SURVIVABILITY ENHANCED RUN-FLAT VARIABLE FOOTPRINT TIRES

The military has a unique requirement to operate in different terrains throughout the world. The ability to travel in as much varying terrain as possible provides the military greater tactical options. This requirement/need is for the tire to provide a variable footprint to allow for different ground pressure. Much of the current run-flat technology utilized by the military severely limits mobility and adds significant weight to the unsprung mass. This technology gap has allowed for the development of new run-flat tire technology. New tire technology (fig 1) has been developed that substantially increases survivability, eliminates the need for heavy run-flat inserts, significantly reduces air pressure requirements and provides full (or near full) speed capability in degraded/damaged mode (punctured tire). This run-flat technology is built directly into the tire, yet maintains the normal variable footprint of a normal pneumatic tire. This makes the tire/wheel assembly much lighter and far more survivable than normal military run-flat technology. Safety, logistics, economics, and fuel economy are additional benefits this tire technology provides over current military tires with run-flat inserts. Fig. 1 Survivability Enhanced Run-Flat Variable Footprint Tire Sectional View