Voith Turbo

Voith Retarder®

with
On the road to success Voith Turbo.

braking
Retarders are costs and get your
load
faster to your destination
Voith – Our company

Voith is a reliable partner to essential industries.

We set standards worldwide for paper making technology,
power transmission, energy technology and for industrial
services. With annual sales over € 3 billion and more
than 24 000 employees in nearly 200 locations worldwide,
Voith is one of the large family-owned companies in Europe.

We want to be our customers’ preferred sup- The engine of our strong growth:
plier and business partner innovative power and reliability

Quality, reliability and soundness are key concepts
of our identity.
These are expressed in three words:
Voith – Engineered reliability.
Voith engineers have again and again written
new chapters in the history of technology.
Today, Voith holds over 7 000 active patents
worldwide. Approximately 400 new ones are
added every year.

The dynamic development and the growth over

the last few years confirm that we have taken the
right steps.

We will continue to expand our worldwide

dedication to our markets.
Increase your transport performance safely –
with retarders from Voith

The commercial pressure on the transport industry has been con-

sistently going up in recent years: higher payloads, higher mileages and
higher average speeds are requested. Engine outputs are continuously
increased. As a result, service brakes are also pushed to their limits.
The consequence: the safety for drivers, vehicles and loads falls by the
wayside.

The curve shows the energy in proportion to the We fully agree with our development partners and
vehicle speed. At double the speed, a quadruple in our customers: maximum transport performance is only
kinetic energy needs to be converted into heat possible with a high-performance braking system.
when stop braking is required.

Voith Retarders® offer you definite advant-
ages: they brake virtually wear-free and are
fully operational even on long descents. As
a result, they increase both the safety and
the transport performance of your vehicle –
and, in the end, also your economy.
This is why our development partners and custo-
mers can rely not only on the reliability of our
products, but also on their long service life and
service friendliness.

As long-term, close partner of vehicle manufac-

turers (OEMs), haulage companies and coach
operators we know where the resources for higher
user economy lie: in the reduction of complexity,
service and material costs. Our retarders fulfil
these prerequisites in an exemplary manner.
This is how you can increase safety
and reduce operating costs

Especially where they are needed most, i. e. at high speeds, Voith

Retarders® produce enormous braking powers (up to 700 kW/950 HP).
With their high braking torques and low unit weight, they are converting
huge amounts of energy effectively in the shortest of times. And because
the Voith Retarder has its own oil supply system, the operating medium
can be utilized up to its highest permissible operating temperature range.

Combination of engine brake and retarder

Safe continuous brakes that pay for

themselves
When operated over longer periods, friction
brakes reach temperatures of up to 1000 ºC. As
a result, their braking effect drops rapidly, fis-
sures might develop, brake linings wear out. As
genuine continuous brakes, Voith Retarders offer
you enormous safety reserves where it really
matters: on demanding downward gradients, on
motorways and in urban start-stop traffic.
Engine brake and Voith Retarder complement
each other ideally, because their braking effect
adds up. As a result, you have optimum braking
power, both at low and at high speeds. With
secondary retarders, the braking power is not
interrupted during gear-shifting – a definite plus
for your safety.
More economy for the operator –
More safety for the driver

With increasing brake lining temperatures, wear

increases rapidly.

Voith Retarders offer numerous benefits

to operators and drivers:

For the operator: For the driver:

The retarder pays for itself, often in less than
More safety on descending routes and during
2 years adaptation braking

Voith Retarders are the lightest in weight among
Cold, fully operational brakes in emergency
endurance brake systems. As a result you situations
can utilize your payload capacity to its fullest
High driving comfort

Higher and more even average speeds at
Constant driving speed (cruise control on down-
increased safety reserves ward gradients)

The service brake is protected. Brake linings
Smoothly introduced, continuously effective
last up to eight times longer braking power

Active retarder utilisation saves fuel and time

Reliability and punctuality are improved

Lower operating costs

Increased availability of the vehicle
Safety – hands on or
foot-operated:
The function of the
Voith Retarder
Easy, reliable, effective: This is
how the Voith Retarder® works

CAN-Bus

Digiprop or
VERA electronics

Reservoir air

ISO-K

Temperature pick-up
water
Temperature pick-up
oil

Diagnosis and
coding with PC

Retarder VR 133-2 Integration of the retarder in the Electronic retarder control system
cross-section vehicle cooling system

