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JULY 2021
Retreading and recycling

The technologies and products aiming
to extend the lifecycle of used tires
OTR development
Torturous conditions call
for cutting-edge design
SPECIAL FOCUS
Tire development,
simulation and testing
DUST OFF
TTi explores the tire project at the heart
of the NASCAR Cup Series’ return to dirt racing
www.tiretechnologyinternational.com
step inside HF’s
virtual halls.
book your personal tour
to discover more.
showrooms@hf-mixinggroup.com
showrooms@hf-group.com
Get a view!
hf-mixinggroup.com hf-tiretechgroup.com
I N T H I S I S S U E
WHAT’S NEW FEATURES COLUMNS

4 Pirelli in WRC Sardinia 20 NASCAR dirt tires 14 Joe Walter
The tire maker returns as sole supplier to The iconic race series returned TTi’s technical
the series in 2021, with a trio of options to dust tracks earlier this year. consultant examines
why tire wear and
6 Tire Technology Virtual ‘Live’ Graham Heeps goes behind the
traction appear to be
Highlights from the cutting-edge online scenes with Goodyear for the story playing second fiddle
conferences covering the tire industry 20 of developing the Eagle Dirt Bias Ply to rolling resistance
8 Apollo Abhimanyu 46 Recycling and retreading
New cross-ply tire for commercial vehicle With environmental responsibility
applications debuts in the Indian market
a key selling point, TTi looks
10 OE fitment roundup at the products, materials and
The latest original equipment contracts
set to roll off vehicle production lines
technologies aimed at giving end-
46 of-life tires an extended lifecycle
12 Production update
An overview of the latest news and 52 OTR tire development
announcements in global tire production Subject to torturous conditions 16 Gregory Smith
and destructive environments, Why don’t customers
OTR tires must utilize cutting- have more tools at
their disposal when
edge technology to deliver the
making an informed
performance required of them decision about buying
58
58 Pandemic working aftermarket tires?
With the world adapting to the
27
extraordinary conditions brought
about by the Covid-19 outbreak, tire
makers and suppliers explain how
they have maintained service levels
80 In memoriam: Jacques Bajer
TTi’s Joe Walter looks back on
the life and career of his friend,
an industry free-thinker whose
SPECIAL REPORT pioneering work at Ford introduced
the radial tire to the USA market
Tire development,
TTi investigates the practical
tools, digital breakthroughs and
cutting-edge facilities helping
tire makers develop the next
generation of products
28 36 40
Design tools Nokian Tyres SRI
Experts from leading tire makers A brand-new US$73m facility in Santa As demand for winter tire testing
explore the tools and techniques Cruz de la Zarza, Spain, will enable continues to grow, SRI has invested
increasingly at their disposal during Nokian to test summer, all-season and heavily in not one, but two new
the development of new products winter tire designs throughout the year cold-weather testing facilities
July 2021 www.tiretechnologyinternational.com 1

I N T H I S I S S U E
PRODUCTS
& SERVICES EDITOR’S
64 Upgrading tire
production machinery
NOTE
Poling Group Like many people, I have been driving a lot less over
the last 18 months. Not only has my own car clocked up
66 Silane-functionalized
fewer than 3,000 miles in the last year, but the pandemic
resin types
Total Cray Valley has meant no events, or review drives, since I packed my
desk into the back of said car in March 2020, confident
68 Truck and bus tire that I’d be back at the UKi office within a few weeks.
testing equipment Little did any of us know…
ZF
I’m in a very privileged position – driving on incredible
70 Process liners in tires (often fitted to incredible cars) in incredible places
tire manufacturing is one of the greatest perks of working in this industry.
Milliken So to prattle on for too long about how much I’ve missed
72 New tire development it seems a little tone deaf. Let’s say instead that I have
tool for motorsport found myself taking much more of an interest in the
Kistler tire technologies that are available to me in a world
74 Tire wheel altered by lockdown, working from home and, in “I’ve taken
assemblies recent months, the arrival of a baby. much more of
Eurofit So, the tires on my mountain bike, wheelbarrow an interest in tire
77 Innovations and services and now stroller have come under much closer technologies in a
CIPAM, Marangoni Machinery, scrutiny than they otherwise would have a couple world altered by
Evonik, UTAC, Black Donuts of years ago. Spare a thought for the poor man lockdown”
working in my local garden center, who could have
never predicted that his kind offer to explain puncture-
resistant tires would see him locked in a conversation he
couldn’t escape for 15 minutes.
The upshot of this convoluted anecdote is that I
JULY 2021 started 2021 with a desire to make sure TTi doesn’t get
Retreading and recycling
The technologies and products aiming
to extend the lifecycle of used tires
too wrapped up in passenger car tires alone – and that
OTR development
Torturous conditions call
for cutting-edge design we set aside some space to explore the cutting-edge
technology advances in other sectors. You’ll have noticed
SPECIAL FOCUS
Tire development,
that we covered Monster Truck tires back in March last

Cover image: Kyle Zimmerman
year, and in this issue, you’ll find a fascinating look at OTR

DUST OFF tire development. Of course, you’ll find all the usual news
TTi explores the tire development project at the heart
of the NASCAR Cup Series’ return to dirt racing and features on PCR technologies too, but I’m looking
forward to including articles on the likes of bicycle tires,
www.tiretechnologyinternational.com
drag racing, airplanes, tank tracks and half a dozen others

Contributors this issue: (all of which are written on brightly colored Post-it notes
Rachel Evans, Richard Gooding, around my monitor – and any and all suggestions are
Alex Grant, Graham Heeps, Sam welcome) in future magazines. Maybe even wheelbarrows
Petters, Jack Roper, Satnam Singh, and strollers… Enjoy the issue.
Gregory Smith, Christine Velarde Matt Ross, editor-in-chief
Editor-in-chief: Matt Ross Publication director: Colin Scott Tire Technology International, Tire Technology International is published quarterly together with an
Assistant editor: Callum Brook-Jones Publication manager: Olivia Campbell Abinger House, Church Street, Annual Review. ISSN 1462-4729 (Print). ISSN 2397-6373 (Online).
Tire Technology International. This publication is protected by
Web editor: Lawrence Butcher Dorking, Surrey, RH4 1DF, UK copyright ©2021.
Head of data and production: t: +44 1306 743744
Printed by William Gibbons, Willenhall, West Midlands, WV13 3XT, UK.
Technical consultant: Joe Walter Lauren Floyd e: tire@ukimediaevents.com
Production assistant: Catia Rocha w: www.ukimediaevents.com The views expressed in the articles and technical papers are those of
the authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the publisher. While
Published by:
Production editor: Alex Bradley
every care has been taken during production, the publisher does not
UKi Media & Events, Sub editors: Sarah Lee, Alasdair Morton CEO: Tony Robinson accept any liability for errors that may have occurred.
a division of UKIP Media Managing director, magazines: Member of the Audit Moving on? To amend your details, or to be removed from our circulation
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Average net circulation per issue policies.php#privacy. You can also write to UKi Media & Events, Abinger
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Follow us on Twitter for news, views and more: @TireTechMag December 31, 2020 was 5,473 circulation list or request a copy of our privacy policy
2 www.tiretechnologyinternational.com July 2021

B I G P I C T U R E
PIRELLI
World Rally
Championship Sardinia
Olbia, Italy
Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe
put their Team Hyundai Shell Mobis
through its paces during the World Rally
Championship Sardinia in June. Pirelli
returned as the sole tire supplier to the
series in 2021, providing teams with the
Sottozero snow tires, P Zero asphalt tires
and the Scorpion gravel tire seen here.

