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Researching the pneumatic tires based on polyurethane as an alternative for conventional radial tires
Radivoj Popović Milan Radulović Milenko Plavšić
In the last decades, researchers in rubber industry make efforts to introduce the production process of polyurethane as a substitution for tires based on natural and synthetic rubbers. Although there are not significant comercial uses of polyurethane tires, some known firms such as Goodyear &Rubber Co. are entering into a research project of the LIM (Liquid Injection Moulding) process. On the basis of recent exploring and experience, it is possible to expect that LIM tires will have some better performances compared to conventional tires such as: longer life, lower rolling resistance, lower wastes in production, etc. Further advantages are lower overall production costs and lower operating costs of LIM tires compared to conventional radial tires.
Key words: polyurethane tires, rubbers, liquid injection moulding, fuel consumption, rolling resistance, radial tires. |