Alcoa has rolled out its most durable, easy-to-maintain commercial truck wheel, known as the Dura-Bright EVO wheel, which stands up stronger against the weather, road salts, grime and cleaning agents that can corrode and dull standard commercial truck wheels, according to the company.
Alcoa’s new surface-treated Dura-Bright EVO wheel maintains all the benefits of its predecessor, the Dura-Bright wheel with XBR technology, while taking the wheel’s performance to a new level. The Dura-Bright EVO wheel is 10 times more resistant to corrosion primarily caused by road salts and weather elements. In addition, the wheel is up to three times more resistant to chemicals, including hydrofluoric acid, found in the toughest truck wash cleaning agents. This enables the use of a wider variety of cleaning solutions to simplify maintenance, while preserving the integrity and brightness of the wheel.
The Dura-Bright EVO wheel is now commercially available in Europe, where the company has already seen significant adoption of its Dura-Bright wheels. Alcoa has begun producing the wheel at its manufacturing plant in Székesfehérvár, Hungary. The wheel is expected to be available in all other markets in 2015.
“Demand for Alcoa’s aluminum wheels continues to grow in Europe, as emissions regulations and maintenance costs drive up the need for stronger, lighter and easier-to-maintain wheels that increase payload, reduce costs and enhance sustainability,” said Scott Kerns, vice president and general manager commercial vehicle wheels Europe, Japan and South Africa.
Dura-Bright is not a coating, but rather a surface treatment that penetrates the aluminum and becomes an integral part of the wheel. Alcoa’s surface treatment experts at the Alcoa Technical Center, a light metals research and development center based outside of Pittsburgh, developed the Dura-Bright wheel technology in collaboration with the Alcoa Wheel and Transportation Products business. The Company launched the first Dura-Bright product in 2003.
