Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - Reinventing the Wheel

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Reinventing the Wheel - Tweel

Has anybody else happened to catch wind of this?

Michelin has been introducing a new "wheel" :

Photo gallery : http://www.michelinman.com/promo/200...ery.html?pic=0

(Click on link for images in article)

http://www.gizmag.com/go/3603/

Quote:

Michelin Tweel could dramatically change tyre technology

Detroit January 10, 2005 Today at the North American International Auto Show, Michelin showcased a potentially disruptive technology with significant ramifications for the future for mobility: an airless, integrated tyre and wheel combination dubbed the TWEEL (i.e. Tyre/WhEEL) . The Tweel promises performance levels beyond those possible with conventional pneumatic technology. 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-inventor Dean Kamen, 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.

Beyond these first real-world applications, Michelin has additional projects for Tweel on construction skidsteers and a variety of military vehicles. Historically Significant

"Major revolutions in mobility may come along only once in a hundred years," said Terry Gettys, president of Michelin Americas Research and Development Center in Greenville, S.C. "But a new century has dawned and Tweel has proven its potential to transform mobility. Tweel enables us to reach levels of performance that quite simply aren't possible with today's conventional pneumatic technology."

The most intriguing application may be Michelin's early prototype Tweel fitment for passenger cars. The mobility company released video of promising Tweel performance on an Audi A4.

"The Tweel automotive application, as demonstrated on the Audi, is definitely a concept, a stretch application with strong future potential," said Gettys.

"Our concentration is to enter the market with lower-speed, lower-weight Tweel applications. What we learn from our early successes will be applied to Tweel fitments for passenger cars and beyond." Benefits of the Tweel

The heart of Tweel innovation is its deceptively simple looking hub and spoke design that replaces the need for air pressure while delivering performance previously only available from pneumatic tires.

The flexible spokes are fused with a flexible wheel that deforms to absorb shock and rebound with ease. Without the air needed by conventional tires, Tweel still delivers pneumatic-like performance in weight-carrying capacity, ride comfort, and the ability to "envelope" road hazards.

Michelin has also found that it can tune Tweel performances independently of each other, which is a significant change from conventional tires. This means that vertical stiffness (which primarily affects ride comfort) and lateral stiffness (which affects handling and cornering) can both be optimised, pushing the performance envelope in these applications and enabling new performances not possible for current inflated tires.

The Tweel prototype, demonstrated on the Audi A4, is within five percent of the rolling resistance and mass levels of current pneumatic tires. That translates to within one percent of the fuel economy of the OE fitment.

Additionally, Michelin has increased the lateral stiffness by a factor of five, making the prototype unusually responsive in its handling. Future of Tweel Technology

For Michelin, Tweel is a long-term vision that represents the next step in a long path of industry-changing innovations. Fifty years ago, Michelin invented the radial tyre and there is no question that radial tyre technology will continue as the standard for a long time to come. Michelin continues to advance the performance of the radial tyre in areas such as rolling resistance, wear life and grip.

In the short-term, the lessons learned from Tweel research are being applied to improve those conventional tyre performances. In the future, Tweel may reinvent the way that vehicles move. Checking tyre pressure, fixing flats, highway blow-outs and balancing between traction and comfort could all fade into memory.

http://www.michelinman.com/promo/200...ery.html?pic=9

http://www.michelinman.com/promo/200...ery.html?pic=5

For some reason, I find it hard to envision the performance of these to fly - they just look so FLIMSY.

I was going to say ugly, but flimsy works too. I wonder what material they used to make these? It's hard to imagine it withstanding the punishment a regular tire (sorry "tyre") goes through over 30,000 miles.

for how much they claim to be revolutionizing performance, why do they keep insisting on entering them on low-speed, low-weight vehicles.

i wonder if they work with 18's? how would they do in a burnout?

these are the questions I am concerned with ;)

While I don't see them releasing material specs maybe for competition reasons, here's the
info from the Michelin site:

*** EDIT: I just realized this is the same article as before - but different site **

http://www.michelinman.com/differenc...01102005a.html

Quote:

MICHELIN LETS THE AIR OUT OF FUTURE TIRE INNOVATION

Michelin announces two fitments for its revolutionary non-pneumatic Tweel™

DETROIT, M.I. (January 9, 2005) – Today at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) Michelin showcased a potential future for mobility, an integrated tire and wheel combination missing one ingredient that is vital for traditional tire performance...air. The company unveiled the first real-world fitments for its revolutionary "Tweel" – which operates entirely without air. View the photo gallery.

"Major revolutions in mobility may come along only once in a hundred years," said Terry Gettys, president of Michelin Americas Research and Development Center in Greenville, S.C. "But a new century has dawned and Tweel has proven its potential to transform mobility. Tweel enables us to reach levels of performance that quite simply aren't possible with today's conventional pneumatic technology."

