SHANGHAI, China … Power management company Eaton today announced it has been chosen to supply its decompression engine brake to Guangxi Yuchai Machinery Group Co., Ltd. (Yuchai Group), a China-based commercial vehicle engine manufacturer.
The engine brake, slated to be assembled at Eaton’s manufacturing facility in Jining, China, enhance brake power in the full-engine operating range and is compact, allowing for easy integration into smaller engines. Eaton made the announcement at the Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition.
“We’re very pleased to supply Yuchai Group with our engine brake technology, which enables the use of smaller, more efficient engines,” said Bo Yang, vice president and general manager, Eaton’s Vehicle Group and eMobility, China. “As a technology leader in China, Yuchai is committed to sustainable transportation, and Eaton has the technology to help them realize their goals.”
Under terms of the agreement, Eaton will supply engine brakes for Yuchai K5/K8 and S4/S6 engines beginning in 2019. Volume expectations and financial details have not been disclosed.
Eaton’s engine decompression brake is a cost-effective solution that provides flexibility to accommodate constraints from truck manufacturing customers. At its core, the engine brake is a valvetrain system with a mechanism to switch between driving mode and engine braking mode, according to customer requirements, and can be integrated into a standard assembly.
For systems using cylinder decompression, the mechanism allows earlier exhaust valve opening to release the gas pressure inside the cylinder when the piston gets close to top dead center and when there is maximum compression inside the cylinder. With this system acting in brake mode, the engine uses the kinetic energy of the vehicle to compress gases. When the gas is released, the same power is not given back, resulting in a braking effect.