Quieter Ride for Long-Haul Truckers
Manufacturers of long-haul and heavy-duty tractor trailer trucks have made better truck interiors a priority.
To this end, Durable Products,
Crossville, Tenn., and Bayer
MaterialScience (BMS) LLC,
Pittsburgh, developed sound-attenuating
polyurethane floor
mats that are more economical
than those traditionally
made from
rubber.
The roughly
5-ft2 mats are
reaction-injection-molded
(RIM) Bayflex XGT-2 polyurethane.
They weigh in at 35 and
40 lb and are molded into entire
floor coverings for inside cabs of
trucks and heavy construction vehicles.
A sound-absorbing foam
called Bayfit SA 511 can be added
to the underside of the
mat to further dampen
sound and vibrations.
The polyurethane
RIM process gives more
design freedom than
she et-compounde d
rubbers. Molders can
vary the thickness of
the custom floor coverings
— something not
possible with rubber.
Molders make the mats
thicker near the engine
compartment and other
key areas to improve
driver comfort and
damp sound and vibration.
By the same token,
thinner mats where
possible help reduce
weight, important with
the ever-rising price of
diesel.
Additionally, RIM makes it
practical to mold large, complex
components with undercuts,
molded-in lips at the edges, and
support struts that sheet molding
can’t produce. Polyurethane
can also be pigmented, so there
won’t be wear spots in high-use
areas.
Make contact
Bayer MaterialScience LLC,
(412) 777-2000,bayermaterialscience.com
Durable Products Inc., (800)
373-3502, durableproductsinc.com