Durability Studies of Remanufacturable Components for Extended Life Cycle / Ammer Ezhar Mohd Razalli ... [et al.]

The concept of remanufacturing that requires automotive components to
enter a new life cycle in ‘as new’ condition is certainly a challenge to the
remanufacturers. A remanufacturable component has to be designed for
durability to ensure that its functional performance is retained after reaching
its end of life. To date, there is no systematic approach in ensuring the
durability of remanufacturable components to ensure that they are fit for use
in their subsequent life cycles apart from visual inspection and testing after
the reassembly process. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct an evaluation
on the damage and life cycle of remanufacturable components. In this study,
an automotive air conditioning compressor was used as a case example. The
function of a compressor is to compress refrigerant inside the air
conditioning system. After years of usage, the internal parts of the
compressor such as bearing, o-rings and seal tend to be damaged and
become unusable. However, its casing known as the core has the potential to
be reused for several life cycles through remanufacturing. A simulation test
on the compressor comprising static and fatigue tests are carried out and the
results show that the compressor casing has the ability to be remanufactured
since there are only minimal damage and a large number of life cycles.
Findings from the study will assist manufacturers in understanding the
importance of designing for durability for purposes of recovery strategies
such as remanufacturing, which serve as a new demand in the automotive
industry