Michelin has developed an integrated tire and wheel combination missing one ingredient that is vital for traditional tire performance – air. The "Tweel" is comprised of a deceptively simple looking hub and spoke design that replaces the need for air pressure while delivering performance previously only available from pneumatic tires. The flexible spokes are fused with a flexible wheel that deforms to absorb shock and rebound with ease. Without the air needed by conventional tires, Tweel still delivers pneumatic-like performance in weight-carrying capacity, ride comfort, and the ability to "envelope" road hazards.
Michelin has also found that it can tune Tweel performances independently of each other, which is a significant change from conventional tires. As a result, vertical stiffness (which primarily affects ride comfort) and lateral stiffness (which affects handling and cornering) can both be optimized, pushing the performance envelope in these applications and enabling new performances not possible for current inflated tires. The Tweel prototype, demonstrated on the Audi A4, is within five percent of the rolling resistance and mass levels of current pneumatic tires. That translates to within one percent of the fuel economy of the OE (Original Equipment) fitment. Additionally, Michelin has increased the lateral stiffness by a factor of five, making the prototype unusually responsive in its handling. [via Michelin; suggested by Ken Ranucci, Boynton Beach, FL]
Labels: dematerialization, rubber, tire, ultraperforming
Extremely noisy environments near airports, roads, or loud entertainment centers pose acoustic challenges for building occupants, and typical windows cannot provide adequate protection against certain types of noise pollution. A double or triple layer of glass will absorb the high frequencies, but can do nothing against low-frequency noise such as that produced by aircraft or the bass tones of loud music.
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF and Darmstadt University of Technology have recently developed a new type of soundproof window. "Tests have shown that our windows are capable of lowering noise levels by an average of six decibels at frequencies between 50 and 1000 hertz. The perceived noise indoors is only half as loud," says Dr. Thilo Bein, who manages the institute’s department of energy, environment and health. "We have even been able to reduce the volume of certain test signals by up to 15 decibels." The experts have predicted a reduction of up to 10 dB for the engine noise of passenger aircraft in the frequency range below 1000 Hz.
When noise waves meet the walls of a building, they can be propagated to the interior by various routes. One is by causing the windows to vibrate, thus carrying the noise into the building. The other is by transmitting sound waves to the interior via the bridges in the structure where the curtain-wall elements are attached to the frame of the building. In both cases, the researchers have found a way to prevent the propagation of sound energy. Acceleration sensors attached to the window panes measure the vibrations generated by the noise. A thin chip of piezoelectric material also attached to the window counteracts the vibration by generating an oscillation at the same pitch but in the opposite sense to that measured by the sensor – causing the pane to move in the opposing direction. "We have devised a similar solution for the points where the outer cladding is attached to the frame of the building. In this case, a stack of piezoelectric chips, rather than a single piezoelectric strip, counteracts the impinging force," says Bein.
The researchers presented a prototype of the new soundproof window at the Hannover Fair in April. According to Bein’s estimations, the new active noise-reducing windows could be on the market in about four years’ time. [via the Fraunhofer Institute; suggested by James Thornburg, Columbus.]
Labels: 08, acoustic, intelligent, soundproof, window
Luccon represents a new breed of light transmitting concrete. Unlike other versions that use acrylic rods or optical fibers, Luccon is comprised by translucent fabric cast layer by layer into fine-grained concrete in prefabricated molds. The result is a collection of fluid, organic lines captured within a sturdy panel.
Since the proportion of synthetic fibers to concrete is relatively low, and because the fibers have a small diameter, Luccon has the same strength and durability as conventional concrete. The virtually lossless light conduction allows light, shadows, and colors to project through the concrete with negligible degradation. [via Luccon; suggested by Karen Miller, Columbus]
Labels: 03, concrete, fabric, fiber, lighting, recombinant
Just when you think you've seen everything that can be done with concrete, along comes another surprise. Developed by Netherlands-based designers Frederik Molenschot and Susanne Happle, Solid Poetry is a concrete tile that reveals a pattern when wet. The floral patterns depicted here are the result of a carefully-applied surface treatment that reveals itself only when exposed to water or humid air.
Molenshot and Happle imagine their Solid Poetry tiles to be appropriate for gardens, poolsides, bathrooms, saunas, or any environment that encounters frequent humidity changes. Solid Poetry thus enhances environments with its additional aesthetic state that results from a rapid response to natural or user-driven stimuli. [via Peerswereld; suggested by Shawn Gehle, Los Angeles.]
Labels: 03, concrete, pattern, transformational, water, wet
