Bridgestone showcased the concept version of an air-free commercial truck tyre during the annual meeting of the American Trucking Associations’ Technology and Maintenance (TMC) council in Atlanta, USA.
Designed for high-speed, long-haul applications, the airless concept leverages a proprietary design. The tread sits on top of a flexible web of spokes that run across the wheel which then adhere to the surface of the wheel itself.
“When tyres don’t need to be filled with air, this essentially erases the downtime associated with a flat tyre, improving safety and making mobility more efficient,” said Jon Kimpel, executive director – new mobility solution engineering.
The initial design of the Bridgestone advanced air-free commercial truck tyre was designed specifically for the trailer position. Data quoted by the manufacturer suggested that trailer tyres account for approximately 20% of truck tyre purchases while other studies were quoted that showed 40% of all tyre failures occur in the trailer position.
Bridgestone had revealed earlier about its plans to launch airless bicycle and truck tyres in the near future. However, It remains to be seen how soon the company can get these prototypes onto commercial fleets for real world testing.
“It’s not easy to do from a technical standpoint,” Kimpel said. “To go to 5,000 lb. and 75 mph, that this one’s designed for, that’s a big jump.”
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The selected materials, for example, will need to handle big temperature differences and also incorporate reinforcements for the web and tread band. But the tread itself is consistent with Bridgestone’s Ecopia tyres, and it’s designed to work in a traditional dual wheel assembly.
“The intent is it will last as long as a pneumatic tyre that is always properly inflated,” Kimpel added.
Validation testing is ongoing, and track testing will begin this year, although he said commercialization of an airless tyre is still years away.
