franzh
Automotive
- Jun 4, 2001
- 919
Many years ago, in the ‘60’s, I remember reading in one of the magazines published here in the US (Popular Mechanics), an article on injection molded rubber or soft plasticlike material tires. This past weekend, my wife and I were browsing through a yard sale and I came across that same magazine. When I went about looking at other things, someone bought it before I did! What cruelty!
The article stated that a major tire manufacturer (Firestone?) was researching the possibility of the tires, and that the articles author had driven an auto fitted with these tires and reported no unusual performance issues. One plus (!) is that the tires can be molded in different colors, not sure what to make of that, especially since most tires are black because of the carbon, not by the compounds. The author had driven the auto at speeds up to 100 mph and that the manufacturer had tested the tires at speeds in excess of that.
What makes these tires unusual is that they were injection molded with no inner air chamber, only a foam-like inner core. I don’t recall if they were fitted with the reinforcing wire and cords.
Just a few weeks ago, I read another article about integrated wheels and tires, where the wheel was deformable and resilient, but this is not the same issue. Is anyone familiar with this project?
Franz
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The article stated that a major tire manufacturer (Firestone?) was researching the possibility of the tires, and that the articles author had driven an auto fitted with these tires and reported no unusual performance issues. One plus (!) is that the tires can be molded in different colors, not sure what to make of that, especially since most tires are black because of the carbon, not by the compounds. The author had driven the auto at speeds up to 100 mph and that the manufacturer had tested the tires at speeds in excess of that.
What makes these tires unusual is that they were injection molded with no inner air chamber, only a foam-like inner core. I don’t recall if they were fitted with the reinforcing wire and cords.
Just a few weeks ago, I read another article about integrated wheels and tires, where the wheel was deformable and resilient, but this is not the same issue. Is anyone familiar with this project?
Franz
eng-tips, by professional engineers for professional engineers
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.
