An amendment proposal to UN Regulation 117 introduces a procedure for measuring wet adhesion of worn tires. To evaluate the implications on currently marketed products, we tested some car tires with different aging and wear levels. We selected three tire types of different brands, sizes and seasonality. For each type, we procured two sets with a recent production date and two with a 2 to 4-year-old date. We wore one set of each artificially to the TWI, while we kept the other with intact tread. We tested all sets for wet grip and analyzed the effect of aging and wear on their performance.

GDSO (Global Data Service Organisation for tyres and automotive components) opened the Tire Technology Expo 2022 conference by introducing the organization and its Tire Information Service as a pioneering approach across different industries and a global disruptor among tire manufacturers, thanks to the technical collaboration and industry step up from electronic identification. Almost one year later, GDSO would like to share the progress achieved and the organization's current activities, additionally offering the opportunity to be part of a real-time demo.

The world is facing multiple challenges, such as the environmental challenge with climate change, resources depletion and loss of biodiversity. For the past 30 years, Michelin Group has been committed to reducing its environmental impact while designing products, services and solutions that contribute to the progress of sustainable mobility, i.e. safer, more accessible, more efficient and more respectful to the environment. This presentation will highlight how the company's lifecycle analysis (LCA) provides a quantifiable and multicriteria assessment, making it possible to guide research and tire design while minimizing the environmental impacts.

The presentation will explain the tyre type approval process in relation to vehicle approval in EU. The different EU/UN tyre safety and performance regulations will be reviewed and their upcoming updates will be explained. Comparisons will be made with some non-EU markets.

This paper tracks changes across the world’s tire industry from China to India, Europe and the Americas, and projects forward to further change in the future. For the big brand names, those changes include fundamental reviews of corporate strategies. In China, it has meant consolidation and international expansion. In India, it has meant adding capacity to meet increased demand as imports plunge. Everywhere, it has meant raising the sustainability game, more digitization and developing new skills within the workforce. For the future, it means more flexibility, a more dynamic business environment, more collaboration and yet more focus on sustainability.

The AZuR network is committed to an economically and ecologically sensible tire recycling economy. Used tires should be 100% reused or recycled as far as possible in order to avoid waste, reduce CO2 emissions, conserve resources and protect the environment. More than 50 AZuR partners from industry, trade and science cover all the sectors of a sustainable circular economy of tires.

The tire industry is coping with unprecedented changes, from decarbonization to electric vehicle introduction, to developing innovative compounds for improved vehicle performance. New solutions are needed, such as removing process stages, reducing factory footprint and using advanced data and IT systems to improve production flexibility. These ideas will help manufacturers handle shorter production runs of many different variants, without impacting profitability. VMI CEO Harm Voortman presents revolutionary ways in which new technology can help the industry transition to a new, future manufacturing approach.

Tire technology in particular and polymer science in general have gone through major development recently compared to previous years. The developments cover compounding, component preparations, tire building, curing and testing. New tire plants are being built quite differently in the 21st century, a particular trend being toward smaller and dedicated plants. Quite strangely, the cost of building new plants, especially in the Western world, has gone up despite this downsizing. More changes are anticipated with the increasing numbers of EVs, and the increasing demand for better overall tire management. Tire recycling is finally developing toward becoming a tool for increasing profit, not just maintaining sustainability.

For decades, Michelin has been working to reduce all the environmental impacts of its products, resulting in many innovations (radial, silica, sustainable material, etc). Tire road wear particles (TRWP) are one such impact that is being intensively studied in the research centers of the Michelin group. In this presentation, Michelin's latest knowledge about TRWP will be presented.

Repsol wants to be a part of the solution to climate change, helping customers to achieve their sustainability goals. We have developed a new line of sustainable oils: Bioextensoil, a 100% bio-origin oil coming from biorefinery by-products. Tread tire S-SBR/BR was extended with Bioextensoil and its performance was compared with S-SBR extended with conventional oils: TDAE, RAE and naphthenic. The vulcanization process, mechanical properties, mechano-dynamic properties and Payne effect have all been studied. The results show a high plasticizing effect and excellent performance at very low temperatures. Repsol sustainable oil, Bioextensoil, is an interesting option for tire rubber formulations, with good prospects for winter tires.

The Tire Industry Project (TIP) is the primary global forum for tire manufacturers on sustainability topics. TIP has been supporting research into tire and road wear particles (TRWP) since 2005 to contribute to answer questions about the fate and potential human health and environmental impacts of the particles generated as tires move over road surfaces. This presentation will deliver an update on important new TIP-sponsored research and what this means for the global state of scientific knowledge on TRWP.

In recent years, the interest of researchers from both academia and industry in the chemistry of renewable resources and related materials has grown considerably. Among the possible renewable raw materials available for the rubber and tire industry, cardanol is gaining considerable interest. Cardanol is produced from cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL), and with novel modification, it is providing very good properties that meet the requirements of the modern tire industry.

The micromobility industry, represented by mostly mechanical or electrically powered bicycles and scooters, faces different challenges and thus is open to opportunities. The shifted focus on manufacturing impact highlights the need for raw materials that have a lower environmental footprint than the standard rubber formulation ingredients that are used at present. Moreover, the types and the amount used of the so-called ‘green’ rubber ingredients can be increased due to the lower performance requirements in micromobility applications. In the present work, we explore the use of some of these ‘green’ rubber ingredients that aim to fully or partially replace the standard ingredients.

As a company committed to creating materials that improve daily life and enable a more sustainable future, last year Cabot announced its goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. In this presentation, Cabot presents the roadmap to achieving net zero carbon emissions for the carbon black industry. The presentation will also highlight some of the product and technology innovations that Cabot is exploring on its journey to sustainable, carbon black- based reinforcement solutions for rubber applications.

Substantial interest in sourcing sustainable feedstocks in the tire industry has arisen in recent years. In reality, the demand for these feedstocks in the tire and rubber industries is much larger than the production capacities pyrolysis companies can offer today. Rapid expansion in the pyrolysis industry is currently underway due to technological advancements and a solid track record in quality production. To ensure success in the long term, strong collaboration within the greater rubber industry ecosystem will be the catalyst for successful and sustainable business models. 

Mars exploration is drawing significant attention as space agencies are increasingly able to deliver onto its surface more and more sophisticated scientific devices that aim to reveal the secrets of the red planet. Since February 2021, three rovers and one helicopter equipped with cutting-edge technology have been exploring the surface of Mars, currently running on aluminum-based tires. How can this sensitive equipment be transported in a smoother way? One step in the right direction is to offer elastic tires based on a VMQ/BR blend that can withstand the challenging environmental conditions for Mars exploration, as presented in this study.

New techniques based on commercially available equipment are presented for evaluating both reinforcing and performance resins. Novolac-type reinforcing resins investigated by High-Frequency DMA to quantify the degree of nonlinearity induced in rubber cause a higher response of the super harmonic resonance. The efficient utilization of performance resins requires knowledge about their influence on the dynamic glass transition and their miscibility behaviour in the specific rubber compound. Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy and Fast Differential Scanning Calorimetry are applied for the characterization of the dielectric and thermal relaxations. Results can be described by one single VFTH equation over 10 decades.

Functionalized lithium polybutadiene (BR) is a suitable material to successfully achieve the strategies for sustainability in regard to the paradigm shift to the eco-friendly era. KKPC has developed two functionalized lithium BRs using different functional chemistry applied to silica and carbon black compounds, respectively. In this presentation, the development concept and tire application of functionalized lithium BRs will be discussed.