In a hydrodynamic retarder, two bladed wheels
face each other. The rotor is connected to the
propshaft of the vehicle via the retarder input
shaft, the stator is rigidly connected to the retarder
housing. During braking, oil circulates between
the bladed wheels. The oil is accelerated by the
rotor and decelerated (retarded) in the stator.
As a result, the rotor is also decelerated and the
vehicle is slowed down. Braking heat that is
generated in this process is fast and effectively
dissipated via the vehicle cooling system – with-
out negatively affecting adjacent components.
Perfectly integrated into the vehicle brake
management
Today, retarders are integrated into the brake
management of a vehicle via the vehicle electro-
nics as an integral part of braking systems. The
activation of the retarder occurs automatically
via the foot brake pedal or alternatively via a
hand lever at the steering wheel. The v-constant
function (cruise control on downward gradients)
keeps the vehicle constantly at a speed selected
by the driver on descending routes. The ideal
scenario would be to couple the v-constant func-
tion of the retarder with the cruise control function
of the vehicle.
With Voith Retarders,
trucks reach their destination faster

During comparative driving tests with and without

retarder, clear differences emerged in terms of
speed, gear-shifting comfort and brake wear.

18 90 1800 90
85 % 70 % 36 %

Activations/gear changes
5,9 %
Average speed km/h

Average speed km/h

56 %
12 60 1200 60
Activations

1839 1890
16
75 74,5
70,4
6 30 600 1196 30
48
627
3
0 0 0 0
Service brake Average speed Service brake Gear change Average speed
without with without with without with without with without with
Voith Retarder Voith Retarder Voith Retarder Voith Retarder Voith Retarder

Heavy truck with Voith Retarder® Heavy truck with Voith Retarder ® Customer
Test route: Guadix – Granada (Spain) application: long-distance haulage

The maximum downward gradient of the 4.8 km Route: Italy – Germany

test route Guadix – Granada is 7%, the difference
in altitude 290 m.

85% reduction of service brake operations

56% increase of average speed
Conclusion:
On downward gradients, the retarder allows notice-
ably higher average speeds while the service
brake is activated less – hence lower wear.
Total route: 3 164 km

70 % reduction of service brake operations

36 % fewer shifting operations

5,9 % increase of average speed
Conclusion:
The retarder also convinces in long-distance
traffic by reduced service brake operations, fewer
gear changes and noticeably higher average
speeds. Driving economically, safely and comfort-
ably means: driving with a Voith Retarder.
 16

16 Transmission connection
 Design and construction

1 9
8
10

5
4

3
2

1 Connection for propshaft flange

2 Heat exchanger
3 Cooling water outlet
4 Temperature pick-up (water side)
5 Temperature pick-up (oil side)
6 Oil level dip stick
7 Proportional valve
8 Air duct control valve
9 Air outlet
10 Actuating pressure
 13 12 14

11 Rotor The operating medium

12 Stator oil is accelerated by the
13 Housing rotor, redirected in the
14 Oil sump stator and then again
15 Oil filling forwarded to the rotor.
11 15
 Logical, flexible and comprehensive:
The Voith Retarder® programme

Based on a wealth of experience, we have developed a retarder

programme which offers the optimum solution for all known
commercial vehicle types. We are the only manufacturer whose
product range features both inline and offline retarders.

Inline principle retarders VR 133-2 VR 120

Voith Inline Retarders Voith Retarder VR 120

Voith inline retarders are directly mounted to the
transmission or freely installed in the driveline; they
are connected with the propshaft of the vehicle.
Voith Retarder VR 133-2
For heavy-class coaches and commercial
vehicles, as well as for special vehicles: the most
powerful hydrodynamic retarder with high braking
torques yet low weight.
For medium-class long-distance buses and touring coa-
ches as well as trucks: car transporters, solo vehicles in
distribution traffic, drinks delivery vehicles, vehicles for
the transport of large-volume goods and mobile cranes.
Voith Retarder VR 123
This retarder has been developed especially for
applications in trucks, city- and midibuses with a
permissible weight of up to 18 t.

VR 123
 Voith Offline-Retarder
With step-up retarders, the speed is increased
in relation to the propshaft speed with a step-up
gear. They are extremely compact and provide
enormously high braking outputs even at low
driving speeds. As with all Voith Retarders, their
oil supply is independent of the transmission.
Voith Retarder VR 115 HV
This retarder has been developed further for the
Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles Actros, Axor
and Atego (heavy class) and is installed to the
Mercedes-Benz transmission.

Offline principle retarders VR 115 HV VR 3250

Voith Retarder VR 3250 Voith Retarder VR 115 E

The VR 3250 Volvo compact retarder is used in In co-operation with DaimlerChrysler, the
the Volvo FH and FM truck series. It is also GO/VR 115 E transmission-retarder-system was
available in a coach version exclusively for Volvo developed especially for coach applications.
coaches with Volvo transmissions.