B I G P I C T U R E
Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

W H AT ’ S N E W
TIRE TECHNOLOGY
VIRTUAL ‘LIVE’
Inaugural digital conference program brings the industry
together for two weeks of cutting-edge content
Interviews by CHRISTINE VELARDE
T
he inaugural Tire Technology Virtual ‘Live’
conference enabled the tire community  RAFFAELE DI RONZA
to come together despite the continuing
restrictions on international travel and
R&D OPEN INNOVATION
gatherings, offering a global platform for EXPERT, BRIDGESTONE
the industry’s leading players to exchange
ideas and discuss new technological breakthroughs. With “Sustainable tire innovation through collaboration”
a packed program spread over two weeks of in-depth
presentations and discussion panels, Tire Technology What was your Tire Technology What are Bridgestone’s next
Virtual ‘Live’ brought the same level of industry insight Virtual ‘Live’ presentation about? steps in terms of advancing
that attendees have come to expect from Tire Technology The purpose of our presentation was sustainable tires?
Expo, conducted via an innovative digital platform. to discuss and highlight some of the Bridgestone is transforming to become
The program included input from tire makers, leading partnerships and solutions that are a sustainable solutions company by
suppliers, academic institutions, industry regulatory bodies helping to drive a future of sustainability 2050 – a long-term vision grounded
and research organizations. Across the two weeks – the first at Bridgestone. We emphasized the in two main objectives: to use 100%
dedicated to science, research, materials and formulations; difference that collaboration can sustainable materials, and to achieve
the second to manufacturing and production – an incredible make to innovation in this area, and a carbon neutral state by 2050 and
collection of leading industry figures came together to offer gave an in-depth look at TechSyn – an beyond. TechSyn marks a significant
a cutting-edge program of insight and expertise. innovative material technology platform breakthrough on our journey.
Here are just two selected excerpts from Tire Technology we co-developed in partnership with While 2050 may seem a long
Virtual ‘Live’. For the full interviews, more highlights from Arlanxeo and Solvay. way off, the journey is already well
the program, and to hear and read more from the incredible, underway, with intermediary milestones
cross-industry collection of experts, visit the website at: How do you think tires can on the horizon for 2030, such as
www.tiretechnologyvirtuallive.com  be made more sustainable? reducing our absolute CO2 emissions
Earlier this year, Bridgestone announced by 50% from where we were in 2011 –
its Sustainability Business Framework a goal we’ve already achieved across
– a roadmap for supporting safe and our European operations.
secure mobility and contributing to We’re also working within
the realization of a carbon neutral other partnerships to ensure a more
society. The sustainability of tires can sustainable future – for example, with
be improved at every stage of the mobility innovator Lightyear to engineer
value chain, including procurement, tires for Lightyear One, the world’s first
development, manufacturing, use and long-range solar-electric vehicle.
end of life. A big part of this is improving We’re excited to reveal many
rolling resistance and fuel efficiency more initiatives and partnerships
across our tire portfolio and doing on this journey in the near future!
more with fewer resources: reducing
raw material consumption, as well
as recycling and diversifying resources
and using them effectively.
We’re investing to make our
manufacturing processes greener.
105
This year we reached the milestone
of powering our European locations
with electricity from 100% renewable
sources. And we’re embracing a
digital-first approach, using virtual
speakers tire prototyping and testing to lessen
the environmental impact of the
development of Bridgestone tires.

W H AT ’ S N E W
2 ,700+registrations
 BILL HENDERSON
USA TIRE HEAD, SIEMENS INDUSTRY
“Make better operational decisions to enable flexibility in your tire”
What was your presentation about? tires with multiple low profiles, to commercial tires
Leveraging technology to manage your uptime to help with the supply chain, to all the people that
by correlating the manufacturing process models stopped traveling.
with your operational quality data to modify your From a pure manufacturing perspective, I think
manufacturing process in real time. Using real-world that a substantial number of machines globally
inputs and cloud interfaces, you can leverage the are running with legacy control and drive systems.
data you already have in your process to optimize Perhaps some of the electrical control systems
your production. We discussed augmented solutions have not needed any attention in a decade or
for your current control system with cloud-based and longer. Proper obsolescence planning is fundamental
cloud-enabled technologies to capture production to ensuring uptime and operational efficiency. In
data and optimize ongoing processes. With the addition, by modernizing production equipment,
latest in automation technology coupled with the ability to futureproof your systems can only
digital assets, you can participate in the digital help with protecting from cyber threats and
transformation of the tire industry now, and maintaining uptime.
futureproof your manufacturing processes.
How do you think the tire industry
What do you think is the biggest will change in the next 10 years?
challenge in tire manufacturing now? From a manufacturing perspective, I think that
I think that the tire industry is incredibly resilient and you are going to see a lot more data collection
has adapted to one of the most dynamic years in and analysis from the production systems in addition
history: From coronavirus shutting the world down to the use of cloud/edge-based data analysis using
and dropping tire shipment lower than anyone would artificial intelligence to improve operations.
have ever expected, to the shift from passenger car I also think that the digital thread of the product
design being extended through to the
virtual production line will decrease
the iterations of prototypes for actual
tires and decrease the time typically
needed to go from design to prototype
to actual product.

W H AT ’ S N E W
NEW CROSS-PLY TIRE FOR In brief

COMMERCIAL VEHICLES
WDK assumes patronage
of tire recycling forum
German rubber industry association WDK
has taken over patronage of AZuR – a
Apollo aims to strengthen its position in the CV sector, focusing on the Indian network of companies focused on advancing
market before offering its new tire to international customers tire recycling technology and practices.
T
he introduction of its Below: The Abhimanyu The Abhimanyu was tested for
new Abhimanyu range is designed to be used more than 2,500,000km at in-house
in steer axle positions
– a cross-ply rib tire for – which are critical in indoor testing facilities and in real-time
steer axles – is key to commercial vehicles conditions across all applications.
Apollo Tyres’ strategy to Designed and developed at Apollo
strengthen its position Tyres’ global R&D center in Chennai,
in the commercial vehicle segment. the tire is currently being produced at Goodyear completes
The Abhimanyu design is intended to the tire maker’s Perambra site in Kerala. acquisition of Cooper
capitalize on an upsurge in the cross- Abhimanyu features an optimized The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
ply segment in the Indian market. tread compound, higher wear resistance has completed its acquisition of Cooper Tire
“Due to their superior road and better distribution of rubber at & Rubber Company, finalizing the merger
infrastructure and organized fleet wearing zones, along with what the that was made public in February 2021.
management, developed countries designers refer to as an innovative
[favor] radialized steer axles,” explains cavity design and superior ply adhesion
Daniele Lorenzetti, chief technology technology, ensuring uniform pressure
officer at Apollo Tyres, of the new distribution across the footprint.
bias tire range. “But [that level of] “The innovation in Abhimanyu
organization and road infrastructure encompasses improvement in
is relatively low in India. Radial tires cavity design for controlling sidewall
for the steer axle require proper care deflections, a casing with new HEART
and maintenance to overcome uneven [heat ageing resistant compound and Investment in pyrolysis
wear that eats away at tread life. Bias tire cavity] platform technology, and recycling technology
tires, however, are relatively more tread designed to have best-in-class HF Group has announced that its Farrel
tolerant of lower levels of maintenance.” mileage while keeping heat generation Pomini business unit has completed an
Cross-ply technology is critical for to a minimum,” says Lorenzetti. investment in UK company WF Recycle-Tech,
the Indian market, and there is a need The specially designed carcass which offers a patented pyrolysis system
to cater to ever-increasing customer architecture provides greater sidewall for recycling end-of-life tires.
requirements in terms of tread life, stiffness, and the tire’s off-shoulder
casing durability and retreadability. design improves heat dissipation
and reduces stress marks, keeping
the carcass cooler – and safer.
“HEART is a next-gen technology
for superior casing durability,” Lorenzetti
adds. “It is designed for new casing
compounds with optimized ply-line
shape and tightness, together
with a special vulcanization
process for stable bonds
between the plies.” 
2.5 million kilometers

involved in testing of
the Abhimanyu range

ERU_202021_215x275_Tire_Technology_International_RZ2_ZW.indd 1 10.12.20 10:56
W H AT ’ S N E W | O E F I T M E N T
GOODYEAR
Audi
Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5
Size:265/35 R21 (front)
and 305/30 R21 (rear)
Vehicle:e-tron GT
Notes:Audi selected Goodyear tires
as OE fitment for the flagship e-tron
SUV back in 2019, and the German
car manufacturer has continued its
relationship with the tire maker for
its 646ps, all-wheel-drive e-tron GT.
The latest fitment contracts announced with leading vehicle manufacturers
GITI TIRE
SEAT
GitiSynergy H2
Size:225/55 R17 97V
Vehicle:Ateca
Notes:Giti marks its first European OE
fitment for SEAT with the announcement
of the GitiSynergy H2 as original equipment
on the Ateca. It’s the latest in a series
of VW Group fitments for the tire
maker, following partnerships
on the Škoda Karoq and
Volkswagen Caddy 5
in recent months.
YOKOHAMA
Subaru
Geolandar A/T G015

Size:225/65 R17 102T
Vehicle:Outback Wilderness
Notes:When it reaches Canadian showrooms in
summer 2021, the 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness
will be delivered with Yokohama’s Geolandar A/T G015
as OE fitment tires. “The Geolandar A/T G015’s proven
contributions to all-season sure-footedness – including
exceptional snow service – and longevity will aptly
serve the needs of 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness
buyers,” says Diana Colosimo, brand development
manager for Yokohama Tire (Canada).

