Researchers have developed a new type of "smart "tyre that is able to sense damage when it goes flat or loses treads,making it safer for road travel.
Researchers in the US led by Gary krutz,director of Purdue university's Electrohydraulic centre,and a professor of agricultural and biological engineering,have developed a new tyre system that senses failures in real time.
The concept behind the technology is that the entire tyre acts as a sensor that sends information to onboard computers, offering the latest in 'smart' car technology.
The technology can also be used to detect impending defects before a tyre is produced."I became interested in this after i had to replace all the tyres in my daughter's and son-in-law's car after just 16000 km," said Krutz. "this motivated me to do some research and tyre safety. our prototypes were tested, and the results showed significant damage can be quickly detected".
Tyres are consistently subjected to harsh and unpredictable conditions. because of this, they become particularly suspectible to external damage.
"some tyre damage is not easily detected or prevented, even with proper maintainance and inspection", Krutz said. "ocasionally, failures occurs because of gap damage with the tread, and this type of damage is a particular hazard on all steel-belted tyres.
"Tyre damage on the road creates situations that are inconvinient and more importantly, hazardous for drivers".
The system can detect problems like cuts, punctures, manufacturing detects, imbalance, degradation and improper mounting.
FROM ORTHOPAEDIC RESEARCH
Krutz's team had alredy made a hydraulic hose that would warn of failure and was working on the technology for use in orthopaedic devices to detect wear and tear on artificial hips and knees.
"We thought it might work on rubber and lo and behold' it did", Krutz said."The whole things is like a doughnut. If u poke it anywhere,like with a nail,we can tell you where it is that you poked it."
Sensors that can alert operators when a tyre condition has degraded can save time and effort in repairing or changing the tyre.The sensors also can notify drivers of low air pressure or unbalanced air pressure between tyres,which can prolong the operable life of a tyre.
"However there are external injuries that can occur in tyres that are not always propagated or effected by improper inflation,such as road hazards like a rock,that can do damage to a tyre without actually causing it to go flat.This sensor technology searches for these types of problems as well.
A special chip inside the tyre would probe the diferent layers and quickly relay safety information to the driver.
"We're talking less than a second..if the tyre starts coming apart like on truck treads it will give you warning a long time in advance."