'Smart tyres' are changing perceptions

We were excited back in 2012/13 when Michelin and Kumho announced that their tyres would have embedded ‘chips’ that identified each tyre.

Since then, radio-frequency-identification (RFID) has become commonplace in tyres. Eight years ago, there was expectation that other electronic programs would follow, but progress has proved difficult.

RFID is a wireless frequency of recognition technology, and an RF module through an antenna can recognise and identify product information stored in RFID tags. It is widely applied in various industries such as car, aerospace, pharmaceutical, clothes and communication. It is in the spotlight as an advanced technology to bring a change to the lifestyle of consumers.

Unlike barcodes with limited data capacity and short distance recognition, RFID can be equipped with a memory that can store a large amount of information. The recognition distance extends several metres and it can collect product information from RFID tags in real time.

RFID chips, embedded in the tyre during its construction, were designed to replace barcoding as a means of identifying tyres, but the technology has the ability to interface with on-board vehicle electronics.

An example is the Michelin system that’s already embedded in 90 per cent of all its truck tyres that incorporate identification technology. Michelin plans to have all truck tyres fitted with RFID chips by 2023.

RFID benefits can start at the tyre-fitting bay, where the chip communicates accurate tyre data to the tyre shop’s RFID reader. If an incorrectly specified tyre is fitted a warning will be displayed.

The planned Michelin RFID chip also has the ability to interface with the truck’s electronic systems, so the correct tyre data is fed into the truck computer.

The chip data can be entered into a truck’s electronic stability program, so that the ESP ‘knows’ what tyre characteristics it needs to accommodate. For instance, the cornering and braking abilities of different tyre types – steer, traction and trailer – can be taken into account by the ESP controller when it apportions individual axle braking.

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The clever thing about the latest RFID chips is that they don’t need a battery. Energy to power the chip circuits come from electromagnetic waves emitted during data collection.

Also, durability doesn’t appear to be a problem, with today’s RFID chip lifespans said to be considerably longer than that of the tyre itself.

However, the stumbling block for increased RFID functionality is the need for power to operate the measuring and data transmission of tyre temperature and pressure monitoring (TPMS), for example.

Embedded batteries aren’t practical, because the tyre would have to be demounted from the wheel when the battery needed changing. Such a system would be less practical than current truck and trailer valve-stem TPMS devices.

Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd (SRI) has been working together with Professor Hiroshi Tani of Kansai University on joint technology that can generate electric power from the rotation of a tyre. This is accomplished by installing a power-generating device, called an energy harvester, inside a tyre, to harness the static electricity that is generated as it rolls along the road.

Sumitomo’s Tyre Internal Power Generation Technology program was selected by the Japan Science & Technology Agency (JST) to receive Stage II (Seeds Development Type) Support under the A-STEP Program in October of 2019 and has been moving forward with support from JST since then.

In April 2021 SRI announced that these efforts have succeeded in making it possible to supply power to a tyre’s peripheral sensor without the use of batteries.

SRI’s verification testing has shown that, when a tyre is running at 50km/h, the system produces over 800µW (milliwatts) of power, which is enough to activate an external sensor and achieve continuous Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) transmission.

SRI’s research complements its Smart Tyre Concept work that incorporates recent developments like MaaS (Mobility as a Solution) and CASE (Connected, Autonomous, Shared, Electric) innovations that are already transforming the automotive industry.

Through SRI’s Sensing Core Technology, the company intends to bypass the limited battery life of sensor devices that has been the greatest obstacle to making tyre sensing technology a reality.

The project has now entered the pre-production phase, but there’s yet no date for its implementation.

In another R&D initiative SRI has partnered with Associate Professor Wataru Yashiro of the Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials at Tohoku University, to greatly improve the functionality of its Advanced 4D Nano Design Technology.

This technology makes it possible to observe rubber failure as it occurs, during actual tyre usage at varying speeds. A 3D image can now be captured in around 1/100th of a second, permitting continuous, high-speed observation of rubber wear.

SRI plans to utilise this technology to accelerate the development of new tyre materials with superior wear resistance, greater environmental friendliness and longer service life.

Although we can’t buy self-energising tyre sensors just yet, there are upgraded measurement systems that can radically shorten tyre inspection times and increase accuracy.

Michelin reports that it takes 15 minutes on average for a person to physically check the pressure and condition of a bus or truck tyre – more so in the case of duals. Currently available external tyre data readers can drastically cut that time – in some case to no more than drive-past reader time as a truck and trailer enters a depot.

Michelin estimates that that two-thirds of trucks in Europe could improve their tyres’ performance. For example, Michelin reports that studies of fleet operations have shown that 75 per cent of tyre-related incidents and problems are due to slow leaks. Also, a tyre inflated to 1 bar (14.5psi) less than the recommended pressure increases fuel consumption by up to 0.4 litres per 100 km.

We’re all familiar with devices that receive and record tyre pressures from trucks passing by a reader unit in a depot, but less well-known is a system that measures tread depth too.

US company Tyrata Inc has developed an IntelliTread Drive-Over System (DOS) with integrated RFID technology that measures and records the tread-depth information of each individual tyre that rolls over a ramped plate. The tyre’s RFID chip identifies it and the tread depth data is recoded against the tyre log, with time and date.

