MINExpo launch for Michelin XDR2
Visitors to the MINExpo show in the US were given a chance to get up close with Michelin’s newest earthmover line, the XDR2. This range, which replaces the XDR, is intended for the market’s largest rigid dump trucks and is claimed to improve safety while enabling users to improve their productivity and optimise environmental performance.
Michelin says the XDR2 offers greater safety due to three main factors. First, more than two million hours of testing confirm the tyre’s reliability. These tests were conducted at the Michelin Earthmover Test Center in Almeria, Spain, and in actual usage conditions in Canada, Chile, Australia and Africa. Second, the Michelin Earthmover Management System, or MEMS, is said to help optimise the conditions in which tyres are used – further information about MEMS can be found later in this text. Third, Michelin says the XDR2 features enhanced resistance to cuts and scrapes.
Productivity gains are attributed to four factors, namely the abovementioned superior resistance to cuts and scrapes, longer tread life, more resistance casings and bead wires, and pre-fitment for MEMS. As for environmental benefits, Michelin points to two factors: The first of these is what it calls an “intentionally environmentally friendly” design. Because the XDR2 uses fewer raw materials than some of its competitors – Michelin says that, depending on size, the tyre may weigh nine to 15 per cent less than some competitors – fuel savings are possible, while improved longevity of the XDR2 means fewer repairs and less material to recycle. The second environmental factor is a clean production process. All Michelin Earthmover tyre plants are ISO 14001-certified, and Michelin says the environmental footprint of its earthmover tyre plants has reduced by 22 per cent since 2005.
Tread pattern ‘thoroughly reworked’
Compared with the previous-generation Michelin XDR, the XDR2 has a tread band up to 20 per cent thicker. Similarly, the layer that separates the tread from the tyre casing is ten per cent thicker. Michelin says the tyre’s tread pattern has also been “thoroughly reworked to improve efficiency.” Specifically, the centre block is 13 per cent wider while the tread has been designed for self-cleaning. This also helps the tyre to cool faster, as the ventilation effect is ten per cent greater than for the XDR. In addition, the tread pattern changes with wear, and consequently, the XDR2 has a bigger contact patch when the tyre is 50 per cent worn.
Reinforced with C2 technology
Michelin-developed C2 technology is utilised in the XDR2; the manufacturer says this makes tyres stronger thanks to the use of thicker, corrosion-resistant cables. The technology reduces temperature build-up of the tread shoulder, thus maximising the potential life of the tyre without compromising operating speed or load carrying capacity.
According to Michelin, the XDR2 is overall “considerably more robust” than the tyre it replaces. The steel protective plies located between the casing and the tread are 60 per cent stronger and feature a new corrosion-resistance treatment. Similarly, the sidewall rubber is twice as thick, thus providing enhanced resistance to cuts and scrapes. Michelin tests indicated that, depending on size, endurance is nine to 20 per cent better than for the XDR.
Pre-fitted for MEMS
As mentioned earlier, the XDR2 is factory-fitted, in 57 to 63-inch sizes, to receive the Michelin Earthmover Management System (MEMS), the first commercially-available electronic system for measuring temperature and pressure offered specially by an earthmover tyre manufacturer. MEMS can provide mining companies with real-time alerts whenever rigid dump trucks are no longer operating in optimal conditions, meaning they may engender risks for user safety and mine productivity.
The Michelin XDR2 is available in the following sizes:
27.00 R 49
33.00 R 51
37.00 R 57
40.00 R 57
53/80 R 63
56/80 R 63
59/80 R 63
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