AUTRI receives $1.9 million to study smart tire technology for highway safety
Civil and Environmental Engineering
By Dustin Duncan
Commercial trucks are involved in about 13% of all fatal crashes on U.S. roads, despite accounting for only about 5% of registered vehicles, according to data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Tire failure remains a persistent and costly safety concern, linked to roughly 6% of truck crashes involving critical vehicle failures and often creating hazardous roadway debris.
Auburn University’s Transportation Research Institute, or AUTRI, received $1.9 million from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to study whether radio frequency identification technology can help identify dangerous tire conditions before a blowout occurs.
Funded through the agency’s High Priority–Commercial Motor Vehicle program, the project will test battery-free sensors embedded in commercial truck tires.
“When a truck tire fails at highway speed, it can create a dangerous situation for everyone nearby,” said Laurence Rilett, AUTRI director and principal investigator. “We’re evaluating whether there’s a reliable, low-cost way to identify tire problems earlier.”
The research team includes David Bevly, the Bill and Lana McNair Distinguished Professor of mechanical engineering, and Shiwen Mao, professor and Earle C. Williams Eminent Scholar Chair of electrical and computer engineering, as co-principal investigators.
Researchers will evaluate the technology across three real-world scenarios: handheld inspections when trucks are parked, data collection as vehicles pass fixed readers and continuous on-vehicle monitoring while in motion.
Testing will occur in Auburn laboratories and on instrumented vehicles at the National Center for Asphalt Technology Test Track.