Researchers in Thailand have developed a prototype high-performance bicycle tire that replaces conventional nylon fabric reinforcement with natural silk. The team combined laboratory-scale material testing with pilot-scale tire manufacturing. Natural rubber composites were produced by placing a layer of silk or nylon fabric between rubber sheets and bonding the layers using a resorcinol-formaldehyde-latex coating. The selected composite formulation was then used to manufacture full bicycle tires.
Tests showed that the silk-reinforced rubber composite had higher tensile strength and better adhesion than the comparable nylon-reinforced material. Dynamic mechanical analysis also showed lower energy dissipation in the silk-reinforced composite, indicating reduced heat buildup under repeated deformation. The study is published in the journal ACS Omega.
The prototype silk-reinforced tire was compared with a nylon-reinforced control tire made using the same basic structure and rubber formulation. It was about 10.5% lighter and achieved:
29% greater endurance;
57% greater puncture resistance; and
