Over the past decade, Goodyear has been investigating the viability of soybean oil (SBO) in automobile tires to replace petroleum-based distillate aromatic extract (DAE) and medium extracted solvate (MES) oils. Our team of researchers discovered that the unique properties of SBO compared to petroleum-based oils can be leveraged to provide benefits in tire applications. These findings initially led to the development of an SBO-extended solution styrene-butadiene rubber (SSBR) for tire applications, and additional developments employing SBO in both polymer and compound technologies remain ongoing. Goodyear has successfully employed SBO to break traditional tire performance tradeoffs, increasing overall tire performance while also realizing significant processing benefits. Since 2017, Goodyear has launched four new consumer tire products containing soybean oil, including the Assurance WeatherReady. The benefits achieved with SBO, combined with Goodyear’s commitment to the use of sustainable materials in its products, has inspired Goodyear to declare a long-term goal of fully replacing petroleum-derived oils by 2040.

As the automotive industry continues to move towards electrification, electric vehicle manufacturers are challenging tire makers to design their tires specifically for the distinct performance requirements. Low rolling resistance, reduced noise, better tread performance, and modified load distribution are all characteristics that tire engineers and material scientists are working on to improve overall performance. In this presentation, we will discuss tire design trends from an internal proprietary database of tires purchased from the market in 2019 and 2020. The study will focus on tire construction features, rolling resistance, foot prints, tread and sidewall compound changes as well as other variables to provide a picture on market developments over the past few years.

A recovery phase from the corona virus-induced recession is imminent for 2021 in the US economy. But how will the timing and magnitude of this particular recovery affect us? Rates of growth will vary by region and also by sector of the economy. What is the data indicating about the industrial sector? How severe was the recession in the industrial sector? Are there segments of the industrial sector that will recover more rapidly than others? What have we learned about the risks to this sector and how to manage these risks? I will examine these questions using as much recent data and input from the audience as possible in an effort to develop and present an informed outlook for the coming year.

Bringing all the necessary components together to assemble green tires, and getting those green tires to the right curing press at the right time, can be challenging with manual processes. Don Heelis, Cimcorp’s Sales Manager for Tire Automation Solutions, will discuss the difficulties that manual operations face and demonstrate key ways to automate semi-materials through to the curing area of a tire manufacturing plant. The seminar will provide an in-depth look at the various types of automation available in the industry, and how a combination of software and hardware working together can provide unequivocal efficiencies and cost reductions for tire manufactures.

The main cause of tire failure is the wearing away of tire tread as a result of friction from moving contact with road surfaces. Having tire treads that are worn away or beginning to wear away is a dangerous problem for all motorists. I propose to infuse high-strength magnetic particles onto the tread surfaces of tires to reduce micro tears and fibrillation leading to tread wear, while at the same time increasing the heat transfer and durability of the rubber. However, simply adding magnetic elements to the master batch of the various components that make a tire does not work. Such a method of magnetic element incorporation is inefficient, expensive and does not allow for the localization of the magnetic elements close to the surface of the tire tread. Therefore, I propose an electro-magnetized tire mold that holds magnetic particles and then applies these particles to the surfaces of the tire during the molding process. The addition of magnetic particles is accomplished by the following process steps: 1) The magnetic particles held by the electro-magnetized mold are brought into contact with the surface of the tread surface being molded; 2) The magnetism of the magnetized mold is eliminated, and; 3) It is withdrawn from contact with the surface of the tread, thereby leaving behind the magnetic particles on the tacky surface of the tread being molded at elevated temperature. The magnetic particles can be nickel or iron powders, their combinations, organic or mineral-based inorganic or carbonized particles rendered magnetic by nickel or iron coating.

With special new improvements to the Rubber Process Analyzer, it is now being used to measure the silica dispersion and silanization of silica loaded rubber compounds during a mixing operation through the new ASTM D8059 standard (based on the Payne Effect) that has been recently developed. Also, this new ASTM method is quite effective at measuring carbon black dispersion as well. RPA applications data will be shown from using the new ASTM D8059 procedure. Also correlations with other methods of measuring percent dispersion will be shown.

