Truck Parts and Service | Heavy Duty Trucking, Aftermarket, Service Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/638172
A chemical process in which water, oxygen and electrical current work in conjunction to degrade and destroy met- al, corrosion is amplifi ed during winter months by anti-icing chemicals (calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, etc.) used to clean North American roadways. These chemical concoctions, dispersed to rapidly erode snow and ice, bring their same destructive properties to the corro- sion formula and can be devastating to all vehicles when left unchecked. Most suppliers have responded by developing and introducing compo- nents with corrosion-resistant protec- tive coatings to withstand this natural destruction. But even with those recent efforts, an overwhelming majority of parts found on today's medium- and heavy-duty trucks remain susceptible to aggressive winter corrosion. This is especially true in the aftermar- ket, where older vehicles reign supreme. Aftermarket distributors and service providers looking to capitalize on this seasonal deluge of breakdowns require expertise in identifying, investigating and properly repairing components damaged or ruined by corrosion. Finding a corroded wire or replac- ing a rusted brake shoe will get a truck back on the road, but it's the ability to do both and also keep the truck on the road that will ultimately bring an aftermarket operation repeat business. "You have to understand how every- thing works to really do the job right," says Bruce Purkey, chief creative engineer at Purkeys Fleet Electric. "If you don't do things right, you're doomed to fail again." Though metals are regarded as cor- rosion's most common target, nearly any material can corrode over time. And corrosion is unrelenting. "It's a one-way deal. Once it starts it doesn't ever get any better," says John Thompson sales manager, commercial vehicles, NAFTA at TMD Friction. "You just have to monitor it and manage it." Brakes, wheels, landing gear and electrical systems are among the most common victims of corrosion due to their proximity to the roadway and the atmosphere in which they reside. Positioned in areas where they are constantly showered by elements and aren't easy to clean, these systems collect anti-icing chemicals during winter and then are repeatedly attacked any time they get wet and the chemicals reacti- vate, says Tim Gilbert, director of OEM and heavy-duty fl eet sales at Peterson Manufacturing. "These chemicals don't do anything when it's dry; it's when they get wet that they're activated. That's why they're put down before it snows," he says. "They will get into those areas where they don't wash out and sit dormant, and then when it gets damp in there again, they will just sit in there and eat [at the materials]." But corrosion damage isn't solely the result of snowy weather and bad luck. Even before the recent introduction of products with corrosion-resistant coat- ings, suppliers were already using cor- rosion inhibitors and producing robust components with longevity in mind. They just weren't always fi nding their way onto trucks. Fred Kelley, director of technology for General Cable, says he encountered this phenomenon fi rst hand nearly a decade ago during his fi rst trip to an American Trucking Associations' Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) meeting. "I remember [the attendees] didn't really understand specifi cations, and how different wiring could really be," he says. "My assumption was that people under- stood, but it wasn't like that at all." Kelley says he met people in the OEM and fl eet communities that were spec'ing 23 Service Bay W W W . T R U C K P A R T S A N D S E R V I C E . C O M F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 6 | T R U C K P A R T S & S E R V I C E The effects of corrosion can never be reversed, but using dielectric grease and other maintenance products can slow the speed of its destruction. W ith temperatures hovering near freezing and snow regularly falling across the United States and Canada, corrosion season has returned.