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W H AT ’ S N E W
BRIDGESTONE
GRI ISSUES UPDATE ON NEW
MIXING FACILITY IN SRI LANKA
Construction of GRI’s new mixing plant
TO SELL SYNTHETIC
in Sri Lanka is on track, with installation
of the high-tension switchgear complete,
and connection to the electricity supply
RUBBER SUBSIDIARY
meaning the plant has been powered up.
The new facility, in Sri Lanka’s Mirigama
Export Processing Zone (MEPZ), will
quadruple GRI’s capacity from 50-60
Tire maker will divest all shares before end of 2021 metric tons per day to 200 metric tons.
“We are pleased to announce that GRI is
on track with progress for the new mixing
Business Plan (2021-2023), which facility,” said Ananda Caldera, executive
was announced in February this year. director, GRI. “We are on schedule and have
The tire maker will continue its completed the installation of one mixing line.”
relationship with LCY – promising A combination of complex fabrication
‘new synergies’ between the two and cutting-edge industrial design will be
companies – and all staff working utilized at the 1.2ha site, which will house
for BSRC will transfer to LCY. state-of-the-art equipment to support GRI’s
BSRC manufactures and distributes growing manufacturing capabilities. These
rubber products, including synthetic will include automatic weighing equipment
rubbers, butadiene styrene rubbers to provide the chemical compound accuracy
and a range of other products. As of required by GRI, as well as an auto-feeding
December 2020, it had 133 employees filler system to maintain zero dust generation
and annual sales of US$61.7m. The of carbon black. Silo systems and dust-
subsidiary operates one synthetic collection mechanisms at each stage of
rubber production plant in Huizhou the production process will ensure that
J
in Guangdong Province. no wastage or by-products are created.
apanese tire manufacturer Above: Bridgestone Bridgestone’s internal manufacturing
will sell all shares in
Bridgestone has announced its synthetic rubber
of raw materials, plus its tire R&D and
that it will sell all shares in subsidiary as part of its production, and sales and services
Bridgestone (Huizhou) new business strategy divisions, will undergo comprehensive
Synthetic Rubber Company reforms as part of the business plan,
(BSRC). The China-based which aims to optimize the tire
subsidiary manufactures synthetic maker’s operations on a global basis.
rubber for passenger car tires. Restructuring of the Bridgestone
Bridgestone will sell all stock to business portfolio is also intended to
LCY Chemical Corporation before counter the volatile and unpredictable
December 14, 2021. The move comes movements of the international
as part of Bridgestone’s Mid Term business market in recent months. 
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Efficiency for
big test data
961-432e-03.20
Kistler offers its customers the entire measuring chain for vehicle development – from
individual sensors to software systems that can evaluate big quantities of data. These
intelligent, complete solutions from one single source help to make vehicles safer, more
robust and boost performance while increasing development efficiency. Kistler is the
leading system provider of solutions based on measurement technology for the engine
and vehicle development.
www.kistler.com
O P I N I O N
JOE WALTER
“Tire wear and traction seem to be playing second fiddle
to rolling resistance in today’s push for ‘greener’ tires”
W
ear, traction and rolling resistance are
Illustration: Phil Hackett

interrelated (but adjustable) factors
determined mostly by tread material
properties fixed during the design stage
of tire development. The compounder’s
enduring trilemma has been that enhancing
one tread attribute influences the other two – usually adversely.
Marketing professionals tend to use the term ‘balance’ rather
than ‘trade-off’ to describe these conflicting variables. Based
on my reading of recent industry press releases, tire wear and
traction seem to be playing second fiddle to rolling resistance
in today’s push for ‘greener’ tires – even though fuel efficiency
has not been a top priority for US consumers. It is, however,
well known that good tread wear resistance is important to
motorists purchasing replacement tires. Contrarily, because
of CAFE mandates, OEMs consider tread life subordinate to
rolling friction in their procurement of new car tires. Unarguably,
any decrease in wear-out mileage increases the frequency of tire
replacement and unwelcome scrap generation.
Nevertheless, tire traction is important to safety-conscious
motorists; it is constrained by road conditions that control traction
limits encountered by given tread compounds and patterns. These
can be optimized for wet, dry or snow performance. Although
over 80% of tires in service in the USA are rated at the UTQG
traction level ‘A’, only 15% are rated at the highest level, ‘AA’.
Surprisingly, no real-world data exists to indicate that tires
with higher-rated traction grades are less involved in highway
accidents than lower-rated ones – with snow tires an exception
as they are not UTQG rated,
For improved all-weather traction, so-called ‘rain tires’ have Mainly due to existing and proposed government mandates,
been touted on and off over the decades, and promoted Only US consumers have been, or will be, forced to unwittingly
15%
extensively by US Rubber (now Uniroyal) beginning in accept reductions in tire life with increased costs in concert
1965. Wet grip was achieved, then and now, by sacrificing with lower rolling resistance. Then we encounter further
tread wear. While this is an acceptable trade-off in demands placed on EV tires, which need improvements
Europe, US consumers have consistently rated long in tread wear, traction and rolling resistance compared
of tires in service in the
tire life more important than tire grip; and with relatively with their ICE-powered counterparts. Furthermore, the
cheap fuel, rolling resistance tends to be a non-issue for USA are UTQG rated California Energy Commission has once again announced
individual tire buyers. The most common reasons reported at the highest plans to implement a program to ensure that replacement
by the influential Consumer Reports (2019) for selecting a ‘AA’ level tires sold in that state are as energy efficient as OE tires.
particular replacement tire brand are price (44%), tread life This will only exacerbate the confounding situation facing
(40%) and brand trust (31%). Similarly, the respected JD Power consumers who value tire life.
new car owner survey (2021) rates the top three tire satisfaction Ponder Michelin’s liminal development of the radial tire
metrics as wear, ride and traction (in order of importance). following World War II. Wear-out mileages were doubled
Regarding tread life, surveys of large numbers of scrapped while rolling friction was reduced by 25% compared with
consumer tires usually show that the majority are three to four existing cross-ply tires. Could the tire industry now develop
years old when replaced. Since Americans drive 11,000-12,000 tread compounds and/or tire constructions that at least make
miles per year on average (according to FHWA), this means that desirable improvements in wear and rolling resistance without
most passenger car tire wear-out mileages occur between 33,000 compromising on grip? Somewhat unexpectedly, Bridgestone,
miles and 48,000 miles. If light vehicle tire lifespans could be Arlanxeo and Solvay have recently announced Techsyn – material
increased by an additional year, demand for new tires would be technology that is said to achieve just that: up to 30% better
reduced with lessened environmental impact. Also, tires become wear efficiency and 6% reduction in rolling friction. Hopefully,
more fuel efficient as they wear. I wonder what an environmental this technology will be licensed to others if the claims made
and economic cost-benefit analysis of tire life extension might yield? by its developers turn out to be justified. 