This presentation is an overview of the tire manufacturing and recycling industry volumes. It will include reviews of:
 

With the advent of the recent era of electric vehicles, fuel efficiency and abrasion resistance of tires has become more important than ever. Solution-polymerized styrene-butadiene (f-SSBR) rubbers with multi-functionality in the polymer offer tremendous potential to improve rubber-silica compatibility and reduce the hysteresis of the composite. As expected, improved rubber filler interaction and filler dispersion significantly improved tire performance (abrasion resistance, wet grip and fuel efficiency).

Reactive new functional groups (terminal modifiers and third monomers) chemically anchored at the chain of f-SSBR play an important role in tire performance. The tight polymer filler interaction between f-SSBR and silica lowers hysteresis during dynamic deformation and consequently improves tire fuel efficiency and abrasion resistance. This presentation will introduce the reaction mechanism and analysis results of f-SSBR and silica, as well as a study on the fifth generation f-SSBR performance of silica tires.

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During the last 35 years, ExxonMobil Chemical has performed a series of surveys of passenger car radial (PCR) and truck/bus radial (TBR) tires to evaluate the influence of halobutyl rubber on inflation pressure loss rates (IPLR) of tires acquired globally. A survey of Sports Utility Vehicle and Light Truck (SUV/LT) radial tires has recently been completed. It evaluates 22 sets of the very popular size 265/70R17 highway tires globally manufactured by 22 different companies.

Properties such as tire weight, tread depth and cured innerliner gauge were measured, and innerliner composition (polymers, fillers) was determined. Other tire performances were tested, such as inflation pressure loss rate (IPLR as %-loss/month) and rolling resistance (as RRC). Properties for all tires varied widely between companies and among the tire brands. Statistical analysis was conducted on all properties to evaluate significant differences in various categories.

Tire rolling resistance force (RRF) was measured following the ISO 28580 test protocol, and was converted to rolling resistance coefficient (RRC) by dividing the measured force by the actual test load used on the tire. Studies on the relationship between tire inflation pressure and load on the tread footprint and RRC showed that rolling resistance always increased at lower inflation pressures.

The need for developing new technologies in different fields of engineering is steadily growing. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the use of special kind of tire known as smart tire. Focusing on improving the active safety of transportation and also emergence of concepts such as Internet of Things (IoT) have driven tire industries to produce this tire. Smart tires mainly consist of different sensors and continuously evaluate various parameters like pressure and temperature. These sensors constantly monitor the performance of the tire and send information to consumer. In this paper, the development process of smart tire in Barez innovation center is explained. This new technology establishes a talk between the driver, the tire, and the car. The Barez smart tire has two main components including a sensor inside the tire and a control unit inside the automobile. The sensors are connected via Bluetooth to an app on a phone that will give a graphical view of the tire’s information such as pressure, temperature and tire wear.

The oxidation mechanism of natural rubber was studied using several techniques. In our prior paper we showed that there was a subtle but measureable change in the oxidation mechanism about 50°C using the ultra-sensitive oxygen consumption technique. In a subsequent paper we found that the crosslink distribution (sulfur types – polysulfidic, disulfidic, and monosulfidic) in beltcoat (conventional cured natural rubber compound) had a different crosslink distribution depending on the aging temperature. The beltcoat compound extracted from an oven-aged (65°C) tire was compared to the beltcoat compound extracted from a normal service tire (23°C – the average annual temperature in Phoenix, Arizona). The structure of the crosslinks formed at high temperature were predominantly carbon-carbon crosslinks. In contrast, the structure of the crosslinks formed at lower temperature were different. The chemical structure of the crosslinks formed during oxidation at lower temperature were possibly sulfoxide or peroxide linkages. The crosslink distribution test was the method developed by Campbell and Saville. This crosslink distribution test method which has traditionally been used to look at types of sulfur linkages has now been employed to look at the mechanism of oxidation. The chemical structure of the crosslinks formed during oxidation were examined at temperatures intermediate between 23°C and 65°C for elucidation of the mechanism of oxidation. The chemical structures of the formed crosslinks were found to depend strongly on temperature.

An additional study was initiated to further understand the proposed mechanism of sulfoxide, peroxide, and hydroperoxide formation at lower temperatures but not at higher temperatures. To investigate this we compared specimens aged constantly at one temperature to specimens which were aged with cycling (alternating between high and low temperature).

