SURFACE TECHNOLOGY
with SRI’s Advanced 4D Nano Design Technology, which uses quantum chemistry calculations. Through research into the molecular structure of tyre materials using particle accelerators and advanced simulation computers, SRI has succeeded in simulating and controlling the molecular structure of rubber compounds used for tyres at the nano level. For example, it has analysed
how and where superfluous heat is generated in the tyre, which typically results in loss of energy and increases rolling resistance, which in turn affects fuel consumption. The Advanced 4D Nano Design Technology has helped minimise this at the molecular level to deliver fuel savings of up to 5% compared to conventional tyre models.
WHAT’S NEXT? Tyre Leap AI Analysis and Advanced 4D Nano Design Technology are two core materials technologies that are contributing to what SRI is deeming its ‘Smart Tyre Concept’. This brings together a suite of advancements and Performance Sustaining Technologies that will support the mobility requirements of electrification, automation and ride sharing. These include: airless tyres, that will
banish not only flat tyres but also the laborious processes of tyre inflation and pressure monitoring; sensing core technology that detects tyre pressure from existing wheel speed signals to eliminate additional sensors and reduce cost and maintenance; and active tread, which changes the functionality of the rubber in line with the current road surface. Since 2015, SRI has been announcing elements of these technologies, with the aim of all being active and implemented on tyres by 2030. And it’s not just the tyres
themselves that will be critical to the advancing mobility technology. Autonomous vehicles at Level 4 and above will need to be carefully maintained, with technical support teams notified should a vehicle be showing any signs of excessive wear or damage. Remote tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) can support this. A direct TPMS mounted inside the tyre rim
Will these have active tread by 2030?
❝ The AI technology far exceeds human capabilities to predict changes...
can transmit pressure data to an onboard computer system, which forwards the information to a control centre. It allows the pressure of each individual tyre to be monitored and for maintenance to be actioned in the event of any pressure changes. SRI has already successfully
established links between its own TPMS and an Autonomous Driving
Control Centre at GRANTS, the Centre for Research on Adoption of NextGen Transportation Systems, based at Gunma University in Japan. At present, tyres are still considered
a distress purchase; something to change when they wear out or fail. But in the future, it’s clear they will play a greater role in the performance, safety and efficiency of our cars. ●
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