Eaton’s new line of GH100 flexible rubber hose is specifically designed to withstand “bake out” and the structurally-depleting effects of biodiesel fuel and advanced synthetic lubricants have on conventional, under-hood rubber fuel and lubrication lines.
“Biodiesel blends and synthetic lubricants are important aspects of the emerging sustainable energy system and they are going to be increasingly common in the future,” says Doris Showalter, Eaton senior product manager, transportation and air conditioning products. “Unfortunately, these fluids can quickly make ordinary hose products brittle and prone to cracking, and subject them to other forms of premature failure.”
Showalter says that at temperatures above 100 degrees Celsius, some biodiesel blends above B20 can “bake out” the elastomers necessary to keep hoses flexible. This is a problem in particular for vehicles that burn a variety of fuel blends — B5 one day, AB20 the next.
The new GH100 hose is designed to combat “bake out” and fill the temperature performance gap Showalter says currently exists between conventional tube hose products and premium Teflon hoses. GH100 hose meets the requirements of common industry test methods including ASTM D380, 412 and 2240 and also has passed various specific custom/OE biodiesel and fuel test requirements.
