Schaeffler develops wheel bearing with integrated tyre inflation function

While maintaining the correct tyre pressure is fundamental to reducing truck fuel consumption and tyre wear, manually adjusting the pressure for each trip and change in weather conditions is a time-consuming task that is often neglected.

Schaeffler has now developed a wheel bearing with an integrated seal that helps adjust tyre pressure to driving conditions on the fly – without any manual input from the driver.

“This solution reduces fuel consumption, CO2 emissions, and tyre wear, which enables fleet operators to lower their operating costs while at the same time improving safety,” explains Dieter Eireiner, head of Schaeffler’s Bearings business division.

The key to this innovation is the pneumatic rotary union that connects the bearing to the tyre. Once integrated into the vehicle manufacturer’s systems, this can be used to automatically reduce or increase tyre pressure on all axles.

Tyre pressure can, for example, be increased automatically to the optimal level when the vehicle is loaded, and then be reduced again when it is unloaded.

Another use case relates to temperature management. High temperatures can cause tires to become overinflated, leading to both tyre damage and longer braking distances.

Here too, the new wheel bearing from Schaeffler helps keep tyre pressure at optimal levels. The solution also comes into its own in off-highway applications, where drivers commonly reduce the tyre pressure to improve traction on unpaved surfaces like mud and sand, and then have to reinflate the tyres once they are back on the highway.

Schaeffler says it will soon be possible to automate these tasks thanks to its new wheel bearing with integrated tyre inflation function.