An Innovative Ultra Lightweight Runflat Technology

The objective of this research is to design, produce and manufacture an ultra lightweight runflat technology for Army vehicles, based upon the MKP patent-pending Negative Poisson Ratio (NPR) material system. Using MKPs award-winning virtual prototyping and design modeling and simulation (M & S) capabilities, we propose, in cooperation with Oshkosh, to develop, prototype and validate a runflat tire system, NPR-runflat, for the M-ATV that: a) weighs less than 50 pounds per tire, b) is fully compatible with the existing Central Tire Inflation System (CTIS), c) can be driven at least 30 miles on paved surface (at a speed of 30 mph), d) can be driven onroad and offroad, e) can be manufactured for the M-ATV as well as other Army and commercial vehicle applications.