Silica is widely used as a reinforcing filler in tire tread compounds since it can significantly reduce the rolling resistance of a tire and thus improve fuel consumption efficiency. Owing to the high demand of tire producers for continual improvement of tire performance, silica manufacturers have developed multiple new types of silica. The effects of using silicas with various specific surface areas and structures in tire tread compounds on mechanical and dynamic properties will be presented.

Today’s use of functionalized SSBRs and BRs combined with silica loadings above 100phr are state-of-the-art for tire treads of passenger cars targeting low rolling resistance combined with outstanding grip and improved abrasion. This combination of ingredients also brings less desired features such as high Mooney in the initial mixing stages, low green strength and stickiness. It is the scope of this contribution to investigate the use of specially designed processing promoters, with an increased content of sustainable ingredients, in tackling the aforementioned challenges and even improving the rolling resistance and wet grip properties of tread compounds.

Nynas launched its bio-based tire oil, NYTEX BIO 6200, at Tire Technology Expo 2019. Since then its performance has been confirmed in several tire and rubber applications through compound studies in the laboratory and confirmed excellent performance in real winter tire tests with an improved overall balance compared to standard mineral oils, as presented at Tire Technology Expo 2022. In this work, we have taken the step to manufacture tires with NYTEX BIO 6200 as the oil in a summer UHP tread compound to confirm the properties and performance from laboratory studies to real tire tests in this type of application.

Rain Carbon Germany GmbH is a European supplier of indene resins, pure monomer resins, special monomer resins, standard C9 resins and hydrogenated C9 and DCPD/C9 resins. The dispersion of silica in low polar compound like NR can be improved by hydrogenated resins. The affinity of the resins to polar silica filler and the compatibility to rubber polymers make them interesting modifiers for silica filled NR rich compounds. In this study we compare hydrogenated resin and their unhydrogenated precursors in different compounds. The performance achieved by hydrogenation will be underlined by results of Payne effect and dynamic mechanical analysis.

Requirements of the tire industry have determined developments in extending the life of the tire. The effect of temperature and time experimental parameters on the self-healing behavior of bromobutyl rubber (BIIR) in the presence of functionalized silica-based nanoparticles was investigated in this study. The rheological properties of the compounds were determined by moving die rheometer (MDR) and Mooney tests. Evaluation of the self-healing property of rubber compounds was carried out by mechanical and morphological analysis.

The concepts of fuel efficiency and electrification is currently driving the requirements of the automotive industry. Consequently, pneumatic tyres have experienced more and more challenging targets, due to increasing requirements on their technical performances, in the framework of an eco-sustainable design. In this study, we introduce low Tg SSBR with next generation functionalities. Such fn-SSBR grades are presented in combination with NR and BR in winter/all season silica tread recipes. Moreover, the investigated polymers show an important GHG improvement through bio-attribution and ISCC Plus certification.

We will highlight the impact of selected process additive chemical classes on process efficiency and tire performance. Through informed selection and proper application, we obtain significant benefit, without compromise of key tire performance criteria. The future view brings into focus the potential for additives to interact with main compounding ingredients, leading to further optimised solutions. We will highlight key tire components where this approach has enabled new technologies. With greater demands on both processing and material selection, coupled to changed expectations regarding sustainability and mobility the future view evolves and is considered here.

More stringent performance demands are leading to an increase in the use of highly dispersible silica in tire compounds. However, conventional silica technology has a variety of production limitations, with long mixing times at high temperatures required. Agilon Performance Silicas are treated precipitated silicas that overcome the manufacturing limitations associated with conventional HDS/in situ silane technology. These treated silicas do not require a silanization step and provide significant energy savings. This paper discusses how mixing conditions can be adjusted to optimize compound performance while minimizing energy consumption.

Gibitre Instruments presents a new Fatigue tester with Environmental chamber and multiple video cameras, that permits to: - Set the testing conditions (Frequency of oscillation, displacement, temperature, total number of cycles) - Store automatically, with adjustable frequency, the images of each of the 12 samples without interruption of the test - Automatically detect the crack initiation for each sample by analyzing each image using an AI algorithm - Produce a movie for each sample to be downloaded using USB or Network - Set test Temperature between -40 and 200°C

Dynamic Mechanical Analysis has become a major technique for measuring the rubber compounds viscoelastic properties. The Tire industry has relied on this powerful characterization technique for years and developed numerous test procedures providing key indicators of tire performances (wet grip, rolling resistance, traction…) Recent improvements based on automation with a 6 axis robot brought significant productivity gains. A new step has been reached today with the new Metravib Dyna+ software which brings extended test control and test combinations for optimizing accuracy and repeatability of measured data as well as testing procedure possibilities and test productivity. This presentation highlights these significant progresses.

Over several years, Tekscan has been collaborating with Calspan on testing tire dynamics at high speeds. Two Calspan engineers will be presenting on the data they have obtained using our soon-to-be-released to the market (February 2023) High-Speed TireScan™ system. This system revolutionizes tire testing because for the first time, tire patch pressures can be captured on a flat-track under high velocity conditions. Previously the only way to capture this data was on a rotating drum at lower speeds. This presentation will discuss how R&D teams can instrument their own machines with this novel technology to analyze tire dynamics.

There are some significant cost, timing and sustainability aspects in regard to using virtual driving or driver-in-the-loop simulators to evaluate tires. The most notable change is the lack of physical tires that are created. There are also many benefits to the research and development side of tire engineering. This presentation will explore what DIL is and what it can mean, and the cost/timing/R&D benefits for tires. Case study examples on how tire companies are using simulators with be discussed.

Good adhesion performance between steelcord and skim compound is becoming more critical with increasing demand for sustainability and longer tire life in the tire industry. In the past years, novel characterization techniques have been developed to study the adhesion layer build-up and evolution under humid and hot conditions. By employing these techniques to evaluate adhesion systems with a variety of steelcord and skim compounds, new adhesion mechanism understandings were gained and it enabled the development of new innovative solutions, such as ternary alloy coated steelcord, that makes it possible to remove cobalt completely from tires.

Milliken Textiles developed MilliCap, an innovative, ready-to-use solution. The global manufacturer has contracted with an external consultant for the last two years to produce tires and perform indoor and outdoor testing to benchmark its solution with the traditional tire-cord solution. The objective third party has finalized the report, which concludes that MilliCap can reduce rubber consumption in production by 4% and reduce a tire's rolling resistance by 4%. Discover how this product can advance the performance and sustainability of your tires.

Roland Electronic has been and is pursuing new and innovative ways of online quality monitoring at steel cord-cutting lines used in tire production. With the integration of a high-resolution magnetic field sensor, the wire distances, offset and EPDM/EPI inside of the rubber can be reliably monitored at full production speed. After the steel cord is analyzed, it is visualized in an easy-to-use interface, similar to an X-ray image. With the new ACU – angle-adjustable sensor bracket for angle cord – SIS Vision is now ready for quality monitoring in breaker lines.

With the increasing interest in circular raw materials, Teijin Aramid is taking the initiative to meet industry demands. It is developing physical and chemical recycling routes to produce tire-grade recycled Twaron yarn. In the presentation, the latest status of these developments is discussed. Teijin has been mechanically recycling - for over 20 years already - both post-industrial aramid waste such as tire cord production leftovers and post-consumer materials such as bulletproof vests to make Twaron pulp. However, retrieving aramid from end-of-life tires remains a challenging task. An industry-wide effort is required to tackle tire textile waste. This is our call to action.

