Abstract
As a result of the gradual growth and market expansion of NABI North American Bus Industry Inc. (abbreviated as NABI Inc.), the firm has acquired an 18% share in the market of city buses in United States. NABI Inc. has increased its revenues by 20 times between 1994 and 2000. This growth is, among others, owing to the well-established development work performed by the companys specialists before releasing every new product. The following is a summary of the activities through which NABI Inc. provided a foundation for the releasingn of buses with stainless steel body.
Over the recent years, it has become a demand towards bus manufacturers beyond automobile manufacturers from an increasing number of customers to offer a guarantee period beyond 6 years, while in the US, suppliers must offer a 12-year guarantee on their products. Bodies made from conventional unalloyed steel must be painted and fitted with underspray to achieve corrosion resistance. However, it is not only the plates, which have to be coated with anticorrosion material, but the internal tube surface and the cavities of the welded structure of the body, as well. This means the drilling of approx. 1000 to 1200 holes in the tubes of the frame structure of the bus, the pulverization of underspray through these holes, then the bores have to be plugged following this treatment. In addition to the surplus in work i.e. drilling holes, plugging the anticorrosion substance carries substantial weight: about 1.5 to 2 % of the weight of the body and frame, which increases fuel consumption.
As a result of increased air pollution and the salting of roads against ice, corrosion protection carries an ever-increasing importance in automotive manufacturing. The amount of salt and salt mixture used in the US for the salting of roads, for example, increased from 0.5 million tons in the early 1950s to 9.5 million tons by the mid 1970s. Moreover, the aggressive corrosion substances released in industrial surroundings also contribute to the abrupt increase in corrosive damages [1]. Vehicles used near seas and oceans are also exposed to substantial corrosive impact.