Do I need to consider material issues when choosing an automatic slack adjuster?

When choosing an automatic slack adjuster, material is a key factor that needs to be carefully considered, directly affecting its performance, lifespan, and reliability. The main considerations are as follows:

1. Wear resistance is the core requirement:
The core friction elements responsible for compensating for clearance in the adjuster (such as push plates, claws, ratchet wheels, screws, etc.) will rub against each other or bear compression during operation.
The selected material must have excellent wear resistance to resist continuous small displacement friction, avoiding premature failure or reduced compensation accuracy due to excessive wear. The pairing combination between materials (friction pair) is particularly crucial.

2. Bearing capacity and strength requirements:
The adjuster will withstand forces (thrust, shear, impact load) from the braking or transmission system during operation.
The materials of the main structural components (shell, push rod, support) must have sufficient mechanical strength and stiffness to ensure that they do not deform or break under maximum working load, and maintain smooth movement.

3. Ability to resist environmental corrosion:
Especially for exposed applications such as automotive brake systems and construction machinery, adjusters may face erosion from water, salt spray, snow melting agents, dust, oil stains, and other contaminants.
The material must have good corrosion resistance (such as stainless steel, specific surface treatments, high-performance engineering plastics) to prevent rusting that can cause jamming, malfunction, or reduced strength. The sealing material also needs to be resistant to medium corrosion.

4. Stability to adapt to temperature changes:
The working environment experiences drastic temperature changes (such as high temperatures generated by braking and low temperatures in cold regions).
The material needs to maintain stable performance within the expected high and low temperature range: no softening, creep, or loss of strength at high temperatures; Not brittle or excessively shrunk at low temperatures. The coefficient of thermal expansion should be as low or matched as possible to avoid jamming or slack drift caused by temperature differences. The sealing material needs to be resistant to high and low temperatures.

5. Dimensional stability required to maintain accuracy:
The adjuster relies on precise size and slack control to achieve automatic compensation function.
The material needs to have good dimensional stability and be not easily deformed due to factors such as stress (creep), temperature changes (thermal expansion and contraction), moisture absorption/dehydration, etc., to ensure the long-term precise operation of the compensation mechanism.

6. Balance weight reduction and cost-effectiveness:
In weight sensitive applications such as aerospace and vehicles, high-strength lightweight materials (such as specific aluminum alloys, titanium alloys, high-performance engineering plastics) can be considered to reduce overall weight while meeting strength and functionality requirements.
Material cost is an important factor. On the basis of meeting performance and lifespan requirements, it is necessary to choose the most cost-effective material solution, balance initial costs and total ownership costs (including maintenance and replacement).

7. Special requirements for key moving parts:
Spring components should be made of high fatigue strength spring steel to ensure long-term elasticity under repeated compression/extension.
The sealing material needs to have excellent elasticity, wear resistance, and medium resistance (rubber, polyurethane, PTFE, etc.).
Bearings or parts that require low friction sliding may require consideration of self-lubricating materials or special surface treatments.