Hexagonal wheel wins Hankook student design award

Neu-Isenburg, Germany  – Enabling tires to adapt to meet changing and challenging driving conditions was a common theme among the winners of the ‘4^th Hankook Tyre Design Challenge 2014’ – as announced by the Korean tire maker on 28 Nov, during the Essen Motor Show.

The University of Design, Engineering and Business in Pforzheim, Germany was partner-university for this year’s event: students on its master of arts course for transportation design were asked to create tire designs, based on their own visions of future cars.

The jury of design and tire experts awarded first place to Samir Sadikov for his Dakar racing tire concept (image left) - a truck wheel design that can adapt to extreme conditions during a race.

The design features detachable hexagonal blocks that transform the wheel into two modes, off-road and on-road. When attached, the blocks allow more grip in difficult terrains, such as deserts or mountain roads, while detaching them increases ride-comfort and grip.

The Vent Tyre (image centre) in second place, from Andreas Hartl, is designed to avoid the risk of aquaplaning; using a split tire tread that provides a solid rubber area for dry and normal road conditions. The second part features small rubber vents, arranged like turbine blades to guide the water into the inner part of the tire as it streams out of the wheel through an intelligent tunnel system.

Third placed Lucia Lee’s ‘Concept Winter’ tire (image right) is designed for bad weather conditions. The tire comprises 14 hinged airless polyurethane units, which can be opened to increase snow traction and lift the car body out of heavy snow.