Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. will begin testing its self-inflating tyre system called Air Maintenance Technology (AMT) on US trucking fleets in the next few months.
The tests are part of a research project supported by United States Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Vehicle Technology.
Since 2011, Goodyear has been developing and testing its AMT innovation, which can aid in fuel savings and carbon dioxide reductions while potentially improving tyre life, casing durability and safety and eliminating need for manually inflating tyres.
Goodyear says that during the next phase of testing, multiple US and Canada-based trucking fleets will test AMT over the next 18 months in their normal daily operations.
“This is an important milestone in the development of AMT for the commercial trucking marketplace,” says Joseph Zekoski, Goodyear’s chief technical officer.
“The tyres equipped with AMT have performed well in testing, and we are pleased that so many of our fleet customers were eager to collaborate with us in the next phase of testing.”
AMT enables tyres to remain inflated at a specified cold inflation pressure without the need for any external pumps or electronics. The system utilizes peristaltic pump technology to automatically maintain tyre pressure at fleets’ desired levels. All components of the AMT system, including the pump, are fully contained within the tyre.
Tyre-related costs are the single largest maintenance item for commercial vehicle fleet operators. Goodyear says only 44% of all truck tyres are within five pounds per square inch (psi) of their target pressure, and 7% are underinflated by 20 psi or more.
Under inflation also reduces tyre life. By comparison, properly inflated tyres result in lower emissions, longer tyre life, enhanced safety and improved vehicle performance. The AMT system for commercial tyres is being designed to perform under a variety of operating conditions and through multiple retreads, according to Goodyear.
“This phase of testing will go a long way in helping us determine when we can make this technology available in the commercial tyre marketplace,” says Zekoski.
The DOE’s Office of Vehicle Technology has provided a $1.5 million grant to assist in the Akron-based research, development and demonstration of the AMT system for commercial vehicle tyres. Representatives from the Office of Vehicle Technology met with the Goodyear AMT team in September to review the progress on the project.