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O P I N I O N
GREGORY SMITH
“Short of conducting a full vehicle dynamics assessment,
there isn’t much tire customers can do on their own”
H
ow do customers select which aftermarket
Illustration: Phil Hackett

tires to buy for their cars? Are they able to make
an informed choice or is it effectively random? It’s
difficult to objectively summarize the performance
of a tire and how appropriate it is for any given
vehicle. This makes it a challenge to communicate
how good or otherwise any given tire is, which leads to a difficult
buying decision for the customer. Furthermore, the typical mood of
the tire customer tends to make the situation even more difficult.
When buying things like a new car, phone or clothes, it’s
usually an exciting, positive experience for the customer. Tires,
on the other hand, are usually a distress purchase – in most cases,
the customer needs (rather than wants) to buy tires. They must
spend their hard-earned cash on replacing tires that are damaged
or that never seem to last long enough. It’s an unfortunate
position for tire suppliers.
In situations like these, perhaps it would be more helpful if tire
stores could explain exactly what customers are getting for their
money. Unfortunately, there isn’t a great deal the tire store can
say that isn’t subjective, beyond ‘they’re black, round and cost this
much’. Customers are used to making purchases based on clear,
objective numbers – a 6.1in screen, 1TB of memory, 60mpg. In
addition, they can try a car, phone or clothes before they commit
to buying them – so they can form their own subjective opinion.
Trying tires before you buy doesn’t really work, and there
are very few clear, quantifiable metrics upon which to judge the
performance. Weight, size and cost are the only obvious variables
that aren’t intertwined and dependent on other factors. Short of
commissioning a full vehicle dynamics assessment of each tire,
there isn’t much customers can do on their own, leaving them
to rely on other sources. world, tires are typically bespoke for a given model. That’s
Once such source is tire labeling. In the EU, for example, because good tires and good vehicles don’t necessarily lead to
there is a formally regulated program where tires are subjected a good combination – I like fillet steak and I like ice cream but
to standardized testing and scored based on fuel efficiency, that doesn’t mean they work well together. So even if someone
wet grip and noise. These scores are then displayed In the vehicle writes a good, accurate review of a tire that works well on
OEM
at point of sale as a way of educating the customer. their car, it doesn’t automatically mean that same tire will
Which they do. These three areas of performance perform just as well on the customer’s vehicle.
often adversely affect one another, so communicating Often, the customer will simply ask the staff at the
this attribute balance to customers is undoubtedly a world, tires are typically tire shop for advice, then either pick the cheapest or
good thing. But what about other aspects of performance? bespoke for a given try to make a choice based on the limited information
What about ride or dry handling, which are not shown on model available to them. In North America in particular, tire
the label? The only option is for customers to look up reviews purchasing decisions are often based on what the tire looks
of the tire, and there are many companies that do a very solid like (while every tire engineer in the world simultaneously
job of offering independent tire reviews. face palms) in a store where everything is black and round,
The problem here is that customers must have the foresight performance benefits aren’t clear and all the products seem
to research prior to purchasing, which is not the most fun way to to be largely the same. But what else does the customer really
spend an evening. Furthermore, in the vehicle OEM development have to go on? 
Gregory Smith has worked extensively across the automotive

and tire industries while based in Europe and North America.
More information can be found at:
www.linkedin.com/in/gregorysmithuk

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N A S C A R D I R T T I R E S
DIRTY
TRICKS
Image: Getty/NASCAR

March 2021 saw the NASCAR Cup Series race

on dirt for the first time in 50 years. TTi uncovers
the inside story from tire supplier Goodyear
and the race-winning Penske team
By GRAHAM HEEPS Images GETTY/NASCAR, KYLE ZIMMERMAN
N
ASCAR stock-car racing originated on
rough-and-ready dirt surfaces across
the USA. Even the showpiece race in
Daytona was partly run on the beach
until the paved Speedway opened in
1959. But as the cars became faster
and the races more popular, the emphasis shifted to
concrete and asphalt racetracks. What most people
thought would be the final top-tier, Cup Series race
on dirt was in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1970.
For the 2021 season, NASCAR decided to take a step
back in time by covering the half-mile (0.8km) Bristol
Motor Speedway in red clay ahead of the 250-lap
Cup race in late March. The third-tier Truck Series
had previously run dirt races at Eldora in Ohio from
2013-2019, but this season joined the Cup cars on the
bill at the Tennessee track.
Series supplier Goodyear produced the tires for
the Bristol weekend at relatively short notice, with
the car configuration and track conditions only
finalized in early 2021.

Kyle Zimmerman
“It was a pretty accelerated Above: Greg Stucker was also the drivers’ first taste of aggressive tread pattern – it has fairly
says the build time at
timeline,” observes Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s Innovation a Cup car on bias-ply tires. Without large blocks compared with a lot of
Goodyear’s director of race tire sales. Center Manufacturing a belt package under the tread, this dirt tires – but it had worked pretty
plant in Akron was
“Fortunately, we had run with the a little longer than construction’s compliance has the well at Eldora, so we took that and
Truck Series at Eldora for several years for a regular NASCAR ability to envelop the irregularities adapted it to the Cup cars at Bristol.
weekend, but the Eagle
and knew we had a pretty similar Dirt posed no particular
of the dirt surface. “The tread compound is in the
tire-size envelope between the Cup problems in this regard Pronounced stagger was also same range as what we would race
car and the Truck. The unknown was a feature. The right-side tires were on the concrete at Martinsville
going to be the condition of the dirt, similar to the Cup norm, but the left- [another half-mile banked oval], for
but we did have some guidelines side were noticeably shorter to build instance. It’s formulated differently
from Bristol on what type of dirt in more stagger and help the cars to because dirt compounds tend to
would be used – a clay base – so we turn on the banked, clockwise track. work in environments that have
could draw some parallels from our Like the Wrangler tire used moisture in the track surface.
history of running on similar dirt in Eldora, the Eagle Dirt is based That means that elements in the
tracks in that part of the country.” on the G-23 dirt racing tire in formulation are activated at different
Treaded tires are relatively new in Goodyear’s standard lineup. There are temperatures compared with for
modern NASCAR, with rain tires raced construction differences between the an asphalt tire. We may adjust to
for the first time in the Cup Series just Eldora and Bristol tires, but they share a different carbon black, but the
last year. With radials having been the G-23’s blocky tread pattern and biggest differences are in the added
universal in the Cup Series since 1993, both are 11in wide (up 1in on the base oils and resins, which are designed
the Eagle Dirt rubber used in Bristol tire). Says Stucker, “It’s not a super- to operate in different conditions.

 NORMAL SERVICE
Teams use tire data to prepare before a race weekend
Ahead of a race weekend at a regular paved track, NASCAR Cup teams usually receive
comprehensive characterization data from a tire testing consortium of OEMs Chevrolet, Ford
and Toyota. “The OEMs work with Goodyear to set up the testing parameters: where we’re
going to be for camber and pressures, and what we’re interested in seeing for loads,” explains
Travis Geisler. “Most of that comes from our wheel-force transducer testing. We have run cars
at the majority of the tracks, so we have a pretty good load profile built up, from which to build
a test matrix.
“We plug that data into our simulation, go through a full optimization with the vehicle
and figure out where we want to be for camber and pressure trends, those types of things.
Eventually, that gets fed into our driver-in-the-loop simulator [the Ford Performance facility
in Concord, NC], where the driver will go and test. Sometimes we need to adjust mu or make
some small tweaks to get the model stable, but in general it’s run as-is and the driver can start
to feel the car and track in a simulator environment. Then we tune the car to try to find speed.
But the dirt race was certainly very different.”
without the usual friction ellipse and

other tire characterization data made
available by NASCAR’s tire testing
consortium (see Normal service,
above) or any precise track-surface
data. Single-team tire testing on rig
Travis Geisler has or track is prohibited in NASCAR to
been Team Penske’s
NASCAR competition
help control costs.
director since the 2011 “We knew very little about them,”
season. He grew up confirms Travis Geisler, Penske’s
around dirt racing and
raced Late Models on NASCAR competition director.
“
dirt for several years “Goodyear gave us some vertical
stiffness information and we knew
We knew that with a narrower a little about the stagger, but that
was a pretty wide range compared
tire and a heavier car, with with what we’re used to working
with. We usually work within an 1⁄ 8 to
as much if not more horsepower, 3⁄ 16 of an inch of stagger, but this time
we were closer to a ¾-inch range of
we were going to have some tire variance, which is more typical with
issues during the Cup race” a bias-ply tire as you can’t control the
size in the same way. Air pressure has
Travis Geisler, NASCAR competition director, Penske Racing a much bigger impact on stagger
than on a normal radial tire, where
it doesn’t impact the stagger at all.”
“We didn’t have much time to flatten the profile. The first tires were Penske turned to dirt-racing
do development work,” he continues. delivered to teams ahead of the Bristol experience, both within the
“We didn’t track test [unlike during weekend for chassis setup work.” organization and beyond, to help
development of the Wrangler for with chassis setup. Geisler was one
Eldora], but we made adjustments Flying blind of several Penske staff members with
for the differences between a Truck The three-car Penske Racing squad a background in dirt racing, and
and a Cup car, including getting a is part of the Cup Series elite, but until 2017 driver Brad Keselowski ran
little more footprint for the Cup car like all teams it had its work cut out a Truck team that had raced on the
by changing the construction to to prepare for the Bristol dirt race Eldora dirt.

