Analysis of possibilities for application of airless tires for motor-and-tractor vehicles and agricultural machinery

Ensuring of mobility and efficiency plays the key role in solution of problem of providing the stable, safe and efficient operation of mobile terrestrial motor-and-tractor vehicles, agricultural machinery, transport and technological complexes. At the present stage of development, for achievement of desired values of traction force and mobility, the application of airless tires becomes rational. This type of tires excludes the loss of mobility because of the loss of excessive internal gas pressure, and it is able to provide higher traction force in comparison with conventional pneumatic tires. As a result of analysis, it is found that the airless tires have characteristics similar to pneumatic ones, and they are fully capable to replace them. However, the airless tires cannot change stiffness properties during operation, in contrast to the pneumatic ones, in which the variation of value of excessive gas pressure inside the tire leads to stiffness change. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce in the design of airless tire an elastic element with characteristics that can vary during operation. Such elastic element could be represented by pneumatic muscles, electroactive polymer or special mechanical design of crosspieces-spokes. Introduction of elastic element with variable characteristics in the design of airless tire leads to the increasing of mobility and efficiency of tractors and agricultural machinery. It will make possible the automatic control of tires' parameters by means of electronic control units, without operator's assistance, thereby the human factor will be reduced to a minimum.

agricultural engineering, tractor, wheeled mover, non-pneumatic tires, airless tires