Hainan develops new rubber for military aircraft tires
Hainan, China - Military aircraft tires using a new natural rubber material jointly developed by Hainan Rubber Group (HRG) and Shuguang Rubber Industry Research & Design Institute passed appraisal by military inspectors on 8 July, said an HRG announcement on the next day.
Research for this material was conducted at the Air Force Aircraft Rubber Research and Manufacturing Center set up by the two firms in March 2014 in Haikou, Hainan province. The tires made by Shuguang passed ground tests last September and were tested in flights from April to June 2015.
The new material can work as a substitute for imported ribbed smoke sheets (RSS-1), and has ended the country's complete dependence on imports for advanced rubber materials used in aircraft tires, according to the announcement.
Shuguang Institute is an offshoot of ChemChina based in Guilin, Guangxi province with 500 employees. It claims to be China's only firm with parts design approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration. Shuguang currently has 80k set/year capacity for aircraft tires and 200k set/year capacity for military OTR tires and truck tires, said the Institute to ERJ.
Inspection meeting on 8 July, led by ( in centre) HRG's president Liu Dawei
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