Even a passive design with the shape of the tread could help substantially reduce the amount of rubber scraped off the wheel on each landing.
Even a passive design with the shape of the tread could help substantially reduce the amount of rubber scraped off the wheel on each landing.
That is not to say that some clever physical design could not help. But the idea of spinning up wheels is well-known to gear engineers. Tire wear is a substantial expense, so any bright ideas would be welcomed, and eventually tried out.
Suppose your stuff got the tire spinning at the circumferential rate of 20 knots. The plane touches down at 130+ knots. Is the decrease in rubber deposited noticeable? How fast would you need the tire to be spinning to make a noticeable difference? How much does your extra apparatus weigh? How much extra space does it take in the wheel well?
The extra weight has to be carried throughout the flight. Space in the wheel well is tightly constrained, because it is near the center of gravity of the aircraft, where cargo space is most valuable, and where the wing spar crosses through the fuselage.
Everybody thinks of spinning up wheels. Thus far nobody has had answers to the questions that led to acting on the idea.