The future of mobile working machines
Emission limits worldwide
More hydraulic equipment
In the future, energy-on-demand solutions will play a large part. To increase efficiency, developers have “discovered” hydraulic fluid for functions such as driving ventilation fans and cooling units installed at a distance from the diesel engine. This requires an alternative to direct belt drive. Variable pump drives and sophisticated solutions drawn from the fields of gearbox technology, hydraulics and electronics help machines work more efficiently and in so doing keep emission levels below the limits.
Greater efficiency
Intelligent energy management will contribute to significantly increased efficiency in the future. Thus, for instance, vehicles in which the power train and working hydraulics are subjected to extreme start-and-stop loading can reduce energy consumption by incorporating hybrid hydraulic solutions. Even today, concepts such as the Hydrostatic Regenerative Braking system (HRB) make decisive contributions to improving overall system efficiency. The HRB reduces fuel consumption by as much as 25 percent while at the same time lowering maintenance costs and pollutant levels. Also conceivable is recovering energy not just from the drive train. In the working hydraulics, too, peak power requirements could be met with superfluous energy that had been stored beforehand. In this way the diesel engine can run in the speed range ideal for energy efficiency.
Better utilization
All-inclusive conditioning monitoring systems (CMS) can, in the future, prevent many machinery breakdowns and thus significantly improve utilization. One trend is to integrate decentralized electronics directly into the individual components. On-board electronics (OBE) use sensors installed in the components to collect vital data on the spot and forward it to the central controls. These will monitor all the drive systems and ensure perfect interplay of all the components. Costly downtimes can thus be avoided in the future.
A more intelligent combination
Combining hydraulics, gearbox technology and digital control electronics with intelligent software offers sizeable scope for improving both existing and new machine concepts. To name just one example, many agricultural tractors now make use of power split technology. If this concept can successfully be adapted for construction vehicles, then this alone harbors the potential for revolutionizing this sector.
More intensive communication
In efforts to improve overall efficiency in mobile working machines it will be necessary to create intensive and, above all, direct communication between the hydraulic control devices and the diesel engine controls. The Diesel Hydraulic Control (DHC) system is an initial and very promising concept for this purpose. In cooperation with Bosch, Rexroth is working on a new control strategy that will keep accustomed zip in the travel drive and working hydraulics, even under conditions of diminished load response and lower speeds of Tier 4 engines. To achieve this, DHC modifies the conventional sequence of events. The system now reports to the diesel engine, in advance, what loads the travel drive and working hydraulics are expected to impose. The
Future and beyond
Tier 4 Final is just an intermediate stop along the way. Demands for environment protection and efficiency enhancement will continue to expand. Energy recuperation, better efficiency levels and reduced noise emissions are the “short program”. The “freestyle” event will be zero-emissions drives — and the first steps toward the e-hybrid have already been taken. An initial pilot project, a forklift truck, is to show what the future of mobile working machines might look like.
More information:
www.boschrexroth.com/brm
www.boschrexroth.com/hrb
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