GKN Reinvents The Wheel, 100 Years On
The Profi-fit, which will be shown at this years Agritechnica (9-11th November 2009) in Germany, has been designed by a cross-functional team of GKN Wheels engineers. The new wheel brings numerous benefits for manufacturers of off-highway vehicles, including easier tyre fitment, which is less likely to damage tyres, and a lighter-weight design which has not compromised the wheels strength and durability.
Steve Cragg, design and development director at GKN Wheels said:
We have an established track record of successfully delivering innovative solutions to wheel manufacture and design that improve both cost and performance. The new wheel is being launched prior to GKN Wheels celebrating the 100th anniversary of our manufacture of the worlds first pressed steel wheel in 1910, and helps underline our companys continuous focus on innovation.
Outwardly the steel wheel has changed little in 100 years but incremental design improvements can deliver significant benefits to off-highway vehicle manufacturers and their eventual owners.
A number of design improvements are apparent on the Profi-fit wheel, including a rolled-over outer edge, which strengthens the rim and makes the initial tyre-fitting easier. Other features include the introduction of a double
bump and an increase in angle of the well wall. These changes make it easier to inflate low-pressure tyres whilst on the wheel, at the same time as allowing wheels to be produced more sustainably, using less steel.
As well as being more sustainable to produce, the Profi-fit wheel delivers subsequent benefits to off-highway vehicle manufacturers and end users too. For example the lightweight design of the wheel can contribute to reductions in the vehicles ground pressure, fuel consumption and overall carbon emissions. Steve Cragg concluded:
We are constantly testing the assumptions of wheel design to ensure we are producing off-highway wheels that are industry leaders in terms of their efficiency and performance.
The Profi-fit wheel has been tested fully and is currently undergoing field trials for a number of leading off-highway original equipment manufacturers.