Airless HybridSil Combat Tires for Special Operations Vehicles

The objective of this Phase I SBIR program is to develop and qualify next generation antiballistic airless tires that provide high speed off-road performance for Special Operations vehicles. The proposed tire technology will provide non-pneumatic antiballistic tires with terrain durability and ballistic resilience through the integration of NanoSonic"s HybridSil armor technology. This pioneering class of nanocomposite materials has independently validated resilience against 0.50 cal fragment simulating projectiles, buried C4 landmine explosives, and exceptional fire resistance. The proposed airless tire ensembles will employ HybridSil as a compliant, shock absorbing foam interlayer located between existing tire and wheel structures in place of pressurized inner tubes. Uniquely, the mechanical properties of NanoSonic"s HybridSil foam support will be tailored for ballistic survivability through multiple shear thickening defeat pathways, as well as provide a rapid self-healing mechanism to ensure negligible deterioration in road performance from ballistic and terrain threats. Further, optimized HybridSil foam interlayers will be tailored for rapid integration into existing tire manufacturing process and provide an order of magnitude weight reduction over current run-flat technologies. To facilitate rapid Phase III integration to Special Operations vehicles, NanoSonic has partnered with Goodyear for Phase I consultation and guidance efforts.