As a supplier of visual inspection systems we will present the benefits of automated inspection during the weaving and dipping process, showing examples of installations on looms and dipping lines with the detection possibility of defects of different appearances. The presentation will also include how to analyze the defects with our tools and optimize production to minimize second quality.

Kordsa, as a global leader in reinforcement technologies, positioning itself as an enabler rather than a manufacturer, contributes to CASE mobility with its innovative and sustainable reinforcement technologies and products. CASE mobility, composed of the initials of 'connected', 'autonomous', 'shared' and 'electric', is considered the future of mobility. For instance, in collaboration with SES RFID GmbH, the global leader in connectivity, Kordsa has developed a small, flexible RFID tag that can be applied to pneumatic tires, enabling traceability from production to end-of-life. With such and other examples, Kordsa will share how the company strives to provide value.

To be relevant, fatigue testing methods must (1) generate the failure modes of the final application (2) under load and test cycle count conditions validating the required 60-400Mc life expectation. The tire being probably the most complex mechanical system in the world, no one may expect a single fatigue test method to cover the actual challenges of this industry on cost, performance & Eco-achievements. The generic test equipment with specific sample preparation & methodology are reviewed for the occurring failure modes.

The current development towards e-mobility and the associated changes in requirements for tire production also pose new challenges (or opportunities) for Troester as a system supplier. Besides modified rubber compounds, topics such as efficient raw material usage (low start-up and scrap lengths) and tight tolerances have to be considered to achieve truly optimized systems. As a global system supplier, Troester is leading the way in continuous optimization of extrusion technology along with strong customer collaboration to ensure the highest level of productivity and to be prepared for the next generation of tires.

Perfect dosing is required in the tire production process, where the exact dispensing of raw materials such as polymers, chemicals, carbons and oils is a crucial aspect for the features, function and performance the tire is designed to have. Accurate weighing is essential and plays a crucial role in quality control, traceability, safety, productivity, efficiency and reduction of costs. Color Service will present the revolutionary technology of its fully automatic dosing system, which is able to solve many of the problems present in the manual weighing of powder and liquid products.

High-quality compounding and increased performance levels continue to dominate manufacturing needs, but a new level in material handling is needed to keep pace with ever-growing changes in raw and recycled materials and increases in formula complexity. It is critical now more than ever to have innovative technology, so from initial testing in our advanced technology centers we provide expertly engineered solutions and systems fit for the latest demands in the mixing room. Hear more about gentle but high capacity pneumatic conveying solutions as well as high capacity smart silo storage systems that make you less dependent on supply chains, and get to know the details of Zeppelin precision dosing, weighing and injection systems.

Comparing trial work between Planetary Roller Extruder (PRE) and Internal Mixer have shown that the PRE’s continuous one-stage mixing process is capable to produce superior silica-based tread compounds. The given residence time is sufficient for mixing, salinisation, cooling and addition of the cross-linking agent. It does meet and exceed the compounding requirements regarding processing and product performance. Independent control of mechanical mixing and thermal energy exchange in the PRE are presenting optimal conditions for continuous processing. This is providing improved mechanical properties such as tensile strength or hardness increase, beside others, due to the high level of silica dispersion.

Green production and sustainability is a hot topic around the world, especially in the tire industry, and one which will have a massive influence on the environment and society. As a strategic partner for tire companies, Himile has been committed to further research and development in the green and sustainable production of its manufacturing process for molds and containers (mechanisms), such as the invention of spring vents and the application of different models of molds and containers with better performance in terms of higher efficiency and energy saving.

Maris Company, the manufacturer of co-rotating twin-screw extruders since 1962, entered the field of rubber processing more than 15 years ago. The experience acquired in this field allowed Maris to develop a new patented process able to devulcanize the cured rubber, restoring its plasticity and allowing it to be processed again. Maris devulcanization is a continuous thermomechanical process, without the use of any chemical agent. This process has been optimized for different kinds of elastomers, such as NR, SBR, EPDM, and FKM. From laboratory tests, the obtained devulcanization yield is 50-90% and the recycled material can be reused as a secondary raw material.

The presentation will focus on the new Hägglunds drive, offering a comparison in relation to drive characteristics - fixed ratio gearbox and infinitely variable gearbox; energy savings - contribution to energy management DIN 50001; safety - in relation to DIN 1417; digitalization - real acquisition of operational data and contribution to quality management; connectivity - integration of production machines into higher-level process control systems and the basis of communication between production machines; compactness - dimensions and weights; reliability - unstoppable; and cost of ownership - investment cost and maintenance cost, all from a user's view.

Tire plants use a tremendous amount of energy and monitoring the energy usage is the first step to controlling our limited resources. This presentation will discuss a ready to apply commercial solution for monitoring energy across multiple plants in real time and show the benefits of contextualizing production data with the usage of energy. The presentation will show how to gather electrical energy, compressed air, chemical usage, steam and any other critical utility used on the factory floor. Connectivity options will be discussed for any machine controller to gather production data and contextualize the production data to the energy usage

QA systems have become extremely important in recent years. They not only ensure accurate process control, but also enable machines to produce autonomously and without an operator. And they produce valuable data. To be able to rely on this measurement data, much more is needed than just a camera. Calibration and validation must also be integrated in the system. And all this without major impact on the output of the machine.

Until now, the use of ultrasonic cutting tools caused two major problems that led to long downtimes: The great wear of the sonotrodes as well as time-consuming cleaning work. With newly developed sonotrodes it was possible to increase the service life up to five times while also minimizing the high maintenance costs. This presentation will give insights into how the material properties and geometry of the cutting tools contribute to this improvement. In addition, ways to optimize the entire cutting process will be explained, making the use of ultrasonic technology more efficient than ever before.

Tire uniformity - in particular radial force variation (RFV) and its harmonics - is a major quality criterion for tires. OEMs tend to request very low or even specific value sets. The traditional processes of mechanical processing on the tire outside are visible and disqualify such tires for supply to OEMs. 4JET is providing an industrial tool with 10+ years of industrial experience. Lasers are used for very specific processing on only the tire bead area. The processing is fast and almost invisible on the tire and is applicable for large industrial scale in 24/7 fully automated operation.

Polysaccharides like nanofilibrated cellulose (NFC) or engineered polysaccharide systems modified by enzymatic reactions are renewable materials with a high potential as active fillers for elastomers. Advantages are low density for saving weight and high strength in combination with high specific surfaces. NFC-characterized polysacharide basing fillers are used for their specific surface, particle size and chemical structure. The problem of incorporating polar polysaccharide basing fillers, containing more or less water as raw material, into the rubber matrix can be solved using latex compounding, pretreatment of the fillers and optimized coagulation strategy. The resulting nanocomposites are characterized by properties.

Fillers are commonly used to enhance the performance of rubber compounds as they improve the mechanical properties of rubber and play a big role in tire performance. Lowering the filler improves the RRC of the tire but at the same time compromises other performance. Resin offers a new technology to improve tire grip performance. Advance-Next-Generation Terpolymer Functionalized Resin plays a very important role in balancing tire performance. This resin improves the mechanical properties of compounds with a lower level of filler and at the same time improved hysteresis properties. The resin improves hysteresis without compromising air permeability, thus improving tire RRC and durability.