In the tire production increasing amounts of unvulcanized rubber are being produced. Reasons for this are, for example, the frequent changeovers resulting from an increasing product variety and rubber mixing batches that are out of specification. For financial and environmental reasons it is desirable to return these valuable raw materials to the production process. This process must be cost-effective and, in order to meet quality demands, the material must be treated gently. The TRP Reworker system, which is based on the UTH Two-roll Plastiziser, incorporates new technology that combines several proven processes. This continuously operating reworking system offers new advantages.

Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) measures the viscoelastic properties of polymers, elastomers, rubber compounds, etc., under a controlled temperature and/or frequency program. A sinusoidal force is applied to the sample as input. This results in a sinusoidal deformation on sample as output. The sample’s response to the load is measured, which exhibits a time delay as phase shift.

Dielectric Analysis (DEA) explores the dielectric property of materials by applying a sinusoidal alternating voltage with variable frequency to two electrodes. The specimen acts as the dielectric between two electrodes. An AC current flows through the specimen and is measured as output. Based on the adjusted voltage and the recorded current, the complex sample impedance can be calculated. It describes dielectric behavior of material and depends on time, frequency, temperature, molecular mobility within the material, etc.

Molecular mobility caused by thermal activation is influenced by external mechanical constraints, as are molecular transport and relaxation processes. Static and dynamic sinusoidal sample deformations change dielectric behavior of material. For example, a vulcanized “virgin” rubber compound has never been subject to mechanical constraints. In the case of static and/or dynamic-mechanical load is applied, the structure, size and location of the carbon black cluster changes, which results in changes in the migration path density. As a result, conductivity and permittivity decrease as load increases. Simultaneous high force DMA and DEA, Netzsch GABO DiPLEXOR® can monitor the migration processes of the charge carriers within the sample driven by the electrical field and analyze the activated internal migration.

Testing tires in winter conditions, specifically snow and ice, presents unique challenges when it comes to consistency. Much of this testing occurs outside of a controlled laboratory environment, which necessitates procedures and conditions to improve quality and repeatability of testing data. This presentation delivers an overview of two testing standards that can improve the data gathering and evaluation process when it comes to tire performance testing in winter conditions. ASTM F1572 is a standardized test method for evaluating the performance of tires on snow and ice, including straight-line acceleration and braking, step steer, slalom, hill climb, and road circuit handling. Test programs can extend over days or weeks, during which time test conditions can vary significantly due to a number of environmental factors. For tire performance comparisons to be successful, it is crucial to consider procedures that investigate and adjust for systematic or bias variations. ASTM F1650 provides a framework to evaluate tire data for statistically significant trend variations and the means to correct data if needed. This presentation will explore how these two standards can be applied in tandem to maximize testing data quality.

“An overview of two related passenger car tire ASTM standards: F421 - Standard Test Method for Measuring Groove and Void Depth in Passenger Car Tires and F1016 - Standard Practice for Linear Tire Treadwear Data Analysis.”

This presentation provides an overview of two ASTM standards relating to passenger car tire treadwear measurement and linear treadwear data analysis. The first, Standard F421 offers guidance on the procedures to actually measure groove and void depths to determine the rate of wear of the tire. This standard addresses both rib type tires, having circumferential grooves as well as lug type tires. Suggested results include average groove (or void) depth for each circumferential group of measurements as well as the average tread depth, which is the arithmetic mean of all measurements. This standard also provides guidance and cautions on the measuring gauge and spindle configuration used to measure the depth. This standard only addresses mechanical or electromechanical gauges with a physical contacting spindle. Non-contact methodology, although commercially available, is beyond the scope of this standard.

The second ASTM standard, F1016, offers guidance to use the data collected via F421 (based on known distance travelled) to perform elementary linear regression with the goal of establishing a projected treadlife. This standard emphasizes a consistent use of terminology based on results from commonly available regression software, instead of the actual regression (least squares) calculations.

The presentation will cover the role of ASTM International, as one of the largest voluntary standards developing organizations in the world. ASTM is a not-for-profit organization that provides industry experts a balanced forum to improve the safety, quality, and efficiency within their industry. ASTM’s volunteer members represent producers, users, consumers, government, and academia from more than 140 countries, who develop technical documents that are the basis of manufacturing, management, procurement, codes and regulations. ASTM volunteer members belong to one or more standards-writing committees, each of which covers a subject area such as D11 on Rubber and Rubber-like Materials.