Goodyear debuts self-inflating commercial tyre technology
According to George Rietbergen, when Goodyear Dunlop releases a new tyre-related innovation, it doesn’t do so because it wants to release something ‘sexy’ – it has to be a meaningful innovation, one that will help its customers reduce costs and improve safety. A product that fits squarely into this category is Goodyear Dunlop’s Air Maintenance Technology, or AMT. The public first caught a glimpse of AMT at March’s Geneva motor show, where it was displayed in its passenger car tyre guise. Now, at the IAA Commercial Vehicles Show, the tyre maker has presented AMT for commercial tyres. The technology is still under development and therefore full technical details aren’t being shared at present, yet Rietbergen stated his belief that AMT will be a “game changer.”
The AMT mechanism is built into a tyre and enables tyre pressure to be maintained at an optimal level without the need of an external power source, pump, electronics or other form of intervention. Robert Benedict, Ph.D., senior R&D associate, Advanced Concepts at Goodyear in the US, who has led the development of AMT since its inception in 2009, explained to Tyres & Accessories that the AMT unit operates like a peristaltic pump and is powered by the tyre’s rotation. The idea itself is not new, Benedict added – the first patent for a related product was granted in the 1890s, and a number of patents for similar concepts have been issued over the years. None led to a commercially successful product, however.
It appears as if Goodyear may succeed where others failed. Henk van Tuyl, director regional technology, Heavy Tires Europe, Middle East & Africa, commented that the tyre maker has the tools at hand necessary for the engineering work involved, tools not available in the past. “We are at a very early stage with the concept, and it will take some to mature. But we can say that the concept works,” he added.
The commercial vehicle AMT uses the same concept as the passenger car AMT system, but Robert Benedict shared it is being adapted for the unique requirements of commercial vehicle tyres, such as the need for a product to be retreadable. Commercial vehicles pose further specific challenges for the development of an AMT system; their tyres are larger and have higher inflation pressures (on average 850 kPa for commercial tyres versus 250 kPa for consumer tyres) and commercial vehicles typically driver longer distances and carry much heavier loads. The performance demands placed upon the pump system are therefore much greater.
Extra work may be involved in perfecting a commercial vehicle AMT unit, but the potential benefits it offers are improved fuel economy, prolonged tread life and a reduced risk of damage to the retreadable casing. Goodyear Dunlop estimates that for every 0.5 bar (50 kPa) a tyre is under-inflated, a one per cent loss in miles achieved per litre fuel occurs. Furthermore, Henk van Tuyl commented that ten per cent under-inflated tyre will deliver nine to 16 per cent less mileage than a correctly inflated tyre. AMT thus gives operators the opportunity to avoid such revenue-sapping pressure problems.
“We believe the Air Maintenance Technology application for commercial vehicle tyres will not only enhance the performance of the tyre, but will also provide cost savings to fleet owners and operators through the extension of tyre tread life and increased fuel economy,” stated Goodyear’s chief technical officer, Jean-Claude Kihn. “The progress we continue to make with this technology is very encouraging. We look forward to further testing of this concept.”
A US$1.5 million grant from The United States Department of Energy’s Office (DOE) of Vehicle Technology is helping speed up the research, development and demonstration of the AMT system for commercial vehicle tyres. A further grant from the Luxembourg government for research and development will continue to help fund Goodyear’s efforts in researching and developing the AMT system for consumer tyres. Prototype AMT tyres have been produced in Goodyear’s Topeka manufacturing plant in Kansas, USA, and the tyre maker reports rigorous validation testing has confirmed the AMT pumping mechanism works. According to Robert Benedict, a year-long test programme will soon commence as part of an extensive fleet trial to gather real-world information from customers.
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