Wooden Tires - A Goal For The Future?
Posted on July 23, 2009
Filed Under Interesting
Perhaps in the future car owners around the world will enjoy the tires partially made of wood, which will cost less, have better traction quality and help to save energy and fuel.
Researchers studying wood-production from Oregon State University (OSU) made some interesting discoveries relating to the potential use of microcrystalline cellulose (MKTS), which can be easily obtained from almost of any type of plant fibers. Including MKTS could partially replace silika as a filler in the production of tires.
According to a new research, this approach would reduce the energy required to create a tire and reduce the cost of the tire, the temperature of the tires will grow more slowly than the traditional. Preliminary tests has shown that these tires have a traction level on wet or cold surface, which is comparable with the performance of conventional tires. In the hot weather «wooden» tires provide even more economic fuel consumption.
«We were struck by the advantages offered by the new material», - said Kaichang Li, Associate Professor of wood-production and Engineering University of Oregon College, who supervised the project, along with the graduate student Wen Bai.
Cellulose fibers have been used in manufacturing of some products made of rubber, such as belts, hoses, but tires have hot been in this row yet, mostly made with the use of the carbon soot and silika. At the same time, soot is being produced from increasingly expensive oil, and the process of obtaining silika is the high cost of energy. The materials both are very dense and improve fuel consumption while driving.
In the search for new types of reinforcing fillers, which would have been cheaper, more accessible, easier and more from renewable sources, the experts called on the OSU microcrystalline cellulose - a type of crystalline cellulose with a very good organization structure. It is produced using low-cost process of acid hydrolysis of the most common and renewable natural polymer - cellulose - which from 40 to 50% of the world’s forests contain.
Time will show if it will be a success.
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