Kyle Zimmerman
to become slick,” says Stucker. “As

it dried out, and with the heavy race
cars and the high number of laps we
 TECH SPEC were running, the racetrack took a
lot of rubber. The tires were wearing
Goodyear Eagle pretty heavily because of that.”
Dirt Bias Ply NASCAR had already mandated

no pit stops under green-flag
conditions, but ahead of the race,
Tire codes: Left side – D-3044; the maximum interval between tire
right side – D-3046 changes was cut from 100 laps to 50,
Rim size: 15 x 10in based on higher-than-expected tire
wear in practice.
Circumference: Left side – “We had seen a lot of blistering
2,179mm (85.79in); right side and a lot of tire wear on the proper
– 2,248mm (88.50in) dirt cars that ran at Bristol the week
Width: 279mm (11in) before,” says Geisler. “They have a
lot more tire than us, and 1,000-
Minimum inflation 1,500 lb [453-680kg] less weight,
pressure: Left side – 18psi; yet they were still tearing up tires.
right side – 22psi We knew that with a narrower tire
Ply material: Nylon and a heavier car, with as much
if not more horsepower, we were
Left: As on most going to have some tire issues
sub-one-mile NASCAR during the Cup race – and we did.
ovals, teams did not run
innerliners in their tires
“Fortunately, they weren’t blowing
on the Bristol dirt track. out and failing, but the wear rates
Innerliners mitigate the were very high; we saw a lot of bald
impact of a puncture at
faster venues tires coming off the cars. We weren’t
Below: NASCAR Cup allowed to groove or sipe, or do
teams were limited to anything prep-wise to the tire, when
six sets of Goodyear
Eagle Dirt tires for the you would normally have been doing
Bristol race, an increase some of those things [for a dirt car].
on the planned five
The resulting setup on Penske’s after teams experienced We had to run them stock. All you
Ford Mustangs incorporated a ride high tire wear in early could therefore do was talk to your
practice sessions
height “inches higher” than normal driver about how the wear looked
and with much more compliance and how they could manage it
to handle the rough surface: a soft better on each run.”
front anti-roll bar and soft springs. Penske evidently adapted to
The front-rear weight balance was the changing track conditions better
also much more even than normal than the rest, with driver Joey Logano
to help with the all-important bringing home the win.
traction off the corners. After the race, NASCAR quickly
Getty/NASCAR
confirmed that next March’s Bristol

Let’s go racing Cup round would again be run on
Wet weather in Bristol caused a dirt, but the field will be reset by
few headaches on race weekend. the planned introduction of 18in
Qualifying was canceled and both tires for 2022’s Next Gen race cars.
Cup and Truck Series races were “The race will be at night,” notes
postponed until Monday. The dirt Goodyear’s Stucker. “That enables us
surface’s ability or otherwise to hold to keep a little more moisture in the
moisture was then crucial to how the racetrack, so it won’t get as abrasive.
tires performed. It won’t take rubber as much as it did,
“When you’re running in daytime so I don’t think wear will be as big a
in dry conditions, the racetrack tends factor next year.” 

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S P E C I A L F O C U S
T I R E D E V E L O P M E N T,
S I M U L AT I O N & T E S T I N G
28 36 40
TOOLS AND
TECHNIQUES
SPAIN TEST
CENTER
WINTER TIRE
TESTING
Experts from leading A brand-new facility As the demand for
manufacturers explain in Santa Cruz de la winter tires continues
how advances in tire Zarza will enable to grow, SRI has opted
simulation and testing Nokian to test new to invest significantly
are impacting on the summer, all-season in not one, but two
R&D for new products and winter designs new cold-weather
and technologies throughout the year testing facilities

SPECIAL FOCUS
Facing an increasingly broad set of requirements,

tire manufacturers are adopting new technologies
and equipment to help bring products to market.
Here, leading experts discuss the tools behind
the next generation of tire development
By ALEX GRANT
TOOLED
UP

T I R E D E V E LO P M E N T, S I M U L AT I O N & T EST I N G

Daniele Lorenzetti
Chief technology officer, Apollo Tyres
Virtual tools are opening a new frontier in tire

development and enabling us to increase development
speed and efficiency. Apollo Tyres is using state-of-the-
art simulation tools including commercially available
solutions and our own in-house developments. Being able
to accurately predict tire performance before prototypes
are made not only reduces physical prototyping but also
generates better products in a much shorter timescale.
Tire development will move away from designing,
building and testing of real tires toward new virtual Above: Testing
development approaches. The role of simulations will underway at Nokian
Tyres’ facility in Ivalo
evolve from the early tire performance estimation to
full virtual subjective evaluations on vehicle simulators.
Virtualization will continue to be one of the most
influential changes in the tire industry, reducing
both development time and costs.
Physical testing will still be required for safety
and environmental performance, but with fewer loops
due to the support of more reliable tire virtualization.
Some testing on hydroplaning, grip on wet and dry
Olli Seppälä
surfaces, handling/comfort and noise will continue
to be performed on proving grounds.
The digital twin enables companies to have a Head of R&D, Nokian Tyres
digital footprint of all their products, from design
to development and throughout the entire product Our product offering has been growing very rapidly
lifecycle. The fidelity of our models has been improving and the need for a larger range of sizes is becoming
consistently throughout the years, allowing us to more evident. The car pool is becoming more complex and,
accurately predict tire performance and reliability. For when you look at new EVs, for example, it’s becoming
example, we can predict aquaplaning, wear, and comfort more important to have a larger size range and the
and handling characteristics to support new product products need to be more differentiated. So the
development both for OEMs and the replacement market. development spectrum needs to be a lot bigger
All of our virtual models go through a deep and detailed and we want to do more [within a given timeframe].
internal validation procedure. After their release, we The most important change is that we are starting
keep monitoring the models for further improvements testing in Spain. For the past couple of decades we have
and fine-tuning. had the best winter testing capability in the business with
Autonomous driving and sensor integration are Ivalo White Hell – we have 700ha there and dozens of
the next big things in the tire sector. They will have an different tracks. At our Spain test center we have a 7km
effect on the proving grounds, with a need to support the oval and all the other necessary tracks, and that offers
evaluation of vehicle and tire behavior under autonomous some great opportunities for us [see Cruz Control, page 36).
conditions. On the other hand, the tire performance The capacity, quantity and quality, and different testing
required by electric vehicles differs from ICE vehicles. This conditions reach a totally different level, and we get that
will have a further effect on proving ground evolution. higher speed of testing. It improves all of our tires, but

