A new technology from the US Department of Defense that uses a special adhesive to create a temporary brake pad is a win-win for car owners and their tires.
It can be applied at home with a simple roll of duct tape, and is easily removed and replaced with a new set of tires.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has developed a new adhesive that creates a permanent brake pad that lasts longer and holds a much better grip than existing options, says Daniel K. Rau, the agency’s director of the programmable materials program.
The adhesive has two distinct functions: It keeps the tire from sliding off of the pavement and then the brake pad keeps the brake from moving when it needs to, he says.
The adhesive has a flexible, high-performance plastic coating, which means it can be placed on the tire at any time without affecting the tire’s sidewall.
In its most common application, it is used to seal a tire that is already hard to seal.
The flexible adhesive can be made of any material, and it works in virtually any kind of material, including concrete, wood, ceramic, aluminum, and even water.
The agency is developing a variety of applications, including a tire protector, brake pad and tread protector, and other accessories.
The new adhesive is a new product that combines a soft, lightweight, durable material with the adhesive properties that make it a perfect choice for commercial and industrial applications, Rau said in an interview with The Jerusalem Times.
“This adhesive has the unique ability to bond together, forming a durable, flexible surface that can be easily removed from the tire and replaced,” Rau told The Jerusalem Time.
The technology could prove useful in other applications, too.
“It’s a great solution for tire-repair shops, where they’re not sure if they need to replace a tire every six months or every six weeks,” Raus said.
“The adhesive is durable, and I think it could also be used for other kinds of applications.”
The Darpa’s tire pad has the potential to change the way the military works in many ways, Raus says.
“Tires that have to be replaced often have the same performance characteristics as those that haven’t had to be changed for years,” he says, adding that the adhesive has been applied to a wide variety of materials.
In addition to being a very fast-growing market, Roussa says that the new adhesive can have a number of applications in the field of tire protection.
The technology could be used to prevent the tread of a tire from breaking when it is punctured, or to make a tire more flexible by attaching it to the surface of a hard surface.