Michelin's Tweel is in production and available as an enhancement for future iBOT™ mobility systems. Invented by Dean Kamen, the iBOT™ mobility device has the ability to climb stairs and navigate uneven terrain, offering mobility freedom impossible with traditional wheelchairs. Additionally, Segway LLC'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.

Beyond these first real-world applications, Michelin has additional projects for Tweel on construction skidsteers and a variety of military vehicles. The most intriguing application may be Michelin's early prototype Tweel fitment for passenger cars. The mobility company released video of promising Tweel performance on an Audi A4.

"The Tweel automotive application, as demonstrated on the Audi, is definitely a concept, a stretch application with strong future potential," said Gettys. "Our concentration is to enter the market with lower-speed, lower-weight Tweel applications. What we learn from our early successes will be applied to Tweel fitments for passenger cars and beyond."

Benefits of Tweel™:
The heart of Tweel innovation is its deceptively simple looking hub and spoke design that replaces the need for air pressure while delivering performance previously only available from pneumatic tires. The flexible spokes are fused with a flexible wheel that deforms to absorb shock and rebound with unimaginable ease. Without the air needed by conventional tires, Tweel still delivers pneumatic-like performance in weight-carrying capacity, ride comfort, and the ability to "envelope" road hazards.

Michelin has also found that it can tune Tweel performances independently of each other, which is a significant change from conventional tires. This means that vertical stiffness (which primarily affects ride comfort) and lateral stiffness (which affects handling and cornering) can both be optimized, pushing the performance envelope in these applications and enabling new performances not possible for current inflated tires. The Tweel prototype, demonstrated on the Audi A4, is within five percent of the rolling resistance and mass levels of current pneumatic tires. That translates to within one percent of the fuel economy of the OE fitment. Additionally, Michelin has increased the lateral stiffness by a factor of five, making the prototype unusually responsive in its handling.

Future of Tweel™ Technology:
For Michelin, Tweel is a long-term vision that represents the next step in a long path of industry-changing innovations. Fifty years ago, Michelin invented the radial tire and there is no question that radial tire technology will continue as the standard for a long time to come. Michelin continues to advance the performance of the radial tire in areas such as rolling resistance, wear life and grip. In the short-term, the lessons learned from Tweel research are being applied to improve those conventional tire performances. In the future, Tweel may reinvent the way that vehicles move. Checking tire pressure, fixing flats, highway blow-outs and balancing between traction and comfort could all fade into memory.

Yep, heard of these on Paul Harvey's show a few weeks ago. Evidently the cost is very high at this point. But it's bound to come down with mass production. Always good to hear of advances in automotive and vehicle technology. Thanks for the additional info.

I love it when science fiction comes to life. Neil Stephenson had these in Snow Crash (1992), both on motorcycles and skateboards.

Quote:

Smart wheels use sonar, laser range finding and millimeter wave radar to identify mufflers and other debris. Each one consists of a hub with many tiny spokes. Each spoke telescopes into five sections. On the end is a squat foot, rubber tread on the bottom, swiveling on a ball joint. As the wheel rolls, the feet plant themselves one at a time, almost glomming into one continuous tire. If you surf over a bump, the spokes contract to roll over it. If you surf over a pothole, the rubber prongs probe its asphalt depths.

this just seems kinda.....dumb honestly. And i see its from the inventor of the segway?....the retarded invention that had horrible sales and was non-reliable and possibly dangerous if the batery was low? No thanks, i dont want to have my little mobility thing to die on me in the middle of a busy freeway.

That is an interesting concept if nothing else. It would be good from a maintenance standpoint since you wouldnt see people running around on tires that have maybe 5 psi left in them and are virtually flat because they never check their tire pressures. No more blown out sidewalls from low pressure either. I'd be interested to see how they perform in situations such as panic stops. They look like they would fold up in a panic stop. I can understand starting out with lightweight stuff while they learn and figure out all the bougs that are bound to crop up, before moving on to some of the heavier things like skidsteers that they have planned.

Looks like the inside of a run-flat.

they might go in a straight line or over a pothole just fine... but they don't look like they could handle many lateral G's. i doubt they'll become mainstream for cars without some serious redesigning, but maybe for low-speed vehicles like tractors or fork lifts. even then, i don't really see any advantage over normal tires, especially after considering their high cost.

Actually the design and spoke material allows it to handle G's just fine. Also, it allows for sole replacing of the band with the tread instead of the whole tire, which means instead of swapping whole wheel sets for summer/winter you can just switch the band. Also, flats are an impossibility with the lack of pressure.
As for performance, it can be varied depending on spoke material/design and wheel diameter. I see these becoming commonplace in 20 years maximum. They just make too much sense not to work.