Technologies of the Week

ERJ tracks some of the latest technical developments in the tire and industrial rubber products sectors, including news from Dow Corning, Michelin, ContiTech, Yokohama, Norgren ... :

Silicone spotlight

At the recent Light+Building 2014 show in Frankfurt, Germany, Dow Corning took the covers off a developmental mouldable silicone for LED lighting applications. The optically clear MS-3003 RP grade features enhanced thermal stability, which enables pre-mixing of remote phosphors used in two- and three-dimensional secondary optics. The product offers new design options for consolidating optical and mechanical functions, while streamlining production, claims Dow Corning. Hugo da Silva, global industry director for LED Lighting, said the material is "optimised for pre-mixing with phosphors in order to help LED lighting designers meet these demands. This will enable simpler processing options for lamps and luminaires, and higher-performing and more reliable designs than previously possible."

Safer motorbiking

Motorcycle sport touring radial sector is considered to be one of the most competitive and innovation-driven tire markets. Into this field Groupe Michelin has introduced its Pilot Road 4, as the fourth generation of its motorcycle sport touring tire range, Available in a choice of three versions: Standard, GT and Trail the product extends a range that covers the majority of road bikes of a capacity of more than 600cc. The Pilot Road 4 tire is claimed to outperform its nearest rival by 17 percent in tests for braking on very slippery wet roads, It also lasts 20 percent longer than the Pilot Road 3 tire, which was introduced three years ago. The new product employs from Michelin's 2 CT (two compound) X-Sipe and XST+ siped tread pattern technologies. It also features a patented 'dual angle' technology in the construction for the GT version.

Hannover Messe

At the Hannover Messe 2014, 7 – 11 April, ContiTech is showcasing its polymer and rubber compounds expertise with a prototype seat cover material, which can be heated directly. Developed by ContiTech Benecke-Kaliko, the seat is said to heat up more quickly than with conventional heating systems yet consumes a small fraction of the power that they do. This heatable seat cover material is intened particularly for heating electric cars, whose motors do not produce heat and which must make careful use of their power capacity.

ContiTech is also presenting an advanced heavy-duty timing belt, manufactured by the ContiTech Power Transmission Group. At almost 5 meters long and 22 centimeters wide, the Synchrochain polyurethane belt with carbon tensile member is designed for unusually high loads in major industrial machines. The carbon tensile member enables the transfer of extreme tensile forces and guarantees durability with maximum performance, claims ContiTech.

Another feature, said ContiTech, is an app that allows users to use their smartphone to check whether the initial tension of industrial belts is correct. The MiningCalculator computer program from Mining Technology Consulting in Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, enables mining companies to calculate and compare future load and transport combinations for specific mining projects.

Latest loos

A highlight of the Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd booth during the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2014 at the Hamburg Messe in Germany, 8-10 April is a retrofit lavatory module featuring enhanced touch-less functions and a new design already in use on Boeing 737 Next-Generation(NG) aircraft. Yokohama says its lavatory modules are built around its lightweight composite materials and were the original lavatories installed in the Boeing 757 and now for more than 10 years in the Boeing 737 family of aircraft.

Safer inflatable-hose filling

Fluid control technology company Norgren Ltd of Lichfield, UK has introduced a control unit that can improve the safety and speed of inflatable-hose filling of bulk materials in the food & beverage sector.The traditional method for isolating the filling neck from the environment is to inflate a rubber hose, sealing the area from the external surroundings. Compared with alternatives, which operate at up to 6 bar, Norgren’s unit operates at pressures between 0.15 and 0.3 bar. This, it claims, reduces the risk of damage to hoses from excess pressure. “Safety is paramount when handling and processing large volumes of powdered product as there can be a real danger of explosion,” said Dave Whelan of Norgren “With electrical systems there is always the risk of a spark, but our pneumatic solution negates this risk and allows for more rapid and accurate filling too.” 

More items to follow ...