EVANSVILLE, Ind. (Feb. 17, 2016) — Accuride Corp. has developed a steel truck wheel technology that it's offering with a five-year warranty against corrosion.
Accuride claims its proprietary EverSteel wheel provides corrosion protection that outperforms competing wheels, based on independently performed cyclic corrosion testing (GM9540P) that shows EverSteel lasts six times longer than its North American and offshore competitors and double the operational life of Accuride's Steel Armor steel wheels.
EverSteel's proprietary four-phase coating process provides durability and longer wheel service life, the company said. The technology is available initially on two Accuride 22.5x8.25 steel wheels: 50408 (two-hand hole) and 50487 (five-hand hole). The wheels will be produced at Accuride's Henderson, Ky., steel wheel plant.
“Accuride's proprietary new EverSteel technology demonstrates our commitment to offer customers advanced steel wheels that provide lasting value unmatched in the industry,” said Rick Dauch, president and CEO of Accuride.
“Corrosion is an ongoing and costly issue for fleets working in harsh operating environments across North America. Never before have steel wheels received warranted corrosion protection like that offered by our EverSteel technology. It sets a new standard of performance and durability, and will enable our fleet customers to achieve significant savings in wheel refinishing costs and the associated downtime.”
The wheels are especially suited for trailer applications and fleets regularly operating in ice and snow, Accuride said, since the wheels are able to resist corrosion due to road salt and de-icing chemicals.
“By delaying the onset of corrosion for up to eight years, EverSteel extends the usable life of the wheel prior to initial refinishing. EverSteel enables customers to save a projected $105 in wheel refinishing and maintenance costs, as well as the downtime associated with taking the wheels out of service,” the company said.
By bonding EverSteel technology with its Steel Armor powder coating and a high-performance epoxy electro-coat, Accuride said it has developed an enhanced protection system that delivers corrosion-resistance and longer wheel life.
In a four-step treatment process a EverSteel metal surface treatment is applied to the bare steel to protect it from harsh daily wear and tear; then a zinc phosphate pre-treatment that prepares the metal for maximum adhesion is applied; followed by an enhanced cathodic epoxy electro-coat optimized for sharp-edge and overall corrosion protection; and finished with Accuride's Steel Armor premium powder top coat.
Accuride Wheel End Solutions warrants EverSteel wheels used in combination with Accuride's Wheel Guard separator to be free of rust damage for 60 months from date of manufacture indicated on the wheel. All EverSteel wheels can be identified by the EverSteel stamp on the disc face and inside roll stamp of the wheel. In addition, each wheel includes a serial number for traceability.
For more information, visit www.accuridewheelendsolutions.com.