch speeds, and larger diameter clutches. This flexibility enables transmissions with additional clutches to be packaged in a smaller space, while providing improved fuel economy, reduced emissions and enhanced vehicle performance.
To produce a high-modulus (stiffness) bonded piston using environmentally-friendly materials, Federal-Mogul Powertrain developed a new elastomer material and introduced a number of innovations to the molding process.
“Federal-Mogul Powertrain now has the unique ability to manufacture bonded clutch pistons using a high-modulus, environmentally-safe material,” said Mike Gerulski, director, advanced technology, Federal-Mogul Powertrain Sealing and Gaskets. “The breakthrough allows us to offer bonded clutch pistons designed with an elastomeric material possessing a modulus approximately twice as high as production bonded pistons on the market today, resulting in at least twice the life in high-pressure cyclic bench testing than current production products.”
Conventional bonded piston seal materials manufactured using traditional injection molding are limited in their modulus to around 10 megapascals (MPa) since elastomer viscosity increases with modulus, resulting in challenges when filling the mold cavity. Federal-Mogul Powertrain’s combined development of the new elastomer material and manufacturing process results in a Unipiston with a modulus of over 20 MPa, which cannot be attained using traditional injection molding processes.
“The introduction of the original bonded clutch pistons by Federal-Mogul almost 30 years ago helped make clutch pistons more compact and easier to assemble,“ said Gian Maria Olivetti, chief technology officer, Federal-Mogul Powertrain. “High-modulus bonded pistons mark a similar breakthrough and usher in a new era of more efficient, more compact transmissions.”
High-modulus injection-molded Unipistons are now in series production. The technology was a 2013 Automotive News PACE™ Award Winner in the process category.
About Federal-Mogul
Federal-Mogul Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: FDML) is a leading global supplier of products and services to the world’s manufacturers and servicers of vehicles and equipment in the automotive, light, medium and heavy-duty commercial, marine, rail, aerospace, power generation and industrial markets. The company’s products and services enable improved fuel economy, reduced emissions and enhanced vehicle safety.
Federal-Mogul operates two independent business divisions, each with a chief executive officer reporting to Federal-Mogul's Board of Directors.
Federal-Mogul Powertrain designs and manufactures original equipment powertrain components and systems protection products for automotive, heavy-duty, industrial and transport applications.
Federal-Mogul Motorparts sells and distributes a broad portfolio of products through more than 20 of the world’s most recognized brands in the global vehicle aftermarket, while also serving original equipment vehicle manufacturers with products including braking, chassis, wipers and other vehicle components. The company’s aftermarket brands include ANCO® wiper blades; Champion® spark plugs, wipers and filters; AE®, Fel-Pro®, FP Diesel®, Goetze®, Glyco®, Nüral®, Payen® and Sealed Power® engine products; MOOG® steering and suspension parts; and Ferodo®, Jurid® and Wagner® brake products.
Federal-Mogul was founded in Detroit in 1899 and maintains its worldwide headquarters in Southfield, Michigan. The company employs more than 45,000 people in 34 countries. For more information, please visit www.federalmogul.com.
Detail of the Unipiston® manufacturing process is available to view by following this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4oWHLgFb3
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CONTACT:
Paul Chadderton
Market Engineering+44 (0)1295 277050
paul.chadderton@m-eng.com
Ursula Hellstern
Federal-Mogul Corporate Communications EMEA
+49 (611) 201 9190
ursula.hellstern@federalmogul.com
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