Trelleborg launching ProgressiveTraction technology
Trelleborg has announced plans to launch what it calls ProgressiveTraction technology with a feature at the forthcoming Agritechnica 2013 exhibition which is due to take place from 10 to 16 November in Hannover, Germany. The technology is designed to improve grip and weight distribution, while also improving wear and fuel consumption performance.
After two years of intensive numerical simulations as well as indoor and outdoor testing, Trelleborg reports that the first application of this technology comes in the form of 650/65R38 agricultural tyre. This means a new tread, with a double lug feature said to be a key highlight.
Piero Mancinelli, R&D director, Trelleborg Agricultural and Forestry tires, said: “When it comes to innovation for farming, this new concept tyre is a tangible example of Trelleborg’s ability to think out of the box when searching for new solutions that upgrade the performance of radial agricultural tyre, lifting them to new standards.
“The new generation of tractors and transmissions continuously offer farmers more power and torque. To cope with these requirements, agricultural tyres have been growing both in terms of width and overall diameter, becoming larger and larger. The ambition of ProgressiveTraction technology is to increase tyre efficiency and performance by simultaneously working on the tire’s dimension while re-engineering the traditional tread.”
The new tread of the ProgressiveTraction tyre is characterized by a special double lug that operates on the soil at different times, progressively releasing higher traction when and where it is needed. The double lug is also said to provide the tyre with better floatation capability, ensuring an even pressure distribution over the extra wide footprint.
The project is now in its final phase and prototypes are undergoing a variety of field tests to measure and benchmark product performance, both on and off road. According to the company, the initial results have exceeded expectations. This means a traction capacity over 10 per cent higher standard technology tyres. Moreover, the extra pulling force reportedly resulted in a three to five per cent reduction of working time, providing farming operations with substantial cost savings.
In addition higher floatation results and better pressure distribution on the ground are said to be available. And this is paired with better wear, fuel consumption, driver comfort, and handling on road surfaces.
“We invite farming professionals to our stand to touch and become acquainted with our latest innovation. Feedback will be welcomed to help shape the future of this new tire concept. According to the Trelleborg Blue Dimension approach, our goal is to have the ProgressiveTraction concept applied to our tyre range soon, to offer farming higher efficiency and productivity with the maximum respect of the environment,” concluded Mancinelli.
Related news:
Comments