Wrexham Glyndwr University also welcomes collaborations with industry, universities, and research organisations. This project was funded by the Welsh Government (WEFO) under the SMARTExpertise initiative (Project Reference 82321) and supported by the European Regional Development Fund. Adhesive alloy protectors, like Rimblades, can be fitted at home. Here’s a handy guide: How to fit self-adhesive rim protectors IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO REPLACE A CURRENT SET OF RIMSAVERS, THE NEW RIMBLADES LIGHT IS NOW THE SAME PROFILE AND INCLUDES THE SAME JOINT COVERS AND IS A SUITABLE REPLACEMENT. CONSTRUCTION RIMSAVERS RIM PROTECTORS BY RIMBLADES® ARE DESIGNED TO ADD A PROTECTIVE TRIM RING TO THE OUTER EDGE OF ALLOY WHEELS TO ACT AS A BUFFER WHEN THAT INEVITABLE KERB DAMAGE DOES OCCUR AND OFFER OUR HIGHEST LEVEL OF PROTECTION ON FLAT WHEELS. As part of the Welsh Government’s SMARTExpertise programme, the FAST-Fan is one of the last projects to be funded via the European Regional Development Fund. WGU has collaborated with six UK based SMEs (Ad-Manum UAS Technologies Ltd, Invertek Drives Ltd, Motor Design Ltd., Drone-Flight Ltd, Geola Technologies Ltd and Tirius Ltd) to provide the analyses, design and manufacture of a patented prototype rim-driven, ‘FAST-Fan’ electrical jet aircraft engine. The resulting propulsion unit is capable of delivering more thrust per frontal area and higher efflux velocities than current fan configurations. Project aim

Alloygators; made of tough nylon and slot between the alloy and the tyre. They are more expensive to buy, and need professional fitting. This adds more to the cost. But, they are more durable than other types and don’t depend on the adhesive to stay put. Tyre shine and silicone based lubrication products used by some tyre fitters can leave a silicone residue on the wheel which prevents bonding. Likewise some of the brake dust repellent wheel cleaners can also stop adhesion. These will require removing with our Tyre Shine Remover spray available in our web shop. So which is better? We fitted Alloygators on the driver’s side of our test car and Rimblades on the passenger side to find out. Once you are happy the surface is contaminant free, use the supplied Rimblades® IPA (alcohol) cleaning wipes included in the kit to fully clean the surface where the rim protector will fit. Once this is dry (which takes less than a minute), use the provided Rimblades® adhesion promoters provided around the full circumference of the wheel where the product will fit. Try not to get this anywhere else. If you do, it can be cleaned off with the IPA wipes. The adhesion promoter is fully ready within 5 minutes, up to a maximum time of 20 minutes.Rimblades® Original are best suited to any rim with a rounded off top edge, but will fit any rim with a continuous surface. As they are rubber based they can cope with a varied range of rim edge profiles. In basic terms, Rimblades® Original are a C shaped profile. PLEASE NOTE: The 2023 version of Rimsavers is a lighter shade of pink than shown with a rose gold joint cover kit. KIT INCLUDES: Using our VHB remover, spray liberally all over the leftover tape and within 15 to 20 minutes the adhesive compounds will be dissolved and the tape turned into an easy to remove jelly.

SELF-ADHESIVE RIM PROTECTORS WITH BOND GUARANTEE The new Rimblades® Ultra are made from Santoprene by Exxon Mobil (appearance of hard rubber) with a micro fine wire core to prevent expansion or contraction due to extreme temperatures. Rimblades® Ultra have a genuine 3M GTE6208 Automotive grade VHB tape factory applied to the rear side. They are available in 8 colours.Electrical rim driven fan technology for aircraft applications has also been the subject of various theoretical publications since the 1960s, one of the more recent (2006) being conducted at the NASA Glenn Research Centre during which a 32-inch (813mm) diameter rim driven fan was the subject of an active magnetic (levitated) rim bearing study. However, this study did not consider the performance characteristics of the hub-less fan over a range of operational speeds. The rim blades also weren’t attractive as lots of people say they fling off and weren’t strong enough to take the hit. If fitting in colder conditions, use a hairdryer to warm the wheel surface to ensure it is free of moisture. Removing Rimblades® Products Self-adhesive rim protectors also come in different types. Depending on the shape of your alloys, some fit alloys with flat edges, while others are designed for rounded and curved rims. Alloys look smart only when they’re in pristine condition. Be careless when parking and kerb them, and they can be ruined – costing a fortune to refurbish.

Performance predictions were made for FAST-Fan speeds up to the maximum design speed of 15,000rpm, at which the anticipated thrust is 350 N (36kg) and the average efflux velocity 112 m/s (250mph). The initial low speed qualitative testing phase (up to 5,000rpm) has demonstrated that the fan runs quietly and smoothly. This benefit was mainly attributed to two design features: the distance between the rotors provided by the structural stator and the fixed shaft construction which avoids the ‘shaft wobble’ problem inherent with rotating shafts. Initial thrust measurements already indicate that the performance is better than predicted and this is considered to be owing to the effects of thrust induced on the intake lip. The next stage of testing is intended to examine the effects of higher (up to 15,000rpm) and differential rotor speeds on the fan’s performance. Next steps We only use genuine 3M bonding products in our kits, which are the very best in the world and have been tested in the 3M UK laboratories for performance and longevity. The aerodynamic fan blade profiles for modern aircraft are proprietary in nature and information is difficult to access. But such fan blades are often optimised to operate at super-sonic speeds such as 450 m/s, which is much higher than those anticipated for the FAST-Fan with sub-sonic operational air speeds closer to 200 m/s. Various motor architectures were analysed including Brushless DC (BLDC), Synchronous AC and Induction Motor technology. A BLDC configuration was soon ruled out (based on previous experience with rim drives) as the concentrated windings, cogging torque, and torque ripple effects were anticipated to cause motor starting and low-speed vibrational problems. Due to the lightweight design, although they use a 5MM wide tape, we have successfully fitted them on narrower flat lips with no issues. Rimsavers require cutting to size during each application, and are supplied in 4 x 2.1m metre lengths and will fit wheels up to and including 24” in diameter. Additionally included in the Rimsavers kit is a set of joint covers and adhesive, so even if you don’t get the cut just right, you can cover where the ends meet.

Our Products

In addition to our DIY range we do trade fit versions to be supplied into trade partners for professional fitting. We also can offer a fully fitted service at our Somerset HQ, which is just 1 minute from junction 26 of the M5 motorway. WGU is keen to participate in this way and has made all of its published research on the FAST-Fan project freely available via the Wrexham Glyndwr University online research repository https://glyndwr.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/. Looking at wider applications, it became evident that there was a compelling case for the adoption of rim-driven technology for larger aircraft. The results of a comparative study between the theoretical dual-stage RDF and an existing modern small fan-jet engine indicated that, as a thruster device, the RDF offers a compact and lightweight alternative to small fan-jet engines. It will operate at much lower core temperatures than a jet engine and is likely to be lighter in weight, more efficient, easier to monitor and control, quieter and offer much greater values of specific thrust. The next steps involve the design and modelling of an efficient high-thrust (≈10kN) high-speed (up to sonic airspeed), zero-emission rim-driven propulsion device for regional passenger, distributed thrust BWB business aircraft and even high-speed hovercraft applications. Alloygator rim protectors cover the edges of your wheels to keep them safe from harm and, until now, have had this market all to themselves. But new Rimblades claim to offer similar protection in just as many colours.