Philippe Jacquin
Vice president, B2C development, Michelin
Regulatory demands and pressure are increasing on

three fronts. The dimensional mix required is growing;
thus, for the same coverage we have to significantly
increase the number of homologation loops. Also, more
countries have specific regulations for tires, and there
Nokian Tyres
are new performance characteristics and requirements

subject to regulations. It is changing the complexity of
developing new products. Processes, tools and skill sets
“
have to be adapted accordingly if we want to avoid any
effects on lead time.
All aspects of tire development still rely on experience
Data-driven analytics in labs, on machines, on tracks or through customers’
experience, so physical testing will keep playing a key
must not just be seen role. What is changing is the way we will use it, and its
as a tool. It changes the place in the process. In a data-driven development mode,

physical testing will not be systematic but just when it
whole process” covers a new domain of variables. Each physical test will
be used and reused, and finally valued in many cases
Philippe Jacquin, vice president, B2C development, Michelin through data analytics.
Twinning is in essence bringing all physical
knowledge, experience, status and results as data
in a cloud. It is in progress and at a fast pace. Physical
modeling keeps progressing and the use of modeling
first and foremost, summer and all-season, and North to have virtual driving simulations is much valued in
American products. OE and motorsport tire development for specific
We are also putting a lot of effort into digitalization vehicles. Disruption in software is coming from data
and simulation, but that’s not to replace physical analytics helping to value all datapoints acquired in
testing. When we are doing things more effectively [in the development process and on a broader scale, such as
simulation], it creates the need for a new type of testing. usage and industry. It brings all acquired knowledge into
That’s why half of our R&D budget is put into physical a set of datapoints used for development. This disruption
testing; each change could give 2% improvement in changes lead times, accuracy of development decisions,
aquaplaning, but when you put those things together environmental footprint of development and costs.
the results can be something totally different. Data-driven analytics must not just be seen as a tool.
Testing will become faster [during the coming years]; It changes the whole process. Decisions will be made
the development loops will become faster and we will differently, development processes will be less sequential
do more in simulation. Physical testing will be more and less deductive, and could become more inductive.
verification of the results we are getting from simulation. Overall, we see development being faster, leaner and
Our capability means we would be able to develop things more agile, jumping from one spec to another, reuse
faster, but we want to get more data. The one who gets versus design. It will help engineers by having the
the most test results, by simulation and verification with process running at the pace of their needs and ideas,
actual testing, will be able to develop the best tires. whereas it is too slow today.

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Dr Holger Lange
Head of passenger tire development, original
equipment business, Continental Tires
Continental has recently deployed Ansible Motion’s

Delta S3 simulation technology [at the Contidrom test
facility in Hannover]. With increased motion space of Above: With its
4 x 5m, higher resolution and the ability to accurately Technodome in Daejeon,
South Korea, Hankook
evaluate tires in a virtual world, it will allow engineers plans to achieve
to simulate accelerations over a longer period of time. sustainable growth by
strengthening research
This guarantees more realistic experiences, such as lane on original and applied
change vehicle maneuvers, tight and long-distance technologies to enhance
future technology
cornering, and driving on different surfaces.
The simulator will initially test passenger car tires,
and, due to its capabilities, it will also be useful for
testing models of future smart tire concepts for electric
and also autonomous vehicles. We are planning to use
Massimo Cialone
the simulator for various road surfaces in all driving
scenarios. However, development work is still required,
especially for winter surfaces. Lead engineer, compounding,
Simulation replaces part of our subjective evaluations Hankook European Technical Center
on real roads and enables us to evaluate virtual prototypes
for various vehicle models more quickly and thus While the development of a tire compound is something
accelerate the development process for our customers that can be handled by a single person, sustainability
worldwide. For example, the development process from requires a holistic approach. Making use of the latest
one test sequence to the next can be shortened from facilities and instruments recently installed in several
several months to just a few days. laboratories is a key factor when evaluating new solutions
If our test drivers sit in the simulator cockpit and to sustainability challenges.
less at the wheel of a vehicle, around 100,000 fewer In previous years the role of a compounder was
kilometers will be completed each year on real roads straightforward, focusing primarily on performance
or test tracks, saving around 10,000 test tires per year. and safety targets with respect to process and quality
constraints. In the new era of sustainability, a lifecycle
“
assessment must be performed preliminarily in the
feasibility phase before starting any evaluation and
A new range of tools industrialization process. Not only must fundamental
tire development targets such as performance, safety,
are now available, from quality and processability be achieved, but also new
artificial intelligence to aspects must be considered, such as recyclability,

regulatory compliance and supply chain adequacy.
powerful simulation software” As relevant support to these activities, a new range

of tools are now available at Hankook, from artificial
Massimo Cialone, lead engineer, compounding, intelligence to powerful simulation software that
Hankook European Technical Center allows a remarkable reduction of the laboratory
and tire testing time.

Dr-Eng. Masatoshi
Kuwajima
Head of tire test department, Yokohama
We believe that the development and adoption of

built-in sensors may change the way tires are developed
in the future. For example, if data captured by these
sensors, such as tire air pressure, wear condition,
loads and road surface conditions, can be combined
and analyzed in cyberspace with various other data
– for example, information from the time of the tire’s
manufacture, test results, and so on – it will promote
Dr Bernd Löwenhaupt
the virtual and actual development of higher-quality
tires that respond to changes in the market environment.
Managing director, Sumitomo Rubber Europe
As we look to the near future, say the next decade, with

more autonomy and connectivity expected, tires will
become smarter. They will also need to perform over a
longer lifespan while providing consistent performance.
To achieve this, in March this year we became the first
tire OEM to use the Fugaku supercomputer for simulation
work. One key application will be to advance our
Performance Sustaining Technology (PST), which prevents
the decline in tire performance that occurs over time
due to wear and tear. It requires a precise understanding
of the chemical changes occurring within rubber at the
molecular level during tire usage. We can then develop
a compound to control these chemical changes.
Xavier Fraipont
Environmental factors are also a priority. For example,
optimization of air resistance through simple ideas such
Vice president EMEA product as smoother sidewalls, the reduction of rolling resistance
development, Goodyear and tire weight, which in some cases has been reduced
by more than 30%. We have also significantly increased
Early last year we announced that we will enhance our mileage; current developments have more than 20%
product development capabilities with the purchase of higher mileage than previous generations. We have a
new VI-grade driving simulators, including a dynamic number of other projects ongoing to develop further
model. And after our first dynamic model (DiM250) was fossil-fuel-free tires. The challenge is to achieve this at
put into operation at our headquarters in Akron, Ohio, pricing that consumers expect.
we will be installing a second dynamic simulator at We are working with renowned research institutes
our Innovation Center in Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg. in Japan to analyze the microstructures of the rubber
With our compact and dynamic simulators, we are and the effect of abrasion. As well as developing tires
able to enhance our product development capabilities. with low rolling resistance, future EVs will be able
They help us develop tires more efficiently and accurately, to contribute to slip reduction through more precise
allowing us to respond faster to requests or changes in the torque control of the electric motors. This will have
tire development process and help us drive breakthroughs a major effect on tire design. 
“
in future tire creation.
We expect to see substantial growth of virtual
development in the tire industry, as a more virtual
product development approach will allow tire models
There are opportunities to
to be developed, tested and validated earlier in the use big data and analytics
development cycle. This will help identify the best-
performing tires before building a first prototype. to further optimize the tire
Additionally, thanks to the extensive data sets gathered
during the virtual testing phase, there are opportunities development process”
to use big data and analytics to further optimize the tire Xavier Fraipont, vice president EMEA product development, Goodyear
development process.

SPECIAL FOCUS
Cruz
control
A brand-new facility in Spain will enable
Nokian to test summer, all-season and
winter designs throughout the year
By GRAHAM HEEPS Images NOKIAN TYRES

