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MICHELIN TWEEL TECHNOLOGY

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OVERVIEW

• INTRODUCTION

• MAIN PARTS

• FABRICATION DETAILS

• MATERIAL COMPOSITION

• VEHICLE USING TWEEL

• ADVANTAGES

• DISADVANTAGES

• CONCLUSION

• REFERENCES

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INTRODUCTION

• Tire and Wheel is combined and made a single unit.

• New airless unit

• Maintenance cost , downtime can be reduced

• Provides a puncture free and cushioned ride

• No need for complex wheel/ tire mounting equipment.

• Implemented in low speed application.

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MAIN PARTS

• HUB

• POLYURATHENE SPOKES

• SHEAR & TREAD BAND

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HUB

• Generally made up of steel

• Steel hub weighs roughly 4 kg,

• Frame of the vehicle will be connected to the hub through

nuts and bolts.

• Component which has a long life as compared to other

components of Tweel.

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• Replaces air and does the function of air.

• Connects between the hub and shear band.

• Absorb impact load from roads

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POLYURATHENE SPOKES

• Polyurethane exist today from solid materials to flexible foam

for car seats.

• Basic process involves the combination of a prepolymer with a

curative.

• Pre polymer is composed of two parts polyols and one part

diisocyanate.

• The reaction between these two components is an exothermic

reaction

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POLYURATHENE

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Polyurathane production process

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ANALYSIS

The spokes are under the subjugation of force, torque and

pressure due to car’s weight and acceleration.

• The conditions that are simulated are of zero initial

velocity and positive acceleration.

• This is a scenario where the car has overcome static

friction and the wheels posses higher stress.

• The design of spokes is significant in deciding the load

bearing capacity and the materials elasticity.

• Both design and material of spokes, is pivotal in the

success of airless tyres.

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1111Material properties

OBSERVATIONS

• The maximum deflection in the spokes are within the

maximum permissible limits dictated by the material

properties.

• The design is structurally rigid and stable to withstand all

the simulated conditions

• Enough ductile to retreat to its original dimensions.

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RESULT

SHEAR BAND & TREAD BAND

• Part which comes in contact with road

• Great cornering stiffness

• Provides stability

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FABRICATION DETAILS

• Tread band – like tire tread manufacturing process.

• Rolling rubber and steel cord onto a steel drum.

• Excess material from each sheet is removed.

• Desired base thickness is achieved

• The entire assembly is vulcanized

• 4 kg steel hub casting is made .

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• Hub and the tread are secured concentrically

• Polyurethane is poured into a spoke and shear band mould

• The entire assembly spins

• Clean the surface.

• Cover with an adhesive .

• The polyurethane will fill the mould

• Tweel is placed into an oven.

• Solidification occurs at 100°C degrees for 4 hours.

• Assure all the Tweel components are securely bonded

together.

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TIRE MATERIAL COMPOSITION

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TWEEL MATERIAL COMPOSITION

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VEHICLES USING TWEEL

– EARTH MOVERS

–WHEELCHAIRS

– NASA LUNAR ROVER

– AUDI 4

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EARTH MOVERS

• Highly stable in all conditions

• Excellent shock absorption

• Doesn't damage the running surface

• High resistant to cuts

• Smooth ride than pneumatic tires

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WHEELCHAIRS

• A powered wheelchair is introduced which uses tweel.

• Used for climbing stairs.

• Suspension system in the wheelchair can be avoided.

• Avoid puncture and enables a smooth and cushioned ride.

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NASA LUNAR ROVER

• Six legged robot.

• Developed by NASA.

• Able to roll and walk over large range of terrains.

• Used for climbing hills.

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AUDI 4

• Introducing TWEEL in passenger cars.

• Tweel generates noise and vibration in the running condition.

• Tweel was not a good option for high speed applications.

• Tweel is now recommended for speed below 50mph.

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ADVANTAGES

• Comfortable ride and increased vehicle handling.

• Spokes provide better lateral stiffness and lower rolling

resistance.

• Absorb impacts bending the spokes.

• Lateral stiffness improves cornering and comfort ride.

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DISADVANTAGES

• Can withstand police spike strip making it hard for law

enforcement.

• Above 50mph Tweel vibrates considerably.

• Fast moving Tweel is unpleasantly loud and high heat is

liberated.

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CONCLUSION

• No downtime

• No maintenance

• No puncture

• Cushioned ride

• Used in wide variety of application.

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REFERENCES

Bert Bras and Austin Cobert, Life-Cycle Environmental Impact of Michelin Tweel Tire for Passenger Vehicles ,SAE INTERNATIONAL ,2011-01-0093 ,Published

04/12/2011 Anuj Suhag, Rahul Dayal ,International Journal of

Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 3, Issue 11, November 2013 1 ISSN 2250-3153

Michelin X Tweel SSL Datasheet, Michelin international. Austin Cobert ,Environmental Comparison Of Michelin

Tweel™ And Pneumatic Tire Using Life Cycle Analysis, Georgia Institute of Technology December 2009

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THANKTHANK YOUYOU

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