Lightweight Run-flat Tire/Wheel Assemblies for Marine Corps Wheeled Vehicles

Run-flat technology has been used in light duty combat and tactical vehicles to maintain mobility when punctured to improve safety and survivability, providing life-saving egress during serious threat and live-theater hostile environments. Unfortunately, having the critical safety and protection feature that run-flat technology provides often comes with a severe weight penalty. The added weight can be excessive in larger, heavier tactical and combat vehicles, such as the Amphibious Combat Vehicle weighing as much as 150-lbs each per wheel. To address this problem, METSS will combine our high-performance elastomeric material formulation and product development expertise with The Tire Ball Company’s lightweight run-flat pneumatic technology. Tire Ball’s existing technology has demonstrated superior performance in lighter weight tactical vehicles used by the DoD. Under the proposed program, METSS will work with the Tire Ball Company to increase the operating temperature limitations of their current materials to support the development of a lightweight run-flat tire/wheel design to meet the requirements for survivability and mobility of the ACV. By making this incremental improvement using innovative materials technology, the final product design will easily transition into use on heavier weight vehicles while maintaining TireBalls lightweight run-flat advantage.