New Michelin Tire Technology
10-21-2005, 06:13 PM
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New Michelin Tire Technology
Originally Posted by Gizmag
http://www.gizmag.com/go/3603/1/
Updated April 29, 2005 Michelin has showcased a potentially disruptive technology with significant ramifications for the future for mobility: an airless, integrated tyre and wheel combination dubbed the TWEEL (i.e. Tyre/WhEEL) . The Tweel promises performance levels beyond those possible with conventional pneumatic technology. The first commercial applications of the Tweel will be in lower-speed, lower-weight vehicles such as the iBOT mobility device and Segway's Concept Centaur. Designed by Segway-inventor Dean Kamen, the iBOT mobility device has the ability to climb stairs and navigate uneven terrain, offering mobility freedom impossible with traditional wheelchairs. Additionally, Segway's Concept Centaur, a prototype that applies self-balancing technology to a four-wheel device, has also been equipped with Tweel to increase its performance potential.
Beyond these first real-world applications, Michelin has additional projects for Tweel on construction skidsteers and a variety of military vehicles.
Historically Significant
"Major revolutions in mobility may come along only once in a hundred years," said Terry Gettys, president of Michelin Americas Research and Development Center in Greenville, S.C. "But a new century has dawned and Tweel has proven its potential to transform mobility. Tweel enables us to reach levels of performance that quite simply aren't possible with today's conventional pneumatic technology."
The most intriguing application may be Michelin's early prototype Tweel fitment for passenger cars. The mobility company released video of promising Tweel performance on an Audi A4.
"The Tweel automotive application, as demonstrated on the Audi, is definitely a concept, a stretch application with strong future potential," said Gettys.
"Our concentration is to enter the market with lower-speed, lower-weight Tweel applications. What we learn from our early successes will be applied to Tweel fitments for passenger cars and beyond."
Benefits of the Tweel
The heart of Tweel innovation is its deceptively simple looking hub and spoke design that replaces the need for air pressure while delivering performance previously only available from pneumatic tires.
The flexible spokes are fused with a flexible wheel that deforms to absorb shock and rebound with ease. Without the air needed by conventional tires, Tweel still delivers pneumatic-like performance in weight-carrying capacity, ride comfort, and the ability to "envelope" road hazards.
Michelin has also found that it can tune Tweel performances independently of each other, which is a significant change from conventional tires. This means that vertical stiffness (which primarily affects ride comfort) and lateral stiffness (which affects handling and cornering) can both be optimised, pushing the performance envelope in these applications and enabling new performances not possible for current inflated tires.
The Tweel prototype, demonstrated on the Audi A4, is within five percent of the rolling resistance and mass levels of current pneumatic tires. That translates to within one percent of the fuel economy of the OE fitment.
Additionally, Michelin has increased the lateral stiffness by a factor of five, making the prototype unusually responsive in its handling.
Future of Tweel Technology
For Michelin, Tweel is a long-term vision that represents the next step in a long path of industry-changing innovations. Fifty years ago, Michelin invented the radial tyre and there is no question that radial tyre technology will continue as the standard for a long time to come. Michelin continues to advance the performance of the radial tyre in areas such as rolling resistance, wear life and grip.
In the short-term, the lessons learned from Tweel research are being applied to improve those conventional tyre performances. In the future, Tweel may reinvent the way that vehicles move. Checking tyre pressure, fixing flats, highway blow-outs and balancing between traction and comfort could all fade into memory.
x 3
10-21-2005, 08:11 PM
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Maybe, but it is for some reason making news at the Tokyo Motor Show.
October of 2005 21st
It is the tire industry where development competition of the technology which furthermore makes the system advance which inflation pressure monitoring is done and gets flat the run flat tire et cetera which it can run overheats, but " the tire where the air does not need " at a stroke, it appeared the ミシュラン to Japan for the first time with Tokyo motor show!
With say, not to be the case that immediate marketing conversion has entered into range of vision as expected, as for フランソワ * ビュッソン president of the Japanese ミシュランタイヤ " from 10 it becomes utilization ahead 15 years, or 20 years, probably will be ", it explained with fluent Japanese.
The product which this ' Tweel ' (to the eel) the North American ミシュラン development research center developed, unifies the tire and the wheel.
The technical communication * director of the ミシュラングループ, as for ピエール * Menendez, " it was possible to be able to give suspension function, with the flexibility which used the polyurethane and the glass fiber reinforced plastic which are new, " that.
If by the fact that the tire and the wheel unify, there is no either thing which gets flat, it is the case that it becomes the necessity to check pneumatics briskly without. Now it is present new technology, the ミシュラン has thoroughly investigated the possibility of making also tire monitoring and run flat unnecessary, becoming the large conversion point of tire technology.
Of course, the ミシュラン has shown capability even in current new technology without circumstance. Locking the tire in vertical direction, it made the travelling continuation when getting flat possible, not to come off from the rim, the " PAX system " the アキュラ ' RL ' of 06 year model which HONDA sells in America with, came to the point of with being adopted as option of the technology * package.
The ミシュラン which this year after the returning of the desire acquires first title even with the F1, achieves 18 game 18 victories excluding 1 default. Greedy challenge to technology continues to everywhere.
