Goodyear DuraSeal truck tyre absorbs 367 punctures

Goodyear has shown the puncture resistance of its DuraSeal technology during a demonstration at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky. Attendees drove 367 nail holes into a Goodyear G394 SST wide-base trailer tyre at the company’s booth, without any impact on its inflation. The tyre manufacturer has previously shown DuraSeal-incorporated tyres at events in Europe, such as Tip-Ex at North Yorkshire’s Harrogate International Centre in 2011, where it displayed its Omnitrac MSS II and MSD II tyres.

Mid-America Trucking Show visitors punctured the tyre using Goodyear’s “DuraSeal Popper” a device that enables users to pierce the tread area of a tyre by pulling down on a handle. The tyre was mounted on the DuraSeal Popper but not under a load at the time.

“The results were eye-popping,” said Tim Miller, marketing communications manager, Goodyear Commercial Tire Systems. “DuraSeal Technology is the industry’s first and only built-in tire sealant, and is designed for multiple punctures while maintaining tire pressure.”

DuraSeal is a yellow, gel-like rubber compound that instantly seals punctures of up to ¼-inch in diameter in the tread area of the tyre. As a nail enters the tyre’s tread and reaches its inner liner, DuraSeal immediately surrounds the puncture to seal the leak.

“If the nail is pulled out, DuraSeal can instantly fill the hole and keep air from escaping,” said Miller. “People are amazed that a truck tyre can seal itself.”