Airless tires to enter service

To keep troops from being stranded and easily ambushed on the battlefield, the Army decided to use tires that can better withstand roadside attacks.

The new NPT (non-pneumatic tire) design comes from Resilient Technologies, which considered the specifics of intense warfare. The manufacturer claims its tires to serve for 15 thousand miles (over 24 thousand kilometres).

The NPT made of special fire-resistant rubber, mimics the honeycomb structure and can continue performing its main function even if 30 percent of the webs are destroyed. “There’s a lot of space for shrapnel to pass through,” says Ed Hall, Resilient Technologies’s director of business affairs.

Army’s Humvee became the first vehicle to be equipped with the newest 94-cm NPT. The tyre is not detached from the wheel; it is standard-fixed and completely interchangeable with traditional wheels. Each NPT is able to support up to 1746 kilograms of load, the developers say.
Such an unusual designed is explained by the fact that solid rubber tires give an incredibly rough ride, generate a lot of heat, and might be even worse if a piece came off during an explosion, because it could not easily be repaired. The NPT’s honeycomb structure is designed to support the load placed on the tire, dissipate heat and reduce noise levels on the move.

Costs per tire are expected to be the same or less than current units. Delivery is anticipated for 2011.


Source: nauka21vek