Silane-terminated diene resins have been shown to be useful additives for improving the performance balance of traction and rolling resistance in tire tread compound development. The synergistic mechanism of polycondensation and interpenetrating network formation involving the silica filler, silane coupling agents and silane-terminated diene resins has been established. EV tire development will require a new balance of properties highlighting abrasion resistance and durability without sacrificing traction. In the present study, the extension of the technology to higher filler-loaded EV compounds is explored, focusing on minimizing filler-filler interactions. Sustainably sourced functionalized resin options are included in the technology presented.

The automotive industry is now in the midst of revolutionary changes related to connectivity, autonomous, sharing and electrification. The requirements for tire, and for tire rubber, are changing according to such changes. Asahi has been developing a new generation of S-SBR to satisfy these requirements. In addition, Asahi has started to develop a new rubber, adapting a brand-new technology to catch up with the current requirements such as low rolling resistance, longer product life and so on. This is the SEEB. Asahi will introduce the development of SEEB in the presentation.

Demand for eco-friendly tires is steadily increasing due to the growing awareness of resource and environmental protection around the world. SSBR, a key material for eco-friendly tires, has improved tire performance by incorporating various high-performance technologies. Recently, a new concept SSBR using sustainable materials has been developed to respond to new elastomer demand for eco-friendly tires. In this seminar, we will introduce the technology of eco-SSBR and silica wet masterbatch.

A crucial property of aircraft (AC) tire treads is the grip of the tire during landing. Resin addition is known to improve the wet grip of a tire, and this was confirmed for AC tire retreads containing different fillers. Ice traction was also improved, but at the expense of heat build-up performance in a compound with carbon black and a hybrid carbon black/silica filler system. When silica is the sole filler, HBU can also be improved. However, these improvements depend on the type of resin: an aromatic hydrocarbon C9 resin results in better wet skid performance than a terpene-phenol resin.

The market demand for high-performance products requires constant research to improve the performance and safety of tires. The well-known magic triangle of tires remains a major challenge for tire manufacturers. In this study, the use of resins as an alternative to TDAE oil in tire tread compounds was investigated to simultaneously optimize wet grip, wear and rolling resistance.

The automotive industry trends have been described as CASE - Connect, Autonomous, Shared, and Electrified. Only recently sustainability rose as an additional key trend. The majority of tire and vehicle manufacturers have stated sustainability goals for the coming period. Consequently, the sustainability profile of tire ingredients is becoming more important. The various ways to improve sustainability of tire materials may also have other effects. How do these materials impact tire performances like Rolling, Wet Grip and Tread Wear. Is it possible to have more sustainable materials that do not negatively impact tire performances, or even have a positive impact?

The abrasion resistance of silica-filled tire treads still requires further improvement compared to carbon black-filled ones. It was investigated if a synergistic effect of silica with organoclay leads to a shift of the tire performance towards enhanced abrasion resistance for better durability. The results from lab characterizations indicate that silica/organoclay-filled compounds have a positive impact on abrasion resistance while improving the wet traction indicator and maintaining good rolling resistance indicator.

With the emergence of new mobility technologies and as the attention toward environmental sustainability is increasing, the tire industry’s need for sustainable solutions is imperative. Asahi Kasei’s first response toward sustainability is the development of its 6th-generation SSBR technology, offering low rolling resistance and wear. A tire with low wear translates as low microplastic emission, which is the need of the hour. Asahi is concentrating on sustainable raw material procurement for long-term sustainable solutions, with sustainable naphtha being one such example. Asahi has also committed to supplying ISCC-certified products using the mass balance approach.

Synthos' presentation will address the design of new SSBR grades with improved wear and durability characteristics. SSBR architecture and functionalization essentially determine the key performance properties of passenger car tires. Tire abrasion resistance has recently come into focus as tire wear accumulates in the environment and is now considered one of the largest sources of microplastics. The most efficient way to reduce microplastics is to improve tire abrasion. SSBR, as one of the main components of the tire tread, must be part of the technical solution.

Electrification is a non-stoppable global trend, minimizing CO2 emissions. Last year, CarbonX proved its benefit via tire testing, when improving the energy efficiency and durability of the tread of PCR summer tires. For the EV - TBR market, the combination of benefits can be amplified even more. This presentation will describe the CarbonX product assessment, the structure-property relation, an NR/BR benchmark and a few client cases. CarbonX has been used to substitute traditional Carbon Blacks. We observed improvements of the indicators for rolling resistance, abrasion resistance and tear strength, while keeping the grip indicator intact.

The use of hydrothermally treated (HTT) lignin as a rubber filler is a promising approach to improve the sustainability of elastomers. By applying the HTT process, renewable and abundantly available lignin feedstocks can be successfully converted to a reinforcing filler for rubber application with stable morphology, purity, enlarged functional surface and thermal stability. This study focuses on the effect of HTT lignin on the mechanical properties of rubber compounds in the presence of modifiers to open new opportunities for this bio-based reinforcing filler.

The electrical and thermal conductivity of rubber compounds are investigated with respect to carbon black loading and morphology – surface area, structure, and porosity. A set of carbon blacks with morphologies varied according to a central composite experimental design are used to prepare rubber compounds at various loadings ranging from 10 to 180 PHR. The influence of carbon black on the electrical and thermal conductivity of rubber compounds are investigated on a mechanistic basis and shown to be significantly different in physical origin. Electrical conductivity follows the anticipated percolation behavior which varies significantly and systemically depending on carbon black morphology.

To regulate tire wear in terms of abrasion rate (mg/km/ton vehicle) an end consumer-representative and reproducible test method is required. Experienced accelerations are a suitable descriptor for driving conditions concerning tire wear. To determine representative accelerations for typical usage, over 3,500 vehicles in Europe have been monitored. For reproducibility reasons, the overall traffic flow on chosen tracks on public roads has to be considered. Parameters for track layout in general should be universal so that multiple tracks at different locations can be set up. Test conditions are defined in terms of ambient temperatures, driving style, vehicle settings, etc.

Challenging energy efficiency requirements, the need to reduce emissions and the transition to EVs all increase the relevance of tires in the vehicle energy economy. The amount of energy dissipated by tires in real-world applications depends on the operating conditions and vehicle and mission profile. Laboratory rolling resistance (RR) tests according to ISO or SAE procedures do not consider several of these factors. This presentation covers the effects of ambient temperature on tire RR, a comparison of lab and on-road RR measurements, examples of RR in transient operating conditions and how intelligent tires can support analyzing these parameters.

Traditional laboratory tests to determine the thermal aging of rubber used for tires consist of performing standard tests after aging, and the aging process is typically carried out over a period of hours to months, which is very time-consuming. Therefore, this study proposes a new way of quantifying the thermal degradation process that directly identifies the embrittlement or softening/hardening of rubber which are consequences of aging phenomena. A physical compliance parameter will be introduced to quantify the susceptibility of rubber to cracking due to thermal aging, where the whole analysis only takes up to two hours.

Tire wear is caused by the friction process between tires and the road surface. This is unintentionally releasing microplastics to the environment. The first step to monitor and limit those particle emissions is to develop and agree on a test procedure to measure the tire abrasion rate. This presentation concerns a proposal for an accelerated vehicle test method in the proving ground environment.

With OEMs mandating the submission of virtual models, tire suppliers are busy molding and reshaping virtual methods according to their best ideals and past simulation experiences. At Hankook, we took the path of developing simplified FE techniques for the direct estimation of FTire 'core' parameters, thus circumventing most of the computationally expensive and complex FE (cleat) simulations. Using these FE techniques, for the past year, virtual FTire models have been submitted to multiple OEMs. In this presentation, the accuracy of FE techniques to predict the cleat response is evaluated, with examples from various FTire models delivered to OEMs and from internal evaluations.

