Rubber tires invented in 1888 boosted the automobile industry, but we overlooked the environmental impact of discarded tires. Burning and disposing of rubber tires leads to grave pollution and release of harmful gases like carbon monoxide and sulfur oxides. Recently, engineer Zoltan Kemeny, founder of Global Air Cylinder Wheels, invented recyclable tires. They are not only 100% recyclable but also safer, durable and eco-friendly than rubber tires.
Zoltan Kemeny became interested in the environmental impact of rubber tires after he found out that tires create microparticles in the environment through everyday use. To address this issue, Dr. Kemeny made Air Suspension Wheels, that can use biodegradable threads and is recyclable. He replaced rubber with polyurethane or steel treads around a steel core. Kemeny’s company, Global Air Cylinder Wheels, aims to sell these 100% recyclable tires to various industries, starting with mining, where tires often experience significant wear.
The Air Suspension Wheel (ASW) is a better alternative to rubber tires in every aspect. ASW is eco-friendly, performs better, and is safer. It is also more cost-efficient, and they are designed to last as long as the vehicle does.
The ASW is versatile enough to be installed on any type of wheeled vehicle, from bicycles and wheelchairs to buses, cars, agricultural vehicles, trucks, and Off-The-Road (OTR) mining vehicles. These wheels transform an unstable and dangerous consumable into a reliable, secure, and environmentally friendly investment. Having been tested repeatedly in the field at mining sites of various mining companies in South Africa, USA, and Chile, it successfully proved itself on parameters of pressure, balance, and strain tests.
GACW brings environmentally friendly tires as the test results demonstrate enhanced performance, increased safety, and anticipated reduced operating expenses, making it one of the most influential inventions of 2023. Advancement to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7, an established measure of technology maturity developed by NASA, further highlights the success of the testing. The achievement of TRL 9 signifies that the ASW technology is now a commercially ready product. Furthermore, independent engineers have verified the ASW technology during the process of securing investment capital.
About Eco-friendly Tires by Global Air Cylinder Wheels
The ASW features as a one-of-a-kind mechanical steel wheel that serves as a replacement for a vehicle’s rim and rubber tire. Designed to have an enduring lifespan equal to that of the vehicle itself, this invention comprises an inner steel hub and an outer steel drum. These two components are interconnected by twelve nitrogen-filled cylinders and six oil dampers, thereby delivering an unparalleled suspension system. The outer drum can have customized polyurethane or steel treads bolted on. They can be replaced individually without removing the wheel.
The ASW has been carefully designed to perfectly match the tire size, load-bearing capacity (or even exceed it if desired), and deflection. Moreover, the overall weight of the ASW falls well within the guidelines set by the vehicle manufacturer. Additionally, it effectively minimizes rolling resistance, resulting in reduced emissions from combustion-engine vehicles and increased range for electric vehicles.
The ASW offer the following benefits:
- Less skidding
- No blowouts
- No fire
- No lateral sway
- No overheating
- No sidewall cuts
About the Company
GACW, a leading engineering company based in Phoenix, Arizona, has been dedicated to the development of the Air Suspension Wheel for OTR mining vehicles since 2011. GACW has established powerful partnerships with industry experts in suspension, steel manufacturing, and treads, harnessing an unmatched wealth of engineering experience accumulated over 200 years.
About the Founder and the Beginning
Recyclable tires by Global Air Cylinder Wheels were founded by Dr. Kemeny. He is an experienced vehicle dynamics expert with more than 44 years of experience in R&D and engineering. He also holds degrees in architecture, structural dynamics engineering, and seismology.
He is the founder of GACW and a creative engineer and inventor with more than 260 patents to his name. He was amazed a decade ago when he witnessed a tire dump fire and saw the staggering volume of dense black smoke it produced. Further research has revealed that the pollution caused by rubber microparticles resulting from the wear and tear of rubber tires is significantly more significant.
Do you know according to the National Geographic report rubber micro particles make up to 28% of all microplastic waste in the oceans?
After the eco-friendly tire manufacturing in 2015, the initial prototype of the Air Suspension Wheels was put to the test at a gold mine site in South Africa. From 2016 onwards, the ASW underwent a series of rigorous field tests at various mining sites across South Africa, the USA, and Chile. The outcomes of these tests revealed increasingly promising results.
Source: The Revolutionary Air Suspension Wheel® – Superior Performance and Eco Friendly
