BENDIX BW2804 Dépliant
WHEN IT COMES TO SAFETY,
YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR
Case Study: Genuine Bendix
®
AD-IP
®
Air Dryer Components
The Need: Passenger Safety
It was a typical day for the transit bus driver as he traveled
through the streets of a major southeastern U.S. city,
dropping off and picking up passengers. But that typical
day completely changed when a sudden, loud sound
reverberated through the inside of the bus.
through the streets of a major southeastern U.S. city,
dropping off and picking up passengers. But that typical
day completely changed when a sudden, loud sound
reverberated through the inside of the bus.
The sound originated from something that actually shot
through the floor of the bus, ripping up the floorboard,
damaging the body, and forcing the vehicle to come to
a complete stop. Fortunately, neither the driver nor any
passengers were injured. But extensive repairs needed to
be made, and the bus required a tow from the road.
through the floor of the bus, ripping up the floorboard,
damaging the body, and forcing the vehicle to come to
a complete stop. Fortunately, neither the driver nor any
passengers were injured. But extensive repairs needed to
be made, and the bus required a tow from the road.
“
“
“We are really lucky that nobody
was injured,” the bus fleet’s
maintenance and training supervisor
said. “We figured it was just a fluke,
and that it wouldn’t happen again.”
Unfortunately, it wasn’t a fluke.
Maintenance and Training Supervisor
Southeastern U.S. transit fl eet
Southeastern U.S. transit fl eet
South East US commercial
bus fleet learns a lesson
about quality the hard way.
bus fleet learns a lesson
about quality the hard way.
How Genuine Bendix Could Have Prevented Downtime,
Extensive Repairs and Potential Danger for a Commercial Bus Fleet
Maintenance technicians determined that a knockoff air dryer
installed on the bus had malfunctioned, causing the part to
tear through the vehicle floor and creating the loud noise. An
ineffective dryer design and construction caused the retaining
ring that held the canister to split in the middle and fail.
The failure propelled the canister off the dryer with enough
force to drive it through the floor of a bus. The desiccant
in the cartridge had broken down into powder and was
injected throughout the braking system, contaminating the
system and contributing to the potential for future failures
of downstream parts. The dryer and cartridge – which had
just been installed a few months before – was not a genuine
Bendix product.
installed on the bus had malfunctioned, causing the part to
tear through the vehicle floor and creating the loud noise. An
ineffective dryer design and construction caused the retaining
ring that held the canister to split in the middle and fail.
The failure propelled the canister off the dryer with enough
force to drive it through the floor of a bus. The desiccant
in the cartridge had broken down into powder and was
injected throughout the braking system, contaminating the
system and contributing to the potential for future failures
of downstream parts. The dryer and cartridge – which had
just been installed a few months before – was not a genuine
Bendix product.
“We are really lucky that nobody was injured,” the bus fleet’s
maintenance and training supervisor said. “We figured it was
just a fluke, and that it wouldn’t happen again.”
maintenance and training supervisor said. “We figured it was
just a fluke, and that it wouldn’t happen again.”
Unfortunately, it wasn’t a fluke. In fact, cartridge malfunctions
also occurred on seven other buses within the fleet. The
first malfunction caused the most severe damage, but each
incident required repair and threatened the safety of the
buses and their passengers.
also occurred on seven other buses within the fleet. The
first malfunction caused the most severe damage, but each
incident required repair and threatened the safety of the
buses and their passengers.
“We’ve had seven failures thus far, but we purchased 174
air dryers with the knockoff cartridges,” the director of
maintenance said. “We’re expecting more failures.”
air dryers with the knockoff cartridges,” the director of
maintenance said. “We’re expecting more failures.”
™
Poor quality caused the
keeper ring to split on
the knockoff cartridge