80%
of all the water used S TAT E - O F -T H E - A R T
on the wet tracks T E S T I N G T E C H N O L O GY
is recycled
4. 3.
10.
11.
9.
1. 6.
7.
5. 2.
8.
1. HIGH SPEED OVAL TRACK 4. BRAKING AND AQUAPLANING TRACKS 8. WET HANDLING TRACK
2. DRY HANDLING TRACK 5. COMFORT TRACK 9. PA S S - BY N O I S E TR ACK
3. OVERRUN TEST TRACK 6. L AT E R A L A Q U A P L A N I N G T R A C K 10. WORKSHOPS AND OFFICES
7. INNER WET CIRCLE TRACK 11. E D U C AT I O N A L C E N T E R
T
hink Nokian tire testing and the ‘White Main image: In the Tyres’ director of technology projects. “The tracks are
future, the Spain Test
Hell’ of Ivalo in the Arctic Circle comes Center will support irrigated using the flooding method, which consumes
to mind, but perceptions are about to Nokian’s work on significantly less water than a sprinkler system. Between
guayule rubber. The
change with the opening of a brand-new plants are grown in July and August there is a shortage of water in this area,
test center in Santa Cruz de la Zarza, Spain, the area and research so the test center has large tanks that even out the use
is being conducted
later this year. The US$73m facility covers in cooperation with
of water. During the hottest periods, we strictly regulate
nearly 300ha and will enable the Finnish tire maker to farmers and a local water use. When the daytime temperatures are very high,
test summer, all-season and winter designs, year-round, university we test during the night to minimize evaporation.”
Inset above: The
as well as host customer and product launch events. distinctive circular In addition, a water recovery system at the center
Design work began in 2015, with Nokian independently visitor center will host recycles 80% of all the water used on the wet tracks,
product launches and
determining the specifications of the Spain Test Center’s training sessions. It
using filters and a reverse osmosis cleaning system
10 tracks after consulting with experts both inside and incorporates an ode to prepare it for reuse. With Nokian positioning itself
outside the company. It has yet to disclose the full to Nokian’s Finnish as a leader in sustainability in the tire industry, the
heritage – a traditional
specifications, but as at many automotive proving wooden sauna water recovery system is one of a number of eco-friendly
grounds, the tracks sit within a 7.2km high-speed oval. features designed into the site, which lies 60km to the
With corners banked up to 41.3°, testing at up to 300km/h south of Spain’s capital, Madrid.
is said to be possible. More than 1,000 solar panels provide power to the
The infield tracks will help engineers study tire center. White roofs keep the visitor center and parking
behavior in terms of wet and dry handling, braking spaces cool in summer, reducing energy consumption
and hydroplaning, as well as conduct tire approval for air-conditioning. Sixty oak trees have been planted
and label tests, such as noise and wet-grip grading. to replace a smaller number that were cleared from
“The test center has three irrigated tracks that require the former cereal-growing farmland site, as well as
water throughout the year,” explains Juha Pirhonen, Nokian more than 300 olive trees.

 BY THE NUMBERS
US$73m
facility covers nearly
300ha south of Spain’s
capital, Madrid
7.2km
high-speed oval
with corners banked
up to 41.3°; testing up to
300km/h should be possible
“In order to protect the birdlife, the company has The Spanish test
facility is Nokian’s
acquired 25ha (62 acres) of land just a couple of kilometers third after the Ivalo
from the test center,” adds Pirhonen. “Two artificial Test Center, north of
the Arctic Circle, and
ponds have been built on the company’s land to provide a track close to its
drinking water for the birds and animals. Since lowland headquarters in
Nokia, Finland
areas have few nesting sites for hawks and owls, Nokian
also built a durable nesting tower, which was completed time of writing, test and development work had already
in autumn 2020.” Animal-safe fences keep the wildlife off begun at the site. It will ramp up to full capacity through
the tracks. 2021 as construction is completed.
“We are taking final steps to prepare the Spain Test
Overcoming delays Center for use, including rigorously inspecting all facilities,
A design team led by Nokian’s own test experts was testing technical components like our watering systems
responsible for the test center’s architecture, while and setting up building automation,” notes Pirhonen.
construction, which began in 2018, was a joint venture In all, 20-40 Nokian personnel will be based at Santa
between two companies – Acciona and Lozoya. Work Cruz de la Zarza once it is fully operational, at which
was temporarily halted in spring 2020 due to Covid-19, point it will test close to 20,000 tires a year – a similar
but later resumed under strict safety measures. At the figure to the quantity evaluated annually at Ivalo. The
company notes that, although the test center is in Spain,
“
the facility’s environment also simulates many areas
of North America. As such, the facility is well placed to
We are taking several final support Nokian’s growing portfolio of summer and
all-season products.
steps to prepare the Spain “The need for third-party proving grounds will
Test Center for use, including decrease once the test center is in full use,” sums up
Pirhonen, “but we will continue using them for some
inspecting all facilities” tests. For instance, it will still be useful to perform
comparison tests in order to control the quality of
Juha Pirhonen, director of technology projects, Nokian Tyres processes, equipment and track surfaces.” 

SPECIAL FOCUS
COOL
RUNNINGS
 BY THE NUMBERS
Nayoro, Japan
Boasts a total floor area
of 3,000m2, which includes
a 100m braking track and
a 30 x 30m turning course
Arnemark,
Sweden The tire testing
Two groomed snow areas – hall at the Nayoro
Tire Proving Ground
each covering approximately
15,000m2 – plus two 1,600m
snow handling courses and
a 600m ice handling track
As demand for winter tires

continues to grow, SRI has invested
heavily in not one, but two new
cold-weather testing facilities
By CHRIS PICKERING Images SRI
T
he opening of a state-of-the-art indoor
ice testing venue at the Nayoro Tire
Proving Ground in Japan was a milestone
achievement for the SRI group. Officially
opened in February this year, it’s one
of the largest facilities of its kind in Japan.
It also comes hot on the heels of Sumitomo Rubber
Europe’s new winter test track in Arnemark, Sweden,
which recently completed its first full season of operation.
Construction of the Nayoro Indoor Ice Field (better
known as NICE) began in 2019. It boasts a total floor
area of 3,000m2, which includes a 100m braking track
and a 30 x 30m turning course.
“Thanks to NICE, we are now able to perform high-
precision winter tire testing regardless of the time of
year or the weather conditions,” comments SRI’s test
department manager, Takeshi Hamada. “One of the
advantages of this facility is its size. Our other indoor
facilities are not wide enough to accommodate studded
tires on larger vehicles, but NICE is able to handle
evaluations of studded tires for vehicles ranging up
to trucks and buses.”
One of the principal aims behind the development
of NICE was to improve the precision and efficiency
of test procedures for stud-less winter tires. Performing
these evaluations indoors greatly reduces the number
of variables that can affect ice testing, Hamada explains:
“If you’re testing outdoors, you need to consider changes

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Even distribution of temperature over the

whole of the inner liner surface
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throughout the tire
64 Point liner temperature using TCT
Two identically sized tires
Different tire makers
Different rolling resistances
Upper tire’s label states A
Lower tire’s label states F
Operating conditions:
Low RR tire = 5.6 Max temp. 58 Min temp. 52 Ambient temperature 25 deg. C
High RR tire = 9.2 Max temp. 66 Min temp. 56 80 % load
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to the road surface due to direct sunlight, ambient Right: The official
opening of Nayoro took
temperature fluctuations or the presence of snow on the place in February 2021
road or the tires. We don’t have those issues with NICE.” Below: Cold winds
from Siberia make for
a freezing winter on
Perfect conditions Hokkaido, where the
Testing indoors also eliminates the impact of weather Nayoro Tire Proving
Ground is based
changes, which can be a significant factor in Nayoro.
“It’s a region that’s prone to strong winds and snow, so
NICE enables us to perform reliable, high-precision testing
regardless of the weather conditions,” explains Hamada.
One specific motivation was the impending
introduction of the new European tire labeling system,
which will add snow and ice grip ratings for the first enable us to do so with greater speed than ever before,”
time. “Once these new regulations come into effect, says Hamada. “All of our ice testing will now be carried
we will need to have ice testing facilities that fulfill out indoors within NICE.”
high international standards when it comes to test
precision,” notes Hamada. Euro vision
The NICE facility is the latest addition to the Nayoro Meanwhile, nearly 7,000km away in northern Sweden, the
Tire Proving Ground, which opened in 1991. It’s based on testing season recently wrapped up at Sumitomo Rubber
Hokkaido, the most northerly of Japan’s four main islands, Europe’s new winter testing center at Arnemark. Although
which is known for its subzero temperatures and heavy the facility officially opened in mid-December 2019, the
snowfall in winter. arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic a few months later
“Performing evaluations on the right road surface for meant that this has been the first full winter of testing.
each type of test will not only enable us to develop winter Run in cooperation with Finnish company BD Testing,
tires that feature even higher performance, but will also the new site offers two groomed snow areas – each
“
NICE enables us to perform
reliable, high-precision testing
regardless of the weather conditions”
Takeshi Hamada, test department manager, SRI
Sapporo
Tokyo
Japan