October of 2005 21stIt is the tire industry where development competition of the technology which furthermore makes the system advance which inflation pressure monitoring is done and gets flat the run flat tire et cetera which it can run overheats, but " the tire where the air does not need " at a stroke, it appeared the ミシュラン to Japan for the first time with Tokyo motor show!
With say, not to be the case that immediate marketing conversion has entered into range of vision as expected, as for フランソワ * ビュッソン president of the Japanese ミシュランタイヤ " from 10 it becomes utilization ahead 15 years, or 20 years, probably will be ", it explained with fluent Japanese.
The product which this ' Tweel ' (to the eel) the North American ミシュラン development research center developed, unifies the tire and the wheel.
The technical communication * director of the ミシュラングループ, as for ピエール * Menendez, " it was possible to be able to give suspension function, with the flexibility which used the polyurethane and the glass fiber reinforced plastic which are new, " that.
If by the fact that the tire and the wheel unify, there is no either thing which gets flat, it is the case that it becomes the necessity to check pneumatics briskly without. Now it is present new technology, the ミシュラン has thoroughly investigated the possibility of making also tire monitoring and run flat unnecessary, becoming the large conversion point of tire technology.
Of course, the ミシュラン has shown capability even in current new technology without circumstance. Locking the tire in vertical direction, it made the travelling continuation when getting flat possible, not to come off from the rim, the " PAX system " the アキュラ ' RL ' of 06 year model which HONDA sells in America with, came to the point of with being adopted as option of the technology * package.
The ミシュラン which this year after the returning of the desire acquires first title even with the F1, achieves 18 game 18 victories excluding 1 default. Greedy challenge to technology continues to everywhere.
10-21-2005, 09:46 PM
#5
The sizzle in the Steak
This is old news.
02-28-2021, 04:19 AM
#7
Race Director
Back in 2017, one of the leading players on the tire market, Michelin, presented the Vision. It was a 3D-printed thing that combined wheel and tire into a single piece of hardware, but most importantly, it was made from bio-sourced, biodegradable materials. And that inspired a bold move from the French company.
7 photos
Last week, Michelin announced it is targeting 2050 for a complete switch to “renewable, recycled, bio-sourced or otherwise sustainable materials” for the products it makes.
Historically, rubber for tires was initially sourced from rubber trees, and the increasing need for them led over the course of the last century to massive deforestations. Before the start of the Second World War, synthetic rubber was invented to cope with the increasing demand. Presently, an average tire is made up, according to National Geographic, of 19 percent natural and 24 percent synthetic rubber.
The rest of the tire’s composition includes a lot of other materials, including metal, and making each car tire today takes about 7 gallons (25-liters) of oil, as per the same source.
Michelin says it already uses 30 percent sustainable materials in its tires, but plans to bump that to 100 percent by the said deadline. It will use biomass from wood, rice husks, leaves, corn stalks and other plant waste, recycled styrene from plastics found in packaging, and pure monomers deconstructed from PET plastic.
To support the ambitious plan, the tire maker will build its first tire recycling plant together with Swedish company Enviro. The facility will be used to recover carbon black, pyrolysis oil, steel, gas and other reusable materials from end-of-life tires.
“Michelin’s maturity in materials technology stems from the strength of its R&D capabilities, which are supported by 6,000 people working in seven research and development centers around the world and mastering 350 areas of expertise,” the company said in a statement.
“The commitment of these engineers, researchers, chemists and developers has led to the filing of 10,000 patents covering tire design and manufacturing. They work hard every day to find the recipes that will improve tire safety, durability, ride and other performance features, while helping to make them 100% sustainable by 2050.”
7 photos
Last week, Michelin announced it is targeting 2050 for a complete switch to “renewable, recycled, bio-sourced or otherwise sustainable materials” for the products it makes.
Historically, rubber for tires was initially sourced from rubber trees, and the increasing need for them led over the course of the last century to massive deforestations. Before the start of the Second World War, synthetic rubber was invented to cope with the increasing demand. Presently, an average tire is made up, according to National Geographic, of 19 percent natural and 24 percent synthetic rubber.
The rest of the tire’s composition includes a lot of other materials, including metal, and making each car tire today takes about 7 gallons (25-liters) of oil, as per the same source.
Michelin says it already uses 30 percent sustainable materials in its tires, but plans to bump that to 100 percent by the said deadline. It will use biomass from wood, rice husks, leaves, corn stalks and other plant waste, recycled styrene from plastics found in packaging, and pure monomers deconstructed from PET plastic.
To support the ambitious plan, the tire maker will build its first tire recycling plant together with Swedish company Enviro. The facility will be used to recover carbon black, pyrolysis oil, steel, gas and other reusable materials from end-of-life tires.
“Michelin’s maturity in materials technology stems from the strength of its R&D capabilities, which are supported by 6,000 people working in seven research and development centers around the world and mastering 350 areas of expertise,” the company said in a statement.
“The commitment of these engineers, researchers, chemists and developers has led to the filing of 10,000 patents covering tire design and manufacturing. They work hard every day to find the recipes that will improve tire safety, durability, ride and other performance features, while helping to make them 100% sustainable by 2050.”
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