This easy-to-install tyre wear monitoring system is claimed to be capable of measuring tread depth on a variety of tyre sizes, from passenger and light truck to heavy truck and bus tyres. It’s also said to be unaffected by debris in tyre treads.

TPMS is relatively easy for drivers to use in rigid vehicles, but many prime mover and trailer units and truck-and-dog combinations regularly swap around, so any TPMS system fitted to trailers must easily interface with whichever truck is pulling it.

Truck-oriented aftermarket TPMS kits for retro-fitting to trucks and trailers, such as the heavy-duty Doran system, have a trailer-drop function that’s activated by push buttons on the unit’s display screen. However, that requires driver action and Mercedes-Benz Trucks UK and Continental Tyres have developed an automated system.

The Mercedes-Benz/Conti system couples ContiPressureCheck TPMS with Mercedes-Benz’ Truck App Portal to provide drivers and fleet managers real-time tyre data, without the need for separate in-cab displays.

Data is fed to the truck’s multimedia display via a Bluetooth connection to the Truck App Portal. This information can also be sent in real time to the fleet manager, using the cloud-based ContiConnect portal.

The Mercedes/Conti cab display shows a schematic of the trailer, with real-time pressure and temperature readings. In the event of a tyre-related issue, an audible warning comes through the truck speakers, fading out any entertainment noise, and the affected tyre shows in amber or red on the multimedia display. When the driver taps that tyre, more details are provided, to prompt appropriate action.

In addition, Continental’s stand-alone trailer system includes pressure/temperature sensors mounted in the tyres; a control unit on the trailer chassis; a warning lamp on the trailer and a monitoring screen on the forward bulkhead of the trailer, similar to trailer-fridge temperature readouts.

And now, for something completely different…

Tyre Stewardship Australia was formed six years ago, to implement the national Tyre Product Stewardship Scheme that promotes the development of viable markets for end-of-life tyres.

This initiative has the multiple benefits of transforming a waste product into useful commodities and creating new industries and employment opportunities; while also reducing the environmental harm caused by the illegal dumping of old tyres.

TSA is made up of representatives from across the tyre supply chain, including some tyre retailers, manufacturers, recyclers and collectors. TSA members also include the Australian Motor Industry Federation.

The tyre makers and brands supporting TSA include: B F Goodrich, Bridgestone, Continental, Daytona, Dunlop, Firestone, General, Goodyear, Kleber, Kumho, Mazzini, Michelin, Nitto, Pirelli, Semperit, Supercat, Toyo, Uniroyal, Viking, and Yokohama. The only vehicle makers currently in support are Mercedes-Benz, VW and Porsche.

TSA has initiated many recycled-tyre projects and the most prominent are ‘rubber-crumb’ inputs to asphalt road surface mixtures that have been trialled in several Australian States. The latest demonstration project aimed at increasing the use of recycled crumb rubber on local roads across Tasmania is helping pave the way, literally, to a more sustainable future.

More than 1240 end-of-life truck tyres will be diverted from landfill and mixed with the equivalent of 40,000 recycled glass bottles to produce crumb rubber asphalt in the ground-breaking project – a first for Tasmania – in a partnership between local road specialist Fulton Hogan and Tyre Stewardship Australia.

Meander Valley, in the state’s north, is the first municipality to resurface some of its road network, with work recently commencing in Prospect Vale.

Fulton Hogan’s State Manager, Sam Allan, said the municipal roads built using the crumb rubber asphalt would be significantly more durable, longer lasting, quieter and safer than roads paved with conventional asphalt.

“Crumb rubber modified bitumen used as a binder for asphalt mixes for community roads is a tangible contribution to the environment through recycling used tyres and a lower life-cycle cost of the resulting road pavement,” Mr Allan explained.

“It’s about taking a waste stream – in this instance, used tyres – through to an environmentally beneficial product to build infrastructure of critical value.”

Six councils across Tasmania are taking part in the demonstration project: Meander Valley, Central Highlands, Dorset, George Town, Sorell and Tasman.

Tyre Stewardship Australia has provided more than $85,000 across the lifespan of the project to support additional costs relative to the installation of a conventional road. Fulton Hogan will cover the cost of the transportation and supply of a portable blending facility, providing councils across Tasmania the opportunity to utilise crumb rubber technology in both spray-seal and asphalt applications.

“Although more than half of Australia’s old tyres are recycled, up-cycled or processed to make other products, like crumb rubber in roads, the equivalent of 27 million car tyres are wasted every year. These often end up in landfill, stockpiles or are exported overseas,” TSA CEO Lina Goodman said.

“As a material derived from end-of-life tyres, crumb rubber boasts many environmental benefits as a recycled product – benefits that are being realised across the Australian roads and infrastructure sector.”

TSA has committed $6 million to a wide range of Australian projects using waste tyres including ProtectiFlex, roads, horse racing tracks, car parks, sporting grounds and playgrounds.

TSA has also evolved technology to incorporate rubber crumb mixes in the most commonly used mining explosives in Australia. It’s estimated that if all mining companies used rubber crumb in their ANFO (ammonium nitrate and fuel oil) explosive mixtures, it would recycle – in a flash – about 80,000 tonnes of end-of-life tyres.