The presentation will cover the latest developments in tire development and simulation at Jaguar Land Rover, and how tire data and simulation is used to ensure tires are sized to meet the company’s targets and customers’ expectations.

In this research, it is proposed that relevant regions of operation of the tire be given higher priority while parametrizing the Pacejka model. This is done by creating complex weighting functions that selectively assign weightage to, for example, higher loads and positive slip angle regions. A Magic Formula 6.1 is then parametrized using historical tire data from racing tires with and without the complex weighting function. The two different tire models are used in a vehicle simulation and the results are compared against real measurement data

Calspan has developed a new thermo-mechanical tire model to better address current and future needs of the automotive industry. The real-time capable physical tire model simulates tire behaviors using a modular architecture and is designed to be parameterized with readily available and accurate test data. The model relies on a highly accurate contact patch model (which is parameterized with DCPP data), which improves the fidelity of other physical sub-models such us the tread model for the force generation, the thermal model, the wear model or the advanced friction model with road roughness dependency.

At the Institute of Dynamics and Vibration Research of Leibniz University Hannover, we have a new internal drum test rig designed for high-performance lateral driving maneuvers. Besides introducing the test rig we will show the first test results on unsteady rolling conditions: after a step in normal tire load or slip angle tire, forces and torques respond with a time delay. We will show an analysis of the effect of testing conditions such as tire pressure or rolling speed on these time delay constants.

The presentation aims to provide answers to the following questions on HSU measurement. Which characteristic tire properties can be seen in the evaluation of HSU measurement? HSU measurement with speed ramps versus measurement at constant speeds. What machine types are there for measuring HSU and what is the influence of the natural frequency of the measuring machine on the measurement results? What are typical HSU measurements and evaluations? What is the influence of different road wheel surfaces? Which parameters for tire models are obtained from the HSU measurements? What further developments are conceivable?

The damage caused by an impact does not always manifest in failure, but does reduce remaining life. The effects of an impact on residual life were studied using Endurica's Incremental Critical Plane Analysis. The analysis begins with finite element modeling of tire break-in and run-out under steady-state rolling, as well as impact under transient conditions. The stress-strain histories obtained in these separate analyses are then combined using Endurica DT to calculate residual life after impact. The simulation accounts for rate and aging effects and produces realistic estimates of the consequences of an impact.

There is growing interest in predictive tire performance testing due to the new EU tire labeling regulation to meet sustainability standards. Tire performance such as abrasion, wet/ice/dry grip and rolling resistance can be predicted by the VMI's laboratory abrasion tester (LAT) 100, provided suitable conditions for testing are employed. In this presentation, VMI will review the latest test possibilities with VMI LAT100 which are in agreement with road data.

New product development (NPD) is a key process for all tire groups and the NPD time is crucial. Virtual technologies enable you to launch world-class products faster and more cost-effectively than ever. TIC has developed a unique virtual technology implementation concept. It would be useful for all tire manufacturers to have an efficient and effective virtual technology process. TIC's key motto is 'Speed to market with the right solution and innovation'. The main points include how to establish virtual technology, how to start simulation, tire engineering enhancement, and model validation and verification, amongst others.

Advanced testing of rubbers is essential for lifetime predictions. By considering realistic geometries and application-oriented loading conditions, laboratory data can be linked to real-world product performance. For rubbers, the material’s resistances against crack initiation and propagation are of high importance. A better understanding of the structure-properties relationship considering process and loading histories can be achieved by the coupling of methods, e.g. by studying the damage evolution under fatigue supplemented by structure analysis using x-rays. Ideally, predictive laboratory tests balance accuracy, productivity and efficiency while providing new mechanistic insights and modeling opportunities of rubbers for future applications, e.g. tires for e-vehicles.

Accurately modeling tire characteristics is vital for creating accurate vehicle simulations, which are required at different stages of vehicle development. Recently, such vehicle simulations have become increasingly utilized during the concept phase, where no physical tire prototypes are yet available. Consequently, estimating tire characteristics is essential. In collaboration with Audi AG, Siemens has developed a tool that can generate estimated tire characteristics via physics-based models. These models are calibrated using a database of existing tire models, and, thus, the accuracy of estimated results is evaluated statistically, based on a large set of measured tire characteristics.

The transportation sector contributes around 16% to total CO2 emissions. The ever-increasing demand from OEMs and regulations to reduce the carbon footprint have been the key drivers of the tire industry's focus on low rolling resistance tires for the last few decades. Silica filler is popularly used in low RR tires. However, silica is not a sustainable material due to the high energy consumption of its manufacturing process. Recent works show rice husk silica can be a potential alternative to conventional silica. In this work, the bio-based filler is compared with conventional filler. The bio-based filler has shown an overall improvement in tire performance.

In 2020, Cabot launched its first engineered elastomer composites (E2C) products. These natural rubber and carbon black composites are now delivering performance and sustainability benefits in off-the-road (OTR) tire and mining applications globally. In this presentation, Cabot will highlight how a new class of E2C products can increase sustainable materials content, decrease tire company Scope 2 & 3 emissions, and deliver significant performance and sustainability benefits for truck and bus tires.

Synthos' presentation will focus on different ways to achieve sustainable composition of synthetic rubber materials, including on-purpose bio-butadiene, ISCC+ certified raw materials, and sustainable styrene approaches that enable quantifiable environmental benefits.

A chemically modified product from Castor oil is synthesized in Lab scale as a replacement of zinc based process aid to address environmental concerns as zinc oxide from tires leaching environment by way tire debris. The studies on tire tread formulations indicated this material is can be used as replacement of Zn based process aids which being used extensively in tire industry as processing additive. The synthesized material is called ZFPA (Zinc Free process aid) has shown equal and better process behaviour in Natural and blend of Natural rubber with synthetic rubber. Also, Incorporation of ZFPA (Zinc Free process aid) in Synthetic Rubber formulations found to cure without using ZnO and properties when compared with control batch has shown equal or few properties even better – further studies on this new findings is under progress.

Since the launch of green tires in the 1990s, Solvay Silica has been constantly offering innovative precipitated silica grades to improve the lifecycle assessment of tires: safety through grip improvement, environmental benefits through rolling resistance decrease and wear improvement. To go one step beyond, Solvay Silica is working to improve its own environmental footprint.

In this report, we are describing an innovative cross-linking phenomenon for epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) that resulted in one component curing, self-healing capacity and recyclability, as well as a path to develop a sustainable elastomer using just 1H-Imidazole and no other chemical reagents. Chemical characterizations revealed that covalent interaction between ENR and imidazole, followed by dynamic hydrogen bonding and formation of ionic aggregates, led to promising mechanical properties (tensile strength ~4.5 MPa, elongation at break~700%). The material's capacity for self-healing and reprocessability was also investigated. The study shed new light on natural rubber-based advanced materials with high sustainability.

Tire producers are leading the charge towards a safer and more sustainable mobility by adopting cutting-edge products and technologies, such as functional polymers, higher surface area fillers, and increased silica loadings to expand the performance envelope. Unfortunately, these approaches require increased mixing times and experience downstream processing challenges, leading to increased GHG emissions. SureMix is the enabling technology that can mitigate these issues and reduce conversion costs. This paper will demonstrate how SureMix, a patented line of functional process aids, is helping formulators set new benchmarks for tire performance by optimizing cure rates, improving filler microdispersion and reducing rolling resistance.

