Improved off-the-road wheels
Wheels for off-the-road (OTR) earth moving and mining vehicles typically use multi-piece rims and a lock ring concept. The lock ring is used to secure the inflated tyre and removed to allow for replacement of the tyre. Over the last 70 years a variety of designs have been developed and used commercially but typically these have promoted more rapid tyre changing at the expense of increased safety.
A researcher from The University of Queensland (UQ) has developed a wheel rim configuration that does not utilise a lock ring, removable bead seat band nor rim groove, ie the design has no parts that could fly off and cause injury. The design is based on simple robust side rings, similar to those used in the fixed end of existing rims.
Key features
- Enables a safer tyre-changing procedure
- Fail safe – designed to leak air safely in case of failure
- Compatible with existing tyres and wheel hubs.
Safety rotor for remote pilot aircraft systems (RPAS)
Researchers at The University of Queensland have patented a safety feature for RPAS that substantially reduces the risk of injury from the spinning blades.
Key features:
- Retrofittable safety feature ‘safety rotor’ can halt spinning blades in a fraction of a second
- Triggered when an object interferes with the rotation of a hoop enclosing the blades
- The lightweight (<20g) hoop does not interfere with the normal operation of the system.