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TYRE TECHNOLOGY
 OVERVIEW OF TOPICS

TWEELS

Q TYRES
 FEATURES OF TYRES
Tyres enable better vehicle
performance by
providing traction,
braking, steering, and
load support.

Tyres form a flexible
cushion between the
vehicle and the road,
which smooths out shock
and makes for a
comfortable ride.
 TYRE AND WHEEL
WHEEL
  TYRE

◦ A wheel is a circular ◦ Tyres are ring-shaped

device that is parts made of
capable of rotating rubber, metals and
on its axis. plastic composites,
that fit around road
◦ wheels to protect
them and enhance
◦ In order for wheels their effect.
to rotate, a
moment needs to ◦
be applied to the
wheel about its ◦ Tyres are used on
axis, either by way many types of
of gravity, or by vehicles, such as
application of bicycles,
another external motorcycles, cars,
force. trucks, and aircraft.
 WHAT ARE TWEELS ?
TWEEL IS NOTHING BUT A BLEND OF TYRE
AND WHEEL.

 PARTS OF A TWEEL
When mounted on a car, the Tweel is a


single unit consisting of four pieces:


The hub
Polyurethane
spokes
A "shear band"
surrounding the
spokes
The tread band.
 FEATURES OF TWEEL
◦ As they don't use air to support the weight of the
car, they cannot be punctured or become flat in
order to bring the car to a complete halt.
◦
◦ A set of spokes made out of polyurethane
material supports the outer rim on which the
running tread is placed.
◦
◦ Between the spokes and the tire hub, there is a
matrix of deformable plastic structures which
flex under the load and return to their original
form afterwards.

VEHICLES USING TWEELS

 The first commercial applications of the Tweel will be in lower-
speed, lower-weight vehicles such as the iBOT mobility device
and Segway's Concept Centaur.

 Designed by Segway, the iBOT mobility device has the ability to
climb stairs and navigate uneven terrain, offering mobility
freedom impossible with traditional wheelchairs.

 Additionally, Segway's Concept Centaur, a prototype that applies
self-balancing technology to a four-wheel device, has also been
equipped with Tweel to increase its performance potential.
 ADVANTAGES OF TWEEL


 The tweel has the capability of providing a more
comfortable ride and increased vehicle handling.
Also it has the potential for true performance gains.

 The flexible spokes also provide a better lateral stiffness
and lower rolling resistance, which ultimately
translates into an economy in fuel.
fuel


 Potential benefits of the Tweel include the obvious

safety and convenience.
convenience


 Because the tread around the circumference would be

disposed of when worn as opposed to a whole tyre, the
environmental impact should be less.
 MORE ADVANTAGES


The injection-moulded polyurethane spokes are

flexible; this allows them to effectively absorb
impacts by "shortening" (i.e., bending) when
hitting a bump.

Lateral stiffness improves cornering;
the only way to get that with a traditional tyre is
to increase tyre pressure. Unfortunately, when you
increase tyre pressure, you ruin another important
characteristic, namely, ride comfort.

The Tweel can be engineered to give five times the
lateral stiffness as a pneumatic tyre without any loss
in ride comfort.

A U D IA 4
Construction vehicle using the
Tweel Airless Tire.
 DRAWBACKS
 The Tweel can also withstand a police
spike strip, making it hard for law
enforcement to catch a suspect with a
Tweel.

The Tweel does have flaws. This includes
vibration. Above 50 mph, the Tweel
vibrates considerably. That in itself is a
big problem.

It also causes two other things: noise &
heat. A fast moving Tweel is
unpleasantly loud. Also, long-distance
driving at high speeds generates more
heat than engineers would like, which
might lead to premature failure.
 Q - TYRES
Q has invented the first and only all-season tyre with
deployable and retractable studs, creating an all
new tyre industry category of "adaptable" tyres.

Q’s wireless, driver-activated technology enables
studs to extend, above the surface of the tyre
during times of packed snow and ice, or to be
retracted below the tread surface when not
required.

Q's all-season tyres with Studs on Q technology for
cars, SUV's and light trucks with driver safety and
convenience in mind.

Q - TYRES
 FEATURES OF Q TYRES
Q’s all-season tyres alleviate
extensive road damage caused
by permanent studs.

They are designed to improve
safety in all weather conditions.

Q technology is the long awaited
solution to changing weather
conditions that create challenging
 HOW DOES Q TECHNOLOGY
WORK?

The technology enables air pressure from
the main chamber of the tyre to expand
a secondary chamber, which lifts the
studs above the surface of the tread.

The ingenious system uses air from the
tyre itself to inflate a secondary chamber
contained within, pushing the studs
through the surface.

If conditions improve, the air from the
 ADVANTAGES OF Q TYRES
Q Tyres are designed to provide better
traction and handling in packed snow and
ice and therefore may be safer than many
other winter driving options.

 And because the studs can be retracted when
not needed, they do not have the negative
braking distance attributes of permanently
studded tyres on regular road surfaces.

 Unlike standard studded rubber, which is noisy
and can negatively affect performance in dry
weather, the studs retract when not in use.
ADVANTAGES OF Q TYRES

When the studs are retracted, Q
tyres deliver excellent all-season
traction, handling, mileage and
ride comfort.

When drivers confront icy roads,
activation of the studs provides the
security that only studded tyre
traction can deliver.
 REFERENCES

www.wikipedia.org
www.gizmag.com
www.howstuffworks.com
www.autoblog.com

THANK YOU