The tires and the technical rubber goods (TRG) industry is progressing rapidly towards sustainable and bio-sourced solutions. This automotive megatrend is primarily driven by regulatory pressure, environmental concerns, rubber industry needs as well as consumer perception. SI Group has been promoting sustainable as well as bio-sourced solutions for the rubber industry, in particular, rubber tackifiers and bonding agents. With this paper, we would like to present an experimental rubber curing ultra-accelerator with sustainable & bio-sourced product attributes. The product benefits to the tires & TRG market will be discussed along with some case studies.

To achieve their publicly shared ambitions of 100% sustainable materials in tyres by 2050, Bridgestone and Michelin have both identified the use of RCB from ELT as a key lever, as well as one of the key challenges. We have noticed a highly fragmented ELT pyrolysis marketplace, with a continuous inflow of new actors with new ELT pyrolysis technologies, often proven at prototype scale but unproven at industrial scale. Bridgestone and Michelin propose pathway to increased use of recovered carbon black to achieve a more sustainable mobility ecosystem.

Orion has been the frontrunner for sustainable carbon blacks. With PRINTEX Nature, it produced the first carbon black from renewable feedstock. Another path is the use of tire pyrolysis oil as a feedstock. In the frame of the EU-funded project BlackCycle, several carbon black grades have been produced which perform like traditional carbon blacks from fossil feedstocks. A third path is based on recovered carbon black which will be upgraded by a cleaning and blending process. This presentation displays where Orion stands with its projects, which products are commercially available and what the next milestones are.

As ESG mandates push companies to focus on renewable and recycled raw materials, interest and activity in pyrolysis oils have grown. By first defining the properties of pyrolysis oils derived from different materials and their technical efficacies, the challenges of incorporating pyrolysis oils into rubber and tire compounds are explored. Ergon will address ways to use these novel materials to produce polymers, process oils, or other additives dedicated to tire applications.

Recovered carbon black enjoys great popularity in the tire and rubber industries, both from a sustainability point of view and also due to its carbon black replacement potential. This presentation will give a progress update on the global recovered carbon black industry including specifications, projects, technologies, regulations and the state of industrialization and large tire recycling ecosystems.

In 2022 we presented the results of our initial research following analysis of 200 European tires. In 2023 we will be sharing findings from approximately 800 tires from both European and American sources. Each tire wear sample is then analyzed utilizing gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GCxGC-TOF-MS) following pyrolysis to identify the presence of hundreds of organic chemicals and their concentrations in the sample. The pyrolysis degradation process is useful for understanding the structure of the polymer but also for determining what smaller molecules could possibly leach into the environment (Ladak, 2021) (Greta Biale, 2021).

Five out of the 10 most severe risks identified by the World Economic Forum in 2021-2022 on a global scale over the next 10 years are environmental in nature. Risks such as natural resources crises, human environmental damage, climate action failure, etc, are forcing us to work towards a sustainable business practice. In business, sustainability refers to doing business without negatively impacting the environment, community, or society as a whole. The tire industry as a whole is also working towards sustainability. The Tire Industry Project (TIP) of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development has also launched a roadmap to accelerate tire value chain impact.

Thermomechanical-chemical devulcanization was carried out on passenger car tire rubber granulate following a new approach. The devulcanization conditions were optimized, and the efficiency was determined as the degree of network breakdown, miscibility and mechanical properties of the de- and revulcanized material. The network was broken by 70%-75%, and tensile strength of 8.6 MPa was achieved. A correlation between tensile strength and total area of undevulcanized particles was established. This devulcanization system is very effective and more sustainable than the conventional ones in terms of environmental hazards and safety.

While Advanced Analytics and AI are already present in many areas at Continental, one focus topic is bringing these advanced technologies into our manufacturing processes. One major challenge here is to provision AI models that need to run on the shopfloor and therefore on the network edge due to latency constraints. In this talk we show how we facilitate such deployments on an exemplary use case predicting scrap in the extrusion process.

With artificial intelligence capabilities at their disposal, tire manufacturers are augmenting their automation strategies with self-learning and self-adapting capabilities that achieve greater production throughput and higher quality yields. This presentation will cover the evolution from industrial automation to industrial autonomy. We will outline how AI is transforming the traditional technology stack from the ground up - from sensing to control, operations management to business planning.

In tire production, maintaining consistent quality in the mixing mill is very important to prevent problems further down the process. Guaranteeing a reliable operation, especially in tire building and curing, is also key in this industry. A software solution using technology based on artificial intelligence, such as machine learning, can interpret the data generated in the different processes and detect anomalies, advising you at an early stage of possible quality issues or machine failures. It can be flexibly integrated into the customer’s system, either on-premises, on edge, or in the cloud.

Products, systems, solutions and services from Pepperl+Fuchs are an integral part of new applications meeting the challenges of sustainability and increasing the efficiency of production. For the tire industry, RFID standards offer a wide range of new advantages, including the traceability of automated material flow, seamless tire identification along the entire product lifecycle and improving the circular economy of tires. This results in a higher competitiveness based on cost savings, increased quality and transparency. The presentation will include conceptual and practical solutions for the tire industry.

Sensors fulfil various tasks in tire manufacturing like identification, quality control, localisation, safety and many more. In every production step sensors generate data, of which some is used directly for specific tasks. Nevertheless, the majority of the data remains unused – through digitalisation this is being changed. Unlock the power of your sensors with analysing data, deriving information, showing trends and optimising processes to improve the productivity persistently. Discover your possibilities and dive into a new dimension in the world of sensors.

NTE Process offered BKT the Eco Dense-Tronic with patented Air Assist, suitable for low-speed conveying systems (<5m/s) and long distances (over 150m). Thanks to artificial intelligence on specific plant configuration, this increases system efficiency by up to 40% and reduces energy consumption by up to 70%, with an annual C02 saving equivalent to almost 3,000 new trees planted each year. The equipment has a self-diagnosis and self-learning system with continuous monitoring of pressure and line flow, and a reduced degradation learning system, with reduced degradation of the conveyed product (fines< 2%). BKT Plant: CB N550/N234 transports (>130m.) The maximum degradation is <2.0% for fines below 125µm. This gives a saving of 40% compressed air compared with a traditional system.

Using Fineline’s patented RFID barcode bead labels, individual tires can be tracked and traced throughout the production logistics, warehousing and customer, to the vehicle (claim handling), including return logistics. Together with an RFID solution for mold management, the overall quality of a tire will grow. Mold management is directly related to overall tire quality, but it remains one of the most challenging processes to master. Utilizing RFID solutions provides connectivity through almost the entire manufacturing process. Further, this connectivity delivers total transparency and traceability of a tire. An RFID solution to support mold management processes provides full transparency.

The investigation of the formation and whereabouts of tire abrasion particles is of high interest at present. A major difficulty in sample collection is the assignment to a specific tire. Especially when taking samples in real operation, there are many interfering sources such as road and brake particles and particles from other tires, as well as organic material of other origin. Here, chemical marker systems are used to detect abrasion material from a specific tire. The determination of the marker quantity in the collected material allows for example statements on the link between driving dynamics and particle size distribution.

A tire was run on local and major roads and motorways at speeds from 30km/h to 112km/h on powered and free-wheeling axles. The results presented show the tire's temperature profile over the key tire regions (outer bead, outer sidewall, outer shoulder, crown, inner shoulder and inner sidewall). That the driven axle produced higher temperatures was expected, but the asymmetric heating of the tire and that this depended on the axle location was a surprise. This result implies that a 10-18% increase in tire rolling efficiency can be gained by vehicle designers.

