The Case for ASW

Five Reasons Mining Operations Switch to ASW.

A structured comparison of the Air Suspension Wheel against conventional pneumatic OTR tyres — across safety, operations, lifecycle cost, environmental performance, and supply chain resilience.

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Safety

The Blowout Failure Mode Is Removed — Not Managed.

ASW Eliminates the Risk at Source

Conventional Pneumatic OTR Tyre

Catastrophic blowout riskLarge-volume pressurised gas stored in proximity to operating personnel. A blowout releases enormous energy — exclusion zones required.

Continuous pressure monitoring requiredTPMS systems, manual checks, and monitoring protocols required at all times. Failure to monitor = undetected risk.

Deflation and fitment protocolsSpecialised equipment and training required for safe fitment and deflation. High-risk maintenance activity.

Emergency change-out riskUnplanned tyre change-outs in the field, under time pressure, elevate injury and fatality risk for maintenance teams.

Air Suspension Wheel (ASW)

No pressurised gas volumeThe ASW contains no large-volume gas envelope. The blowout failure mode is not present in the system — it cannot occur.

No pressure monitoring requiredAir cylinders are an engineered component with defined service intervals — not a monitored gas envelope subject to leakage, damage, and failure.

Segment replacement — scheduled, low-riskTread segment replacement is a bolted component operation — no bead-breaking, no inflation, no deflation. Standard maintenance activity.

No emergency field change-outsASW failure modes are gradual and predictable — managed through scheduled servicing, not emergency response.

Zero

Blowout Incidents

No pressurised gas volume — blowout failure mode physically absent from system

↓87%

Unplanned Downtime

Emergency change-outs replaced by scheduled segment servicing across trial fleets

Tyre-Related Fatalities

Across all ASW-equipped fleet hours logged in field trials to date

Incident Types the ASW Design Addresses

Incident Type	Cause with Pneumatic Tyre	ASW Outcome
Explosion / Blowout	Stored high-pressure gas releases catastrophically	Eliminated
Tyre Fire	Heat accumulation ignites rubber carcass under sustained load	Eliminated
Rim Separation	Pressurised bead lock fails; rim and tyre disengage under load	Eliminated
Handling Injuries	Multi-tonne assemblies require specialised fitment equipment and personnel	Reduced
TKPH / Heat Failure	Heat accumulation exceeds tyre rating; structural integrity fails	Eliminated
Sidewall Failure	Lateral stress and static turning cycles damage sidewall structure	Eliminated
Lightning Ignition Risk	Pressurised rubber assembly presents ignition hazard in electrical storm events	Reduced

Assessment based on failure mode analysis of the ASW design against common pneumatic OTR tyre incident categories in heavy surface and underground mining operations.

Operations

Unplanned Downtime Replaced by Scheduled Maintenance.

ASW Removes the Unpredictable from the Maintenance Schedule

Conventional Tyre Maintenance

Pressure monitoring — continuous, site-wide

Tyre rotation — scheduled, whole-vehicle activity

Whole-tyre change-outs — emergency or scheduled

Tyre inventory management — on-site stock required

TKPH management — cycle limits to prevent heat failure

Disposal logistics — carcass removal, storage, haul

ASW Maintenance Model

Segment inspection — visual, on-machine, low-skill

Segment replacement — in-situ, no axle removal, bolted

Air cylinder service — defined interval, component swap

No tyre inventory — components supplied via WaaS

No TKPH limits — no heat-based cycle restrictions

No disposal — worn segments returned via GACWheels

Improved traction & braking — consistent ground contact at defined points

Reduced shock & vibration — suspension absorbs ground impact before drivetrain

Consistent performance over time — wear is progressive and predictable, not sudden

ASW vs conventional tire maintenance activity comparison

Lifecycle Cost

Volatile CAPEX to Fixed OPEX.

ASW Transforms How Tyre Cost Is Structured and Tracked

Cost Component	Conventional Pneumatic Tyre	Air Suspension Wheel (WaaS)
Purchase / Acquisition	High CAPEX per tyre. Price volatile — linked to rubber commodity markets and logistics. Budget exposure: $60–100k+ per large OTR unit.	Zero upfront CAPEX under WaaS. GACWheels supplies and owns the wheel system. Cost is per operating hour.
Lifespan	~12 months average under heavy mining use. Highly variable — driven by conditions, operator behaviour, and haul profile.	Indefinite under managed service. Tread segments replaced individually. Wheel body life: multiple years.
Maintenance Labour	Specialised equipment and trained operators. Emergency change-outs add unplanned cost and overtime exposure.	Standard bolted-component servicing. In-situ. No specialised tyre equipment. Lower skill requirement for ongoing segment swap.
Downtime Cost	Blowouts and unexpected failures generate unbudgeted downtime. Cost = lost production + emergency response + labour spike.	Failure modes are gradual and predictable. Maintenance windows planned — not reactive. Downtime reduction ↓87% in trials.
Disposal	Significant disposal cost per carcass. Landfill constraints. Environmental liability. Logistics required to move heavy, worn carcasses off-site.	Zero disposal obligation under WaaS. Worn components returned to GACWheels. No site disposal burden.
Inventory Holding	On-site tyre inventory required — capital tied up in stock, storage infrastructure, and management overhead.	No tyre inventory. WaaS model includes component supply. Spare segments managed by GACWheels against fleet schedule.

Environment & ESG

Reduce the whole-tyre disposal burden.

ASW Removes Mining's Largest Rubber Waste Stream

Large OTR mining tyres are among the most difficult industrial waste streams to manage. Carcasses are large, heavy, and not recyclable through most conventional tyre recycling channels — industrial OTR rubber chemistry and construction differs significantly from automotive tyres.

Under the ASW and WaaS model, the tyre waste stream is removed from site entirely. Worn tread segments — a fraction of a conventional tyre's mass — are returned to GACWheels and managed within GACWheels' supply chain. No carcasses. No stockpiles. No disposal logistics.

Zero tyre carcasses to dispose

No rubber landfill exposure

Reduced transport emissions

Lower dust / particle load on haul roads

ESG reporting: waste stream eliminated

Scope 3 emissions reduction

Read the ESG & Compliance Position

Tire disposal waste stream vs ASW segment return model

Supply Chain

Break the Dependency on 3 Global Tyre Manufacturers.

ASW Removes OTR Supply Exposure from the Fleet Risk Profile

The global supply of large OTR mining tyres is controlled by a small number of manufacturers. This creates a structural constraint that no mine operator can resolve unilaterally — demand spikes during commodity cycles, and supply does not respond at the same velocity.

A fleet running ASW carries no OTR tyre supply exposure. Components — tread segments, cylinders, dampers — are supplied by GACWheels under the WaaS service agreement, with inventory sized to your fleet and schedule. GACWheels manages the supply chain; the mine does not.

Conventional Tyre Supply

Global OTR manufacturers with meaningful large-format production capacity. Price and availability driven by their production cycles.

ASW Component Supply

Supply partner: GACWheels. Components sized to your fleet. Inventory managed as part of WaaS service. No spot-market exposure.

ASW supply chain independence from OTR manufacturers

Five Dimensions. One Conclusion.

The Case for ASW Is Measurable,
Documented, and Field-Validated.

Safety. Operations. Cost. Environment. Supply. On every dimension that determines whether a new wheel technology is worth adopting — the ASW delivers a measurable advantage over the status quo.

Field Data