Dandelions Can Replace Natural and Synthetic Caoutchouc in Future
Munster University has just completed a research to make a tremendous discovery that can settle a new trend in a tire-making industry. The scientists have found out that rubber compound made from dandelions doesn’t yield to any rubber compound used nowadays.
This fact can make dandelions a new raw material for tire production. So tire manufacturers, the Continental company in particular, has already got interested in the research and together with other scientific research institutions and manufacturers will strive to transform the idea into a commercial product. By the way, the idea has already been awarded at the Land den Ideen (the Land of Ideas) national competition where the jury pointed out to the great potential it shows.
Continental hopes that dandelions can replace latex derived from caoutchouc trees in future. This can solve a big problem of nowadays connected with the lack of rubber. Rubber comes from the south-eastern Asia and the world demand for it has already exceeded the offer. Moreover, caoutchouc trees are affected by parasitic fungus.
The problem isn’t connected with synthetic rubber that is also used now but since its price depends on oil prices and the prices grow up, dandelion rubber can be an excellent replacement for both natural and synthetic rubber. Still, the idea could be realized no sooner that in five years.
Continental Claims Passenger Tread Pictures Move On to SUV Tires
One of the Continental company departments has come to an interesting conclusion lately. They spotted a diverting tendency in a tire-making industry, namely that fact that visual difference between passenger and all-wheel drive vehicles like SUVs is likely to disappear in the nearest time.
The tendency came into force due to the rapid development of asphalt SUV tire segment. These tires match the requirement of those drivers who need predictable handling, low fuel consumption and acoustic comfort passenger vehicles are known for. That’s why Continental maintains that passenger tire tread pattern will be more and more often used for the tires designed for 4WD vehicles. It is also encouraged by new legislation concerning noise level.
Consumers wish new crossovers had efficient fuel consumption. To achieve it, automotive and tire manufacturers work under the development of tires with low rolling resistance, which often results in “passenger-like” tread picture.
Continental has a good example of this tendency in its own tire line-up, namely the Continental ContiSportContact 5 model that is going to appear in UHP modification as well as in sizes fitting SUVs soon.
On the other hand, there’s a separate niche in the market for true off-road tires that are used by people who drive off the road. All-Terrain and Mud-Terrain tires features excellent off-road capabilities and will be always in demand, so they are not likely to disappear completely. So the main task of tire-makers is to create off-road tires that would show a lower level of noise on a highway while retaining all its off-road capabilities. Continental claims to achieve this goal with its new Continental AT tire line-up.
Earthquake in Japan Stopped the Work of Yokohama and Falken Plants
The earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan not long time ago brought to a stop the work of Falken and Yokohama automotive plants situated on the territory of the country. The plants didn’t suffer that great losses, so the production will be partially resumed in the nearest time.
Yokohama also decided to donate 50 million yen (about 440,000 Euro) to various organizations that deal with aftereffects of the March flood. The company presents their condolences to families of the dead and hopes that the area will be restored soon.
T. Ikeuchi, Falken financial director made a statement that one of their plants ceased everyday production operations due to power cutoffs as well as partially damaged plant buildings and equipment. Now the company estimates the scale of damage and is going to do its best to start working as soon as possible. Mr Ikeuchi also stated that nobody of Sumitomo employees or the members of their families suffered from the disaster.
Falken expresses its gratitude for all the calls and e-mails and states that they work to ensure regular delivery of their production to the customers.
The German Continental company shows their sympathy with the Japanese and is going to donate 250,000 million Euro to help people from destroyed areas. They are concerned about their employees in Japan, so do Michelin, Bridgestone and Toyo companies. The latter didn’t suffer much from the tsunami; however, their plants didn’t work for some time due to power cutoff.
Tire Makers Should Invent Their Quartz
James Rippy, ex vice-president of the Continental company in North America, has given his opinion on innovations in tire-making industry. He maintains that tire-makers need to invent something completely new now for everything what’s being done now is just a slight alternation of already existing things.
Mr Rippy says that the needed breakthrough is as important as it was with the invention of quartz in watch-making industry. Back in time, the Swiss thought that watches should be made with the help of pinion gears and springs, but later on they understood that there was no need to improve the existing mechanism. Quartz watches were invented, which was much better.
The last important breakthrough in tire-making industry took place fifty years ago. It was the invention of radial tires that gradually replaced diagonal ones. The new tires delivered a considerably longer life span in comparison with the latter and offered smoother running, better handling, a more durable construction, etc.
After that there happened nothing more substantial than the transition from diagonal to radial tires. There followed only slight improvements, but not innovations. Run-Flat technology was invented, silica was added to compounds, tread pictures were enhanced towards better hydroplaning resistance, green eco tires with low rolling resistance appeared, but these are just alterations, just marketing, just a new way the company’s resort to in order to advertize their tires in a more attractive manner.
Now what, asks Mr Rippy. Somebody must do the first step towards the real improvement, the real revolution. For instance, who said that tires should be made of rubber compounds? Some companies have already tried it and made tires from polyurethane. Hybrid cars are also perfect examples of the real progress. The problem is that there should be always people who would insist on their point of view and wouldn’t be afraid to take responsibility to place science above money matters.
James Rippy was vice-president of North American Continental in the period between 1974 and 2000. He has been working in the tire-making industry for forty years, during which he gained a profound experience in new tire development, took part in numerous scientific projects and cooperated with such automotive manufacturers as GM, Chrysler, Ford and Toyota.
