Hyundai has previewed a brand new tire design that has snow chains constructed proper in, which might enhance traction in snowy situations with out the inconvenience of manually putting in tire chains in the winter. The snow chains would deploy on the press of a button, like one thing out of Speed Racer, by making use of what Hyundai calls “shape memory alloy.”
The built-in snow chain expertise works by working an electrical present by six (or presumably extra) alloy spokes constructed into the tire’s rubber. These have a form reminiscence they revert to when electrical present is utilized, and so they come out of grooves within the rubber when activated. They then retract when the electrical present is reduce off, as this video from Hyundai Motor Group explains:
The idea consists of a complete tire and wheel meeting, a departure from present designs. It provides complexity and some factors of failure to a comparatively easy design that largely works, besides in sure climate conditions, which that is meant to deal with. Hyundai goes into element explaining the idea:
The snow chain-integrated tire expertise consists of a wheel and tire meeting that function radial grooves at common intervals, like a pizza, with modules product of form reminiscence alloy inserted into these channels.
This expertise takes benefit of the form reminiscence alloy’s skill to return to its authentic form when an electrical present is utilized. During regular driving, the form reminiscence alloy positioned contained in the wheel is compressed into the form of the letter ‘L’ and doesn’t contact the highway floor. When the driving force prompts the operate, an electrical present is utilized, inflicting the form reminiscence alloy to revert to its authentic profile; the fabric varieties a ‘J’ form, pushing the module out of the tire to make contact with the floor, enhancing grip, stability and security on snowy roads.
Hyundai goes on to say its tires with built-in chains would function an added bonus of visually warning drivers when to interchange worn-out tires, for the reason that alloy spokes would begin to protrude when the tire was on the finish of its usable life:
If the floor of the tire is worn right down to the peak of the module in regular driving mode on account of extreme tire put on, drivers can simply acknowledge this degradation in order not miss the tire substitute cycle.
Hyundai Motor Group has patented the design in South Korea in addition to the U.S. The carmaker says it’s contemplating manufacturing of the built-in snow chain tire, however the design is pending additional improvement and sturdiness assessments to be able to be cleared for mass manufacturing. It would additionally must be cleared by regulatory companies and deemed secure earlier than reaching mass market Hyundai and Kia automobiles.
Source: jalopnik.com