Airless tires in the LEON-T project: How can they reduce tire/road noise emission

For more than a century, pneumatic tires (inflated with air) have totally dominated the market for road vehicle tires. However, in the recent two decades, interest has grown in developing airless tires; tires whose load is not carried by the inflation by air, but by the mechanical structure that connects the belt and rubber tread with the hub. The EU project LEON-T includes a part in which prototypes for innovative heavy goods vehicle (HGV) tires are developed, with the main purpose to reduce noise emission by 6 dB. To reduce noise that much it is believed that airless tires are needed. In LEON-T, two airless tire prototypes are intended to be developed by partner Euroturbine, in cooperation with other partners and subcontractors. Originally, the load-carrying material was intended to by composite material (reinforced plastic), but initial calculations have shown that a stronger material is needed; consequently, steel springs are currently being used. This paper will describe the principle of airless tires but with focus on the version being developed in LEON-T. The main part of the paper will deal with the noise generation mechanisms and the ways that airless tires can reduce the noise emission are thoroughly identified and discussed.