Design and Development of Automated Tyre Inflation System Using Compressed Air Produced by Vehicle

Suspension

Pratik Mungle1, Nikesh Badwaik2, Sakshee Ingale3, Shreyas Gadge4

1,2,3,4Yeshwantrao Chavan College of Engineering, Nagpur, India.

Abstract: Most of the transportation of goods and people is done by roads. Road transportation is used for shorter as well as longer distances. Considering the safety of passengers and the vehicle, the role of tyres and suspension becomes very important. Over some time, the pressure of tyres reduces due to which it attains an under-inflated state. This results in difficulty in handling and overall reduced performance of a vehicle. So, we have developed a system which will automatically keep the tyres properly inflated all the time. Many tyre inflation systems which are available use a compressor for compressed air production which leads to an extra cost of a compressor. But in this project, we are using pneumatic energy for compressed air production. The non-conventional energy system is very much important to us at present. This is achieved by using a pneumatic piston-cylinder assembly in parallel with suspension. The reciprocating motion of the suspension along with the actuator will produce the required compressed air, which will further be stored in the air tank. Whenever a pressure drop is sensed by the pressure control system, the compressed air from the tank will flow through the rotary joint to the tyre automatically. This system can be installed in many types of automobiles and can maintain the correct tyre pressure as well as increase the tyre life.

Keywords: Tyre Inflation, Suspension, Pneumatic piston-cylinder assembly, Rotary

Joint.

1. Introduction

The condition of several roads in India is of inferior quality and hence the role of suspension and tyres becomes predominant. The suspension of vehicles is essential for absorbing the shocks and vibrations which are generated in an automobile when it travels on roads with irregularities and bumpy conditions. The kinetic energy generated by the suspension during the drive of suspension goes to waste. But this energy can be used to generate compressed air and can be further used to fill the tyres. Tyres are vital for the smooth running of vehicles as well as human lives. Most of the tyres of automobiles are either under-inflated or over-inflated. This results in the premature wearing of tyres and increased maintenance costs. But the compressed air generated by suspensions can be used to fill the tyres of vehicles and can maintain the pressure of tyres. The automated tyre inflation system embedded with an electronic pressure control system can check the tyre pressure all the time and can allow compressed air to be filled

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into the tyres when required to keep the tyre properly inflated. Many types of automated tyre inflation technology are being currently used in trucks and other bigger automobiles which travel longer distances and runs on roads that are in bad conditions. But these technologies require high input energy in the form of electricity which is used for running compressors used for generating compressed air. In our project, we are using the suspension for creating compressed air which in turn does not require any conventional energy as input hence making it a better choice among present systems.

Figure 1. Effects of over and under inflated tyres

2. Objective

(1) Utilization of wasted kinetic energy from suspension for the production of compressed air.

(2) Make use of the compressed air for filling of tyres.

(3) Maintaining the pressure of tyre by using an automated system and keeping the tyre properly inflated all the time.

(4) To enhance the overall performance and tyre life of automobiles.

3. Problem Statement

The kinetic energy generated by the motion of the suspension is generally wasted because of the absence of system for converting this energy into useful work. The tyres of vehicles are either under-inflated or over-inflated because of the absence of a pressure management system resulting in increased maintenance cost of tyres. Our project makes use of the kinetic energy

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ISSN No: 0932-4747

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generated by suspension and converts it into compressed air. This compressed air is further used for pressure management of tyres using the automated tyre inflation system.

4. Literature Review

(1) Automatic Tyre Pressure Inflation System For Automobile [1]

This paper aims to design and fabricate a system that fills the compressed air automatically inside the tubes of tyres. The pressure sensor and control system check the tyre pressure and sends a signal to the compressor in case if the tyre is under-inflated. The compressor compresses the air and is automatically sent to the tyres with the help of connecting tubes and the rotary joint near the hub of wheels. This system increases the tyre life, fuel efficiency, and overall performance of the vehicle.

(2) Compressed Air Production Using Vehicle Suspension [3]

This paper aims to design and fabricate a system that produces compressed air by converting the kinetic energy produced from the vehicle suspension. A pneumatic piston-cylinder assembly is used which is aligned with the suspension in parallel such that the motion of the suspension is transferred to the pneumatic piston-cylinder assembly hence producing compressed air that is stored in a tank for further use. No input energy is required for the production of compressed air in this system and makes use of non-conventional energy for creating compressed air.

(3) Central Tyre Inflation System [6]

This paper aims to design and fabricate a central tyre inflation system which contains pressure sensors that will feed the information to the display so that the driver receives the message related to the tyre pressure condition. The air filling inside the tyres is manual in this system and will be performed by the driver. This system alerts the driver when the tyres are under-inflated and contribute to the overall increase in the vehicle's performance.

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ISSN No: 0932-4747

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5. Components List

(1) Spring: The suspension of most of the automobiles consists of spring. Spring absorbs the shock impulses which the vehicles experience when traveling on irregular roads.

Figure 2. Spring

(2) Pneumatic piston-cylinder assembly: The pneumatic piston-cylinder assembly arranged in parallel to the spring generates compressed air due to the compression and expansion of the spring.

Figure 3. Pneumatic piston-cylinder assembly

(3) Non-return valve: The non-return valve allows the compressed air to flow in only one direction and restricts reversible flow.

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Figure 4. Non-return valve

(4) Compressed air storage tank: The storage tank is used to store compressed air coming from the piston-cylinder assembly.

