Self-inflating tyre technology wins at the 2009 Tyre Technology Awards

Coda Development’s self inflating tyre (SIT) has won the Tyre Technology of the Year award at the Tyre Technology Awards for Innovation and Excellence 2009, which were presented at the Tyre Technology Expo yesterday in Hamburg, Germany. The awards are organized in association with Tyre Technology International magazine.

SIT uses atmospheric air to inflate the tyre automatically when a vehicle is in motion, compensating for natural loss of pressure, thus ensuring maintenance-free, constant tyre pressure over the lifetime of the tyre. ‘It’s a fantastic technology, yet remains a simple, inexpensive solution designed to be manufacturer-friendly,’ says Adam Gavine, editor of Tyre Technology International. ‘Production costs for incorporating this component will increase only marginally compared to regular tyres, but the benefits the technology provides are considerable.’

Coda Development, which is based in Prague, Czech Republic, plans to develop the system further into a proven production model in joint cooperation with partners from the automotive and tyre industries.

Coming to some other notable awards winners, VMI won the award for Tyre Manufacturing and Design Innovation for its MAXX technology, a new type of tyre-building machine. The device is a two-drum machine for radial car tyres that works according to the single-stage building process. It combines a high level of flexibility with a substantially higher output and a better green tyre quality, and can build tyres in rim sizes from 13in to 24in.

The award for Environmental Achievement went to Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI), which has embarked upon an ambitious medium-term strategy to start selling tyres that include no petrochemical materials by 2013. In addition to their green ingredients, the tyres will have optimal rolling-resistance characteristics. In 2008, SRI launched tyres in which petrochemicals account for a mere 3% of raw materials, compared with 56% for its ordinary tyre ranges. The remaining 97% consists of oil-free materials such as steel wires, vegetable oil, fibers from plant cellulose, and natural rubber. The 3% of petrochemical content will be replaced with natural alternatives to create anti-aging properties.

Standards Testing Laboratories (STL) took the Tyre Industry Supplier of the Year award. A leading independent testing facility, STL has been expanding its capabilities for the tyre industry. Its latest development has been to add equipment to perform SAE J2452 or rolling resistance coast-down tests in addition to SAE J1269 single-speed tests. This work is important for meeting future international regulations, as well as stringent California legislation.

The keenly contested Manufacturer of the Year award was won by Pirelli. Research was a key motivator for Pirelli in 2008, with the aim of creating innovative materials and ecological benefits. To progress these aims, Pirelli has teamed with two respected research institutions. An agreement signed between Pirelli’s Silvio Tronchetti Provera Foundation and the University of Shandong in China will result in advances in ecological tyre research.