UOIT Faculty of Engineering receives funding for truck tire research with Volvo

Oshawa, ON - The University of Ontario Institute of Technology's (UOIT) Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science is proud to announce a new research contract with Volvo Group North America (Volvo 3P). Under the research leadership of Dr. Moustafa El-Gindy, associate professor, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science (FEAS), Volvo 3P is funding a project involving truck tire performance and road interactions for rigid and soft road surfaces. Volvo will invest $150,000 over three years as it collaborates with Dr. El-Gindy to investigate truck tire parameters that will improve fuel economy, without sacrificing safety and cost.

"My previous research has found that 30 per cent of a truck's fuel economy goes toward overcoming the resistance of rolling tires," explains Dr. El-Gindy. "Tires are not made solely out of rubber: they include steel belts, nylon reinforcements and beads which reinforce their structure and make them more durable. Our goal is the development of new tires that are safe, provide better manoeuvrability, offer enhanced capability of handling heavy loads and ultimately increase a vehicle's fuel economy."

Dr. El-Gindy and his team of FEAS graduate and undergraduate students will be analyzing both on-road and off-road tires and their interactions with rigid and soft surfaces through computer simulations. The project will also develop computer simulation tools with reduced development time which would expedite the tire design and prototyping process, thus reducing truck production costs.

"We are pleased to enter into this agreement with Volvo 3P and are grateful for its generous support for Dr. El-Gindy's research," said Dr. Michael Owen, associate provost, Research, UOIT. "We see this as the first step in a long term research relationship with Volvo 3P, one that will pay dividends to both Volvo and UOIT."

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