Figure 5. Compressed air storage tank

(5) Pressure sensor interfaced with Arduino Uno: The pressure sensor determines the actual pressure of the tyre and then the information is transmitted to Arduino Uno microcontroller which sends signals to the solenoid valve which opens or closes depending upon the pressure.

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Figure 6. Pressure sensor interfaced with Arduino Uno

(6) Solenoid valve: The solenoid valve at the outlet of the storage tank is controlled by the Arduino Uno microcontroller signals.

Figure 7. Electric Solenoid Air Valve

(7) Rotary joint: A rotary joint also called as rotary union is a sealing device that connects stationary pipe with rotating tyre and allows flow of compressed air from the pipe to the tyre.

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Figure 8. Rotary Joint

(8) Hoses and pipes: Hoses and pipes are used to supply the compressed air to the tyres of vehicle.

Figure 9. Hoses and Pipes

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6. Components Specification

Table1. Specification of Components

Sr no. Description Specifications

1 Spring

Wire diameter = 10 mm Mean coil diameter = 60 mm Number of coils = 11 Free length = 220 mm

2 Pneumatic piston-cylinder assembly

Length = 220 mm Diameter = 90 mm

3 Pressure sensor Pressure range = 0 - 1.2 MPa 4 Electric solenoid air valve Pressure range = 0.02 - 0.8 MPa

5 Rotary joint Size = ½ inch Pressure = 0 – 10 bar

6 Pedestal bearing Limiting speed = 5000 rpm Material = Carbon steel

7 Shaft Diameter = 30 mm Material = Carbon steel

8 DC motor 12-volt, 100 rpm 9 Hoses and pipes Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)

7. System Design

Figure 10. CAD Model

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Figure 11. Pneumatic piston-cylinder and suspension assembly arranged in parallel

8. Working Principle

In this system, the reciprocating motion of the suspension induces reciprocating motion in the pneumatic piston-cylinder assembly. This reciprocating motion in the pneumatic piston-cylinder assembly produces compressed air in the actuator and when the pressure of the air inside the actuator reaches a pressure of 2.5 bar, the one-way valve present at the outlet of the actuator releases the compressed air into the tank through connecting air tubes. The tank stores the compressed air and the outlet of the tank consists of an electric solenoid air valve that is directly connected to the tyre hub. The pressure sensor located in between the tank and tyre hub controls the incoming of the compressed air into the tyre.

When the pressure inside the tyre reduces to 1.8 bar, the pressure sensor senses the lower level of pressure inside the tyre and the arduino uno microcontroller which is interfaced with the pressure sensor sends the signal to the solenoid valve air valve which in turn opens the valve and let the compressed air to flow into the tyre through connecting air valve. The rotary joint present at the hub of the tyre allows compressed air to flow into the tyre when in motion so that there is no need to stop the vehicle for filling up the tyres. When the pressure of the tyre reaches 2.2 bar the pressure sensor senses the high level of pressure and the microcontroller sends the signal to the electric solenoid valve which in turn closes the valve so that the flow of air from the tank to the tyre stops. In this way, the pressure of the tyre is maintained and the tyre is properly inflated all the time.

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9. Conclusion

The automated tyre inflation system using compressed air generated from the drive of the suspension corroborates the inflation of tyres positively irrespective of the environmental conditions which result in reduced wear and tear of tyres and improved tyre life. It improves the overall performance such that there is an increase in fuel economy and reduction in maintenance cost of tyres. Also, there is an improvement in vehicle safety due to better vehicle handling. The system tends to utilize the energy produced by the drive of the suspension more efficiently which most of the time is wasted. This system has the capability to replace the existing automated tyre inflation system as it does not require energy input and has the ability to fulfill the needs of the consumers.

10. Acknowledgement

Authors are thankful to Head of Mechanical Engineering Department Dr.S.S.Chaudhari Sir from Yeshwantrao Chavan College of Engineering, Nagpur for guiding us throughout the project.

11. References

[1] M.Prakash1, R.Anbalagan2, M.Dinesh3, G.Kameshwaran4, B.G.Kesavan5, “AUTOMATIC TYRE PRESSURE INFLATION SYSTEM FOR AUTOMOBILE” Vol.3 Special Issue.33 March 2017.

[2] V.P. Neve1, Sarthak M. Shukrey2, Mayuresh M. Wamorkar3, Badal G. Singh4, Niketan S. Kendre5, “MODIFICATION AND AUTOMATION OF TYRE INFLATION AND DEFLATION SYSTEM” Vol-4 Issue-1 2018 IJARIIE.

[3] S.Vigneswari1, V.Vinodhini2, “Compressed Air Production Using Vehicle Suspension” Special Issue-2, October 2014.

[4] Ritesh B. More1, Sushil S. Daware2, Akash A. Shinde3, Jome Josh4, Prof. G. B. Salunke5, “Generation of Compressed Air using Vehicle Suspension System” Vol. 7, Issue 4, April 2018.

[5] Ajay B. Patekar1, Amol M. Pathar2, Dipak D. Pawar3, Suyash B. Gund4, Prof. Praveen K. Mali5, Prof. Amol S. Kalhapure6, “Automatic Tyre Inflation System” Volume-7,Issue-1, Jan-17.

[6] Prof. P.M. Borade1, Gopinath Keskar2, Yash Girme3, Digambar Ghevade4, Akshay Shelke5, “CENTRAL TYRE INFLATION SYSTEM” IJSDR Volume 2, Issue 6, June 2017.

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Volume 7, Issue 3, 2021

ISSN No: 0932-4747

Page No:87