The friction in the tire-road interface governs the maximum achievable tire forces and moments and their behavior in the high slip region. To include friction properties in the physical tire models, one of the options is to perform experimental measurements. This project proposes an innovative friction test rig that allows the estimation of the friction coefficient between a tire tread and a custom surface in a matter of minutes and at a comparatively low cost. The acquired data is used in a modified Brush model to generate the tire characteristic force and moment versus slip curves for vehicle handling applications.

FORS Performance is an engineering company, created in 2016, which has developed specific expertise on tire understanding, measurement, modeling and in relation to the ground and the vehicles as a whole. FORS Performance has developed the virtuous circle approach, consisting of a combination of various measurements protocols and bench, specific expertise in tire physics and modeling, and on-track correlation work to create a continuous learning and improving tire knowledge database. In this presentation FORS Manager will introduce this vision, aimed at producing industry leading tire knowledge and its influence on vehicle performance.

The STEER (Strengthening The Effect of quieter tyres on European Roads) project was launched with the purpose of improving the EU tire noise label. This presentation will cover some of the results and proposals of the project. Although it deals with the European tire label, it should be equally relevant for tire labels in other parts of the world. Within a related project, 53 tires from 3 tire lines were tested for noise emission and their results compared with the labeled values. It was found that tires with the same label can differ up to 6dB in measurements.

Smear wear has been highlighted as an undesirable and unpredictable phenomenon, and has been neglected by scientific research. However, recent studies have deemed smear wear to potentially be of benefit for enhancing tire tread performance. Through this investigation, we aim to assess these claims by evaluating the wear rate and friction of four SBR tire tread compounds at different rotational speeds and normal forces using a custom-made surface contact abrasion machine. This study also focuses on the tribology of the countersurface during abrasion testing and the effect of aging abraded compounds at room temperature and repeating abrasion tests.

General methods for the prediction of tire tread friction often rely on quantifying rubber hysteresis. For decades, the role of adhesion in tire tread friction has been discussed; however, few experimental techniques are available to measure its contribution to rubber friction separately. In this presentation, a journey through literature and experimental research is addressed, aiming to design such a method. The goal is to support opening up a new frontier to improve aspects like tire grip performance based on more than hysteresis. For this, the other side of friction is analyzed in detail: the area of contact contribution.

The electric revolution in the automobile industry is picking up the pace and is the driving force for the tire industry to move toward the next level of design and manufacturing capability. Tire performances are being pushed to the limits with ultra-low RR, high traction, low levels of NVH and uncompromised wear performance requirements. The presentation will be on how the stringent performance requirements are bringing in more contradiction and complexity (low RRC with low tire weight is contradicting NVH performance such as structure-borne noise), the approach that has been taken and case studies on NVH improvement.

Investigation of the perception of tyre noise is gaining momentum recently due to the implementation of Electric vehicles. This is because the EVs are noiseless and could lead to a compromise in pedestrian safety and interior noise. In this work, the influence of rubber hardness on the tyre rolling noise is discussed and simulated using FE up to 1 kHz. It was observed that variations in rubber hardness alters the characteristics of tyre rolling noise. As a future study, these noise files will be subjected to psychoacoustic tests to analyse the tyre noise for their perception by vulnerable road users.

With vehicle electrification, tire rolling noise is becoming one of the most important sources of cabin interior noise. To enable early-stage NVH performance optimization at the tire and vehicle level in a virtual manner, an efficient frequency domain approach has been developed. True measured road characteristics are converted to inputs for the tire patch through a smart envelopment method. These patch inputs, applied to a novel CAE concept tire model that represents the tire at a given rolling speed, enable the prediction of resulting wheel forces and from there the vehicle interior noise.

Electric vehicles are rapidly growing due to escalating climate/environmental focuses. The top tire goals for EVs include energy efficiency and wear resistance as demanded by heavier weight, battery lifespan and higher startup torque. Accordingly, novel synthetic rubbers with improved rolling resistance (R.R.) and wear properties are expected by the market. Our proprietary multiple-initiation, structural control and process technologies resulted in 15-40% improvements in R.R. and wear, plus better processibility and polymer-filler interactions especially with high filler loadings, compared to conventional chain-end functionalized polymers. TSRC’s new-generation SSBR & LiBr are positioned to support the automotive industry to achieve its sustainability goals.

Improvement of performance of automobile tires is an important area of tire technology development. Tire rolling resistance reduction – which benefits vehicle’s fuel economy – is one of main goals especially to increase the reach of e-mobiles. One way of achieving this goal is partial replacement of silica by a high-density filler e.g. fine particle size aluminium hydroxide. With our test recipe we could obtain improvements reg. processing (e.g. lower Mooney viscosity, increased Mooney, MDR scorch time), but also reg. tire performance (e.g. better traction, lower rolling resistance). Higher bulk density & lower hardness of ATH are additional benefits.

Security threats can quickly become a reality due to a lack of responsibility, competencies or know-how. Depending on the duration of incidents, individual systems can quickly fail or a company's business mission can be jeopardized. As a contribution to holistic cybersecurity approaches with billions of networked devices on the Internet of Things (IoT), network security is a critical success factor for the digital economy. Using lively and practical examples, we explain the consequences when protection targets are not sufficiently considered and show solution approaches.

For customers in the tire field, Comerio Ercole has developed a data-driven analysis tool, HERCULES40, for continuous improvement of the production process, including energy consumption optimization, as well as added-value after-sales services. Thanks to advanced techniques of big data analysis and machine learning, raw data present on Comerio Ercole machines and plants is transformed into smart data, which then becomes part of the strategic information available to the calendering end user through a simple and intuitive application. Based on data sharing on the platform, HERCULES40 enables new digital services to increase the efficiency of the machines and optimize customer processes, creating a data-oriented collaboration.

Automation technology is changing the tire manufacturing and warehousing industry. Faced with labor shortages, demanding manual processes and space constraints, these technologies are creating reliable and repeatable solutions to move, handle and store product. Automated systems don’t have to be large or costly – small, scalable investments can have big payoffs. In this presentation, you’ll learn how you can not only implement a single piece of technology but also plan cohesive, cost-effective modular solutions to strengthen your automation solution over time and positively impact your operations by creating efficient environments, mitigating issues with labor shortages and creating safer workspaces for employees.

Kalypso, a Rockwell Automation Business, is helping global tire manufacturers adopt industrial AI and machine learning capabilities to achieve autonomous manufacturing workflows. Through the application of technologies like deep reinforcement learning and computer vision, Kalypso and Rockwell are driving improvements in quality, throughput, uptime and rapidly achieving ROI for tire companies and their OEM suppliers.

Over the past several years, tire companies have continued to address their social responsibility to seriously promote and support sustainability to minimize negative impacts on the environment. SMC as a trusted and leading partner in the field of pneumatics, is always looking to develop newer and greener solutions with CO2 reduction as a top priority. The presentation will describe with practical examples how the most advanced automation systems can help tire manufacturers and their machine builders face these challenges.

Electromobility is not only changing the road scene but also exorbitantly changing manufacturing processes. End-to-end process chains, from raw materials to autonomous loading of finished tires, are based on automation and digitalization. Transparent and digital processes are the next step in reducing energy, optimizing OEE figures, producing more sustainably, and at the same time taking into account the extended functionality of tires in e-mobility. With scalable automation modules, process data management solutions and AI, SAR Group has become one of the world's leading automation providers for the industry, additionally finding solutions for the tire industry. SAR's customers benefit from high manufacturing transparency across the entire process and at the same time from improved processes with higher profits.

