Goodyear Innovations on the Way to Clean Production
Posted on October 11, 2011
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Goodyear engineers are working now under the creation of the new RunOnFlat tire that is going to feature the lowest rolling resistance possible while at the same time being made from eco-friendly materials only. To achieve this goal, Goodyear collaborates now with an Italian Novament research company and the BMW.
One of the main tasks of the project was to replace standard rubber compound with the bio one. The new compound is to be made from renewable materials such as corn starch, which makes the tire eco-friendly not only by its materials but also by low rolling resistance it shows.
The tire has for a long time been made from carbon black, which doesn’t comply with modern eco safety requirements. And although silica was introduced nearly twenty years ago, neither carbon nor silica can further reduce rolling resistance. That is why tire-makers are searching for alternative decisions to create eco-friendly tires now.
Ten years ago Goodyear unveiled the Eagle GT3 tire made under the BioTRED technology. The company used the Mater-Bi compound for it, which minimized the use of carbon and silica. From then on, Goodyear has been advancing in this field and now their corn starch tires are based on the following three aspects:
Firstly, corn fields improve the state of the environment for corn absorbs carbon dioxide to produce oxygen. Secondly, energy needs as well as harmful emissions during production cycles were reduced. And thirdly, the new compound ensures low rolling resistance of the tire it’s made from, which reduces your vehicle’s fuel consumption and hence lowers the amount of CO2 emissions.
Bridgestone is Likely to Make a Breakthrough in Tire Production
Posted on October 8, 2011
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During a couple of years Bridgestone engineers have been working hard under an innovative technology that can bring something completely new into the tire-making industry. And they didn’t spend their time in vain, which was proven at the latest automotive show in Frankfurt.
The laborious work resulted into the new technology that helps the tire define the type of a road surface for you to stay on a safe side in any situation. It is based on the Contact Area Information Sensing (CAIS) concept with a special sensor to transmit vibration from road irregularities to special equipment in your vehicle.
The smart system recognizes seven types of road surface – dry, semi-dry, wet, slush, fresh snow, compact snow and ice. You can see the information on a dedicated monitor in a salon.
By providing drivers with the information about the state of the road, the new technology helps them to get ready to tough driving conditions like rains or snowfalls. Moreover, the owners of CIAS equipped cars can share the info with other traffic participants, which helps significantly improve overall safety on the roads.
The precise equipment has been tested for two winter seasons on public roads in Japan (Hokkaido), the place being subject to frequent snowfalls and black ice buildup. The results were reported on an annual congress of the Japan Society of Automotive Engineers.
The Biggest Dumper is Equipped with the Largest Tire in the World
Posted on October 3, 2011
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The largest dumper in the world, the Caterpillar 795F, that operates in Lapland now is equipped with the Bridgestone VRPS. The dumper is used on an open copper mine in Lapland. The vehicle features an electric drive and weighs as much as 570 tons.
Bridgestone VRPS tire (with the letters translating as V-Steel Rock Premium Service) are designed to endure loads up to 100 tons and can operate even in toughest environment. The tire is made in Japan and measures four meters in diameter.
The tire is twice as high as human beings. Since it is 1.47 meters wide and weighs 5,75 tons, one needs to treat them in a special way in terms of transportation and use. It was driven on a gigantic 16-ton platform trailer where it was placed with the help of special 16-ton loaders.
Bridgestone VRPS (sized 59/80 R63) is widely used on open mines in both Americas and in Australia. Now it hits Europe for the first time.
Bridgestone is one of the leading producers of heavy tires in the world. The company offers a wide range of truck tires for use in seaports as well as in mining, construction and road industries. As the demand for such tire is growing now, Bridgestone plans to increase the production capacity of its Japanese plant to 130 tons by 2013.
Dolton & Dex Is Ready to Design Concept Tires
Posted on September 19, 2011
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Dolton & Dex, the company dealing with industrial design offers their services in concept tire development. The company claims that such a decision leaves the company’s rivals far behind.
Rob Dolton, the company’s manager, has been working in the sphere of concept tire design for years and has created tires for such automotive manufacturers as Chevrolet, GMC and Nissan. His work made him firmly believe in the fact that this rather an important niche remains empty on the market.
Mr Dolton tells that automotive designers don’t know much about tire design in the majority of cases. It happens so that they speak another language different from that of tire engineers.
Dolton & Dex company is ready to become a “translator” for them and to make their cooperation easier. They are ready to explain the designers how tires are made and what restrictions exist in this sphere. At the same time they will inform tire-makers about the wishes of automotive companies.
The company will do their best to make tire design match the concept of the vehicle the tire is created for. They claim that the tires will be fully functional and won’t run flat during an important photo session as well as won’t let the manufacturer down in Frankfurt in front of world press representatives.
Dolton & Dex has already proven their skills by designing Kumho concept tires for Nissan Qazana vehicle.
