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NASA initially worked with Goodyear in the mid-2000s to develop a prototype spring tire. These tires were composed of a flexible mesh with hundreds of coiled steel wires. It gave the tires the ability to support heavy loads with good traction, but even the strongest steel springs deform. On Mars, rolling over rocks while carrying a heavy loadout of instruments would cause the steel to change shape over time.
The answer was a new material based on a stoichiometric nickel-titanium alloy. Like regular spring tires, there’s no air inside. It’s just a lattice of coiled metal that flexes as it rolls over obstacles. That means it won’t get punctured by sharp Martian rocks. The bonds in the nickel-titanium alloy can rearrange in response to stress instead of stretching, so the tire snaps back — no deformation.
NASA plans to use shape memory tires on future Mars rovers, possibly even on the upcoming 2020 rover that will take over for Curiosity in the next few years. It’s even possible we could see this design on Earth-based tires one day.
Learn more / En savoir plus / Mehr erfahren:
https://www.scoop.it/t/21st-century-innovative-technologies-and-developments/?&tag=Mars
Learn more / En savoir plus / Mehr erfahren:
https://www.scoop.it/t/21st-century-innovative-technologies-and-developments/?&tag=Mars