To be able to produce tire components which contain 5 compounds a co-extrusion aggregate containing 5 extruders combined in 1 common extrusion head is needed. Because of short production runs and the wide variety of products to be produced very short tooling exchange times are needed. Moreover very short start up lengths are required to prevent scrap generation. Data acquisition can help the process engineer to better understand and analyze the extrusion process of tire components. A state of the art quintoplex extrusion head for the production of tire components is presented and examples of process data analysis will be presented. Due to the continuous development of (especially) tread compounds, where the tendency is there that compounds do not conduct electric current anymore, a conductive path needs to be provided in a profile so that eventually static electricity can be discharged from the vehicle to the road pavement. This electric path through the profile, sometimes also called a chimney, can be included by means of a 6th extruder which is integrated into the co-extrusion head. To be sure that conductivity is there a conductivity checking device can be integrated in the downstream line immediately behind the extrusion head.

Car makers’ goal is to develop the best vehicles. Selecting the most appropriate tire, aligned with vehicle's performance, requires a thorough evaluation of the expanding tire options. Tire manufacturers aim to develop the best tire. To ensure their products stand out, they have to compare them to the tire offering based on multi-criteria performance. To address these challenges, we are excited to introduce a tire performance database. First, we will examine various proposed criteria. Secondly, we will focus on automated indoor measurement methods used at our testing center and showcase our analysis capabilities. Lastly, we will present the Dufournier-Advanced-Tire-Analytics platform.

AI is expected to revolutionize the tire industry, improving tire performance and safety while reducing environmental impact. Through predictive maintenance systems and advanced data analysis, tire manufacturers can optimize tire designs and production processes for greater efficiency and durability. AI-powered simulations can also improve the accuracy of tire models, leading to better product development. As AI technology continues to advance, the potential for innovation in tire science and technology is limitless, paving the way for a more sustainable and safer future on the road. Above lines are written by ChatGPT! This presentation tries validating the AI usage for tire-related sciences.

The presentation will outline weaRIDE, a tyre wear physical model of the MegaRide RIDEsuite product family, taking into account abrasion and degradation phenomena to simulate the tread thickness evolution during tyre lifecycle. The model considers the most relevant factors of the contact mechanics influencing tyre wear such as the tread temperature distribution, the compound viscoelastic behavior and the road roughness characteristics. weaRIDE is designed to be employed both in real-time simulation environments and for advanced analyses in vehicle dynamics and tyre engineering field.

Tire tread compounds are subjected to complex loading cycles which depend upon variables including driving style, vehicle dynamics and the condition of the road surface. This work explores the performance of three different styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) tread compounds subjected to sliding conditions against a representative road surface using a bi-axial Instron ElectroPuls (E10000). The machine can replicate the typical load cycle encountered in a tire tread block by applying a normal load cyclically and superimposing a unidirectional shear sliding moment when in contact. The thermomechanical deformation is discussed to develop a deeper understanding of how wear and friction develop in service.

A new test rig for bicycle tires has been developed at Politecnico di Milano. It can measure the lateral mechanical characteristics of tires, such as lateral force and self-aligning moment. The main innovative feature is that tires can be tested rolling on a flat track so that the entire contact patch tire/surface can be appreciated. By varying parameters such as camber and slip angle, vertical load and inflation pressure, the tire behaves differently. In addition, the effect of rolling surface temperature and speed on tire characteristics was investigated.

In previous decades, great attention was paid to developing models able to reproduce tire behavior in the most accurate way. To fully understand what happens during their interaction with the road, it is strictly necessary to properly characterize this, and its roughness. The innovative methodology presented, based on experimental campaigns carried out with different devices and thanks to dedicated test benches, is aimed to accurately determine in which ways tracks solicit tires during motion. Knowing this, it is possible to evaluate tire viscoelastic properties in real operating conditions, taking a concrete step forward in friction modeling.

There are many intensively studied laboratory-scale testing devices for the wet traction evaluation of rubber compounds such as linear friction testers (LFT), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and laboratory abrasion testers (LAT100). However, the lab-scale methods fail to provide reliable results which are consistently correlated to the real-world performance of the tire, especially when the operating conditions or the material characteristics are changed. This study aims to optimize the existing laboratory test setups by detecting possible errors and designing a new test method with the ability to provide more reliable results which are in good agreement with the actual wet traction performance of tires.

Rubber is a viscoelastic material. It is widely used in different applications. Each rubber product requires different mechanical properties under static as well as dynamic conditions. One of the ways to modify the mechanical properties of rubber products is cross-linking. By changing the cross-link density, one can achieve flexibility or rigidity to suit a particular application. The measurement of cross-link density is generally performed through solvent swelling, which is a time-consuming process. Present research work is conducted to measure cross-link density using a dynamic mechanical analyzer. The correlation between the conventional and developed methods was found to be excellent. The dynamic mechanical analyzer can be deployed in the industry with ease.

Indene resins are widely used in rubber compounds, especially in tires. The resin distinguishes itself by the special interaction with elementary sulfur as well as sulfuric compounds used for vulcanization, offering chances for great improvement of rubber properties, but also bearing challenges during processing. This study gives a deep inside view on the relationship between curing properties influenced by the indene resin and the mechanical behavior of the rubber. Particularly the interaction between different silane coupling agents and indene resins in silica filled tread compounds will be put in the spotlight and analyzed in detail.

Kuraray developed a series of liquid rubber products with molecular weights ranging from a few thousands to one hundred thousand. These polymers which consist of isoprene, butadiene, styrene and novel bio-based farnesene are used by tire manufacturers to achieve improvements in processing and tire performance. This presentation covers newly developed liquid rubbers having reactive silane groups in the polymer chain which interact with silica in tire formulations. These liquid rubbers improve multiple properties such as vehicle fuel economy and more. Kuraray will present the latest advantages of using silane modified liquid rubbers in model silica tire tread formulations.

The tire tread is the only point of contact between the vehicle and the road. Therefore, the tread must ensure the safety of the passengers inside the vehicle, contribute also to the overall efficiency of the vehicle and withstand abrasion in the best possible way to diminish microplastic emissions. Choosing the right materials to formulate a tread compound is an important step to improve tire performance. In the presented study, different materials were used and combined to understand their effects on a reference tire tread compound focusing on wet grip and abrasion resistance performance.

In the production of nearly all types of synthetic rubber, antioxidants are added and play a significant role in preserving critical product properties, especially during long-term storage. By enhancing polymer protection under conditions of high heat and shear, as present in the Drying/Finishing section of any synthetic ruber plant, more stable product performance and quality can be achieved. WESTON 705 liquid posphite was developed specifically as a synergist to incumbent antioxidants, boosting polymer protection during production as well as storage. Benefits in diverse elastomers including SBR, BR, NBR, and EPDM will be discussed and case studies presented.

Silica-silane is a commonly used filler system in elastomer technology. However, there are drawbacks to this technology: processing of the silica-filled compounds is elaborate, and this filler system does not work properly for all elastomers and applications. To overcome these drawbacks, alternative surface pre-treatment techniques were developed based on various precursors to improve compatibility with the polymer and the ability to form a filler-polymer network. The surface modifications were studied in terms of deposition degree, surface morphology and functionalities. Processibility, mechanical and dynamic properties of compounds containing the modified fillers were evaluated.