JI mini-workshop series: “Non-pneumatic Tires: Past, Present and Future” by Professor Jaehyung Ju

The University of Michigan- Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute (UM-SJTU JI) stands at the forefront of technological innovation with its unique academic atmosphere and advanced scientific explore. JI boasts a strong research team, which keeps innovating and strives to produce results that will lead the industry and ultimately benefit the human beings.

In order to help the public discover the mystery of scientific research, JI has launched a series of mini-workshop to introduce faculty’s research.

At a recent mini-workshop, Professor Jaehyung Ju gave talk on “Non-pneumatic Tires: Past, Present and Future” which invoked an enthusiastic discussion.

Non-pneumatic tires’ puncture-free characteristic makes them great for outdoor cross-country and military use.

The first non-pneumatic tires for mountain bikes were invented by the US engineer Brian Russell. In 2005, Michelin launched the world’s first non-pneumatic tire called Tweel, which revolutionized the tire industry by replacing the traditional inflated tires with a hollow rim-framed tire. Compared with the traditional pneumatic tires, non-pneumatic tires are easy to manufacture, free from puncture and environment friendly. To resist vertical load impact, non-pneumatic tires’ internal support structure is much more variable than the ordinary pneumatic tires, thereby reducing the rugged road impact through the tires to the vehicle body and improving the vehicle’s comfort performance.

Professor Jaehyung Ju introducing non-pneumatic tires

During the lecture, Professor Ju introduced the recent achievements in non-pneumatic tire research, including improvement in the tires’ structure, rigidity, flexibility, distribution of contact pressure and rolling resistance. With their significant advantages in safety, intelligent structure and environmental issues, non-pneumatic tires are expected to become the next generation of smart tires. Faculty and students attending the mini-workshop were impressed and had enthusiastic discussions about fluid dynamics, microstructure and the connection between tire and wheel hub. Professor Shane Johnson expressed his strong interest and desire for cooperation. He hoped to apply for a joint project with Professor Ju on non-pneumatic tire research in the future.

The JI Mini-workshop aims to promote scientific research exchange and collaboration among JI faculty members and researchers. We will continue to introduce their research topics, so stay tuned!