Retroreflective Tire Sidewall Coating for Dark Mining Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
In underground mining environments, heavy vehicles face challenges in detecting tire damage and obstacles due to darkness, leading to increased collision risks and premature tire wear, which complicates maintenance and productivity.
Innovation Solution
Applying a retroreflective covering material to the tire's lateral faces allows for visual detection of damage in dark environments by reflecting light, enabling identification of attacked zones and improving safety and maintenance efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If a retroreflective covering material is applied to the tire sidewall, then visual detection of tire damage in dark environments is improved, but the complexity of the tire structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies retroreflective covering material to the tire sidewall that changes its optical properties under different lighting conditions. The material contains retroreflective particles that reflect light back to the source, making the sidewall visible in dark environments while maintaining a relatively simple structural integration with the tire
Solution Approach 2:
The retroreflective covering material acts as an intermediary layer between the tire sidewall and the external environment. This material contains retroreflective particles that mediate the interaction between light and the tire structure, enabling damage detection without requiring complex internal sensors or structures
2Productivity
If the tire operates in mechanically aggressive environments with stone blocks and rock walls, then productivity is maintained, but the tire sidewall suffers mechanical attack and premature wear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies protective covering material to the tire sidewall before the tire enters service. This preliminary protective layer is designed to absorb mechanical attacks from stone blocks and rock walls, allowing the tire to operate in aggressive environments without immediate damage to the underlying tire structure
Solution Approach 2:
The retroreflective covering material serves as a cushioning layer that absorbs and distributes mechanical impacts from the environment. This beforehand cushioning protects the tire sidewall from concentrated forces that would otherwise cause premature wear or failure, extending tire life in aggressive mining environments
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method enhances visual detection of tire damage and obstacles, reducing collision risks and maintenance difficulties, while allowing for better tracking of aggressive environments and improving operational safety and productivity.
Implementation Method 1
it is based on the application of the optical system known as a retroreflector. Retroreflection is the name given to reflection in which the rays of light are reflected in a direction similar to the direction from which they came
Data Source
AI summary
Method for indicating attacks on a tire (1) for a heavy vehicle of the civil engineering type. This method comprises a first step of applying a retroreflective covering material (7) to at least part of at least one tire lateral face (6) allowing visual detection in an environment of darkness of that part of at least one tire lateral face (6), a second step of using the tire (1) in a mechanically aggressive environment, a third step of identifying, in an environment of darkness, the attacked zones (8) of the part of at least one tire lateral face (6) initially covered with the retroreflective covering material (7) and now devoid of the said retroreflective covering material (7) as a result of the mechanical attack experienced by the tire (1) in use.