Hadley introduced its line of lightweight thermoform barrier products to the entire trucking industry at the March 2019 Technology & Maintenance Council’s Annual Meeting in Atlanta.
Hadley, in an alliance with its affiliated company Corvac Composites, is now providing lighter weight and lower cost thermoformed plastic products for the heavy truck industry. Product offerings include splash shields, under-engine covers and underbodies. Initial testing has yielded performance results where the durability is equivalent or improved over traditional barrier products.
Until now, splash shields and under-engine covers were traditionally injection mold or thick thermoform solutions on heavy duty commercial vehicles, according to they company. The weight of Hadley’s thermoformed barrier products is reduced by 30 percent to 50 percent — with a corresponding cost savings.
In addition to the one-for-one replacement of splash shields, customers will be able to protect any vehicle body area, whether under the hood or under the truck, to develop air flow optimization beneath the trucks. The capability to move the air under the truck is expected to have a positive impact on the fuel economy and heat abatement. The underbody barriers can be designed to customize the air flow under the vehicle to improve aerodynamics and alleviate “hot spots” in the engine compartment.
This technology is an existing part of aerodynamics with automobiles and light trucks: a version of the underbody barrier already in use with autos is the Corvac Thin Twin. The Thin Twin option protects from noise vibration harshness (NVH) by forming insulating pockets between two sheets of plastic. Airflow around the vehicle is optimized while the NVH properties improve driver comfort and safety.
Jim Green, President and CEO of Hadley, remarked “Hadley continues to focus on the heavy truck and commercial vehicle markets by providing better product solutions. The Hadley/Corvac relationship provides a unique opportunity to introduce the aerodynamics and weight savings from thermoformed products to the trucking industry. We are confident that this cost-effective, lightest-weight solution will be quickly adopted by the mainstream Class 8 market.”