VR 115 E

Technical data

VR 120 VR 123 VR 133-2 VR 115 HV VR 115 E VR 3250

Max. nominal
Retarder braking
torque propshaft (Nm) 2 000 1 500 4 000 3 500 3 400 3 250
Max. speed
at
propshaft (rpm) 3 400 3 150 2 800 2 480 2 400 2 500
Weight without
operating medium
approx. (kg) 65 52,5 85 62 65 59
Specific braking
torque (Nm/kg) 31 29 47 56 52 55
 Maximum performance for all: Voith Retarders®
convince in vehicle concepts worldwide

Voith Retarders have proven themselves in countless applications

all over the world. Small or medium vehicles and heavyweights –
Voith Turbo offers you the most powerful retarders in the market.

Transmission manufacturers
DAIMLERCHRYSLER, DYMOS, EATON, EXEDY, HINO, MITSUBISHI FUSO TRUCK & BUS
CORPORATION, SPICER TRANSMISSION TSP, VOLVO, ZF

Vehicle manufacturers
AMAZ, ANKAI, AUTOSAN, AYATS, DAEWOO, ELBA, EVOBUS, HINO, HYUNDAI, IKARBUS,
IKARUSBUS, IRISBUS, KATO, KAWASAKI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, KOBELCO, LION’S BUS
CORPORATION, MAN, MERCEDES-BENZ, MITSUBISHI FUSO TRUCK & BUS CORPORATION,
NEOMAN, NISSAN DIESEL, NORINCO NEOPLAN, O.I.S.A. OMNIBUS INTEGRALES S.A.,
ORLANDI, RABA, RENAULT, SANOSS, SHENFEI HINO, SILVERBUS, SLOVBUS, SOR, STEYR,
TADANO, TEMSA, VAN HOOL, VDL, VOLVO, VW, YAXING-BENZ

As the development partners of renowned manu-
facturers, we provide our customers with the
certainty that they get the best solution for their
vehicle concept. In partnership and co-operation
with transmission and vehicle manufacturers,
we are developing tailor-made solutions for your
driveline.
Voith Retarders are available either ex works
from the vehicle manufacturers, or as retrofits
through a wide network of authorised workshops.
These workshops are also reliably carrying out
any service work for your Voith Retarder.

1905 Patent registration

of hydrodynamic power
transmission by 1968 Voith Retarder B 180/B 190 1987 VR 120 für medium-weight 1991 Retarders VR 115 H und VR 133
Professor Foettinger for applications in coaches commercial vehicles enter series production

1961 First hydrodynamic retarder
for rail vehicles in USA
1975 Development of 1989 VR 115 H secondary 1994 Certification to
Voith Retarder VHBK 130 retarder with step-up gear ISO 9001.
for coaches and trucks for offline installation The 100 000th
Voith Retarder
is delivered
 How a 3 000 kW drive
turned into the Voith Retarder

In the 1950s, up to 5 km long and 10 000 t heavy
goods trains were towed across the Rocky Moun-
tains in the USA. Ten standard diesel locomotives
were needed to carry out this task. In order to im-
prove the transport performance, Voith developed
the drive of a 3 000 kW (4 000 HP) locomotive.
This project went hand in hand with the search
for an economical braking system for descents
with downward gradients of up to 30 ‰ – the first
retarder was born.
Initiated by Otto Kässbohrer, the father of the
Setra coach series, developments for road ve-
hicles followed at the end of the sixties: in 1978,
already more than 1 200 retarders were in service
in coaches. During the 90s, large-scale installa-
tions in trucks and coaches followed. At the IAA
in 2002, the future was rung in: the new Voith
Aquatarder® represents a quantum leap in retarder
technology.

2002 Certification of environment

1999 Volvo starts series
production of the VR 3250;
1996 Introduction of the The 200 000th retarder is
electronic “Digiprop” delivered
control system
management to ISO 14001:
Introduction of Aquatarder
and VR 123 at IAA Commer-
cial Vehicle Show in Hanover
2004 Series production starts for:
Voith Aquatarder WR 190 at
MAN, VR 115 HV for Actros,
Atego and Axor.

1998 Start of series production of 2000 Certification to ISO 9001 2003 300 000 retarders are in service
the GO/VR 115 E transmis- and VDA 6, part 1 worldwide
sion-retarder-system especi- VR 123 enters series production
ally designed for coaches in the Mercedes “Midibus”
Voith Turbo GmbH & Co. KG
Product Group Retarders
Voithstraße 1
74564 Crailsheim, Germany
Tel.: +49 7951 32-622
Fax: +49 7951 32-574
marketing-retarder@voith.com
www.voith-retarder.com
www.voithturbo.com

Cr 272 e (RTS/WA) 09/04 Print run: 2 000, Dimensions, weights and illustrations without obligation. Subject to modifications.

Engineered reliability.