Stockholm
Sweden
covering approximately
15,000m2 – plus two 1,600m
snow handling courses and a 600m
ice handling track.
The opening of the new site reflects the
need to test winter tires locally, explains Sumitomo
Rubber Europe’s manager for automotive engineering
and tire testing, Michael Stenten.
“It’s important to test in Europe for tires destined to
be used in the region,” he says. “The demands on driving
behavior are different between European and Asian OEMs,
and this in turn affects the snow and ice handling.”
And it’s not just corporate policies that change from
one region to another, Stenten points out.
“Snow is not just snow. We can differentiate between Above: Delays due to expects around one-third of its 15-strong test team
the Covid-19 pandemic
new snow, old snow, harsch (which is old snow that has mean the Arnemark to be on-site from December to March each year.
thawed and refrozen), firn (which is more than one year facility has only now As well as providing objective tests, access to
completed its first full
old), powder snow, wet snow and so on.” winter of testing
a dedicated winter testing venue is very important
There are a lot of different snowflake structures too, for subjective feedback, Stenten explains.
he explains, depending on factors such as humidity, “On the objective side, we test separately on snow
temperature, sunlight and wear. and on ice for braking and acceleration capability.
“The snow conditions change continuously as Subjectively, we’re looking at how the car handles
the tracks are used,” he says. “After several runs, the on those two surfaces. Experience plays a key role
snow crystals start to wear out. Eventually, the snow here, but it’s not just your driving experience, it’s also
behaves more like sand and it just trickles. We measure your experience of the equipment and track preparation
the hardness of the snow and compare it day by day. that counts.”
This is important to have as a reference.” Being able to relate these observations back to the
Having its own European winter test center is an current state of the snow or ice is a particularly vital skill.
important asset for Sumitomo Rubber Europe, which “Due to inconsistent conditions and the multitude of
“
factors, it’s necessary to repeat testing often – especially
the objective elements,” he explains. “After collecting
Snow is not just snow. We a few results, an average is often the best indicator to
compare specifications.”
can differentiate between As well as the range of testing opportunities at
Arnemark, the site’s infrastructure and its transport links
new snow, old snow, harsch, firn, have also worked out well, Stenten adds. It sits around
powder snow, wet snow and so on”

45 minutes from the regional airport at Luleå and within
driving distance of several other major winter testing
Michael Stenten, manager, automotive venues. All this helps make it an important ingredient
engineering and tire testing, Sumitomo Rubber Europe in SRI’s rapidly expanding winter testing portfolio. 

TIRE FROM MIXING
CONVEYANCE TO FINAL FINISH
SOLUTIONS
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© 2020 Intralox, L.L.C. 5009469_EN

R E T R E A D I N G & R E C Y C L I N G
TREADING
L I G H T LY
 BY THE NUMBERS
95% 70% Up to 25% Over 70%

of ELTs were collected and less energy is needed truck tire life extension of an original tire’s
treated for material recycling to produce a retread via 5-8mm of extra tread material can be reused
and energy recovery in 2019 than a new tire compound for regrooving in retreaded products
Sources: ETRMA, Continental, Hankook

Positive strides have been made in the

retreading and recycling sectors during recent
years, but there is still room for improvement.
Leading players explain what’s being done
to increase tire lifecycles and reduce waste
By RICHARD GOODING Images CONTINENTAL, HANKOOK, MARANGONI
E
Left: Continental cold nd-of-life tires (ELTs) are an important
retreading technology
source of secondary raw materials for
Below: Marangoni’s
Ringbuilder 3000. the automotive, cement and construction
The Ringtread cold industries. Based on data recorded across
retreading system
uses spliceless,
32 countries, the European Tyre and Rubber
pre-cured tread rings Manufacturers’ Association (ETRMA) reports
that 95% of ELTs – equating to 3.55 million metric tons
– were collected and treated for material recycling and
energy recovery in 2019. Of this, 52% (1.84 million metric
tons) were recycled. A relatively small proportion of these
tires wind up being retreaded. For example, in ETRMA’s
2016 report, of the 94% that were reused, remanufactured
and recycled that year, only 6.5% were retreaded. Given
their high-quality rubber content, there is clearly more
to be done with the reappropriation of ELTs. According
to ETRMA, tires produced by European manufacturers
are made from more sustainable materials, thus reducing
waste and aiding recycling when they come to the end
of their lives. Longevity and performance built into the
design of new tires from the start are also vital for a
circular economy.
Retreading and recycling are not mutually exclusive;
in fact, they can actually feed off one another to benefit
sustainability ambitions.
“In addition to significant cost savings for end
customers – a retreaded tire is priced around 30%
below the price of a new tire – retreading benefits
the environment by significantly reducing the use of
resources such as crude oil, natural rubber and water.
Retreading also helps save CO2 emissions, with up to
70% less energy required compared with the production
of a new tire,” says Claus Petschick, head of sustainability
at Continental Tires. This circular economy is of the
utmost importance to the tire maker given its aim
of producing all its tires carbon-neutrally by 2040.
“Retreading premium tires is an excellent way
to reduce cost and minimize environmental impact,”
explains Guy Heywood, Hankook’s European strategy
director, truck and bus radial (TBR). “More than 70%
of the original material in the new tires is reused in
retreaded products, significantly saving raw materials,
energy and water used to remanufacture them. To
increase this reuse of materials, Hankook is trialling
the use of recycled Hankook TBR tire compounds in
Alphatread retread products. From our initial tests,
the mileage results are not negatively affected.”

Mileage and service life is one area materials, says Giampaolo Brioschi, Right: Marangoni
uses techniques such
where retreaded tire performance is group R&D director at Marangoni. as laser shearography
edging closer to that of new tires. “Any kind of material that brings to determine casing
quality throughout the
“Retreaded tires require the a decrease in performance (low rolling retreading process
same service as a new tire (mount, resistance, CO2 emissions and tread
dismount, for example). In addition, wear) is not used. There are ongoing
an inspection is required for the studies and developments on the
carcass,” Petschick says. devulcanization process to obtain
“A quality retread – using a the best-performing raw materials
first-life premium used tire casing possible. This is a work in progress
and processes, manufacture mold that must be considered, above all,
technology and quality standards to reduce the environmental impact
– can deliver comparable on-road further as a system.”
performance to new premium tires The quality control of casings
at 60% of the price,” adds Heywood. that will form the basis of a retread
“We follow the approach, ‘looks is vitally important.
like new, runs like new’,” Petschick “At our research labs in Rovereto,
confirms. “In terms of mileage any new brand model goes through
performance, our hot retreaded truck R&D work to assess whether a used
tire ContiRe is 100% on the same tire can be remanufactured,” says
level as a new tire. For ContiTread, Brioschi. “In addition, non-destructive
Continental’s premium product for tire test technologies, such as laser
the cold retreading of truck and bus shearography and nail-hole detection,
tires, we achieve a minimum of 90%. are used to define the casing quality
“Not solely financial, compared on initial testing and for the final
with a low-end, non-retreadable retreaded tire.
tire, a retreaded truck tire enables
savings and benefits, including 24%
“New tire manufacturers must
strive to improve their products 6.5%
[less] CO2 and 21% less air pollution starting from the design stage to of tires that were
(as measured by particulate-matter attain multiple lifecycles. A quality reused, remanufactured
emissions). In manufacture, 19% less casing not only guarantees more and recycled were
water is consumed; 70% fewer raw lifecycles but also improves safety – retreaded
materials are needed due to the reuse the aircraft tire sector is an example Source: ETRMA
2016 report
of the existing casings; and growing of this. End users and tire service
areas/land use is 29% less.” providers, on the other hand, have an
equally important role in ensuring the
Best-performing raw materials best use of tires through the correct
Retreaded tire performance must be choice when it comes to maintenance.
guaranteed with the use of recycled Following regular maintenance to
keep tires in their best condition will
“
extend their lifespan and improve
fuel efficiency, as well as enhancing
In terms of mileage the safety and consistency of fleet
operations. It is the responsibility of
performance, our each step of the tire supply chain to
set the basis for greater sustainability
hot retreaded truck tire of the tire sector.”
ContiRe is 100% on the

Advances in the technical
compounds of retread products
same level as a new tire” also aim to extend tire life and
reduce environmental impact.
Claus Petschick, head of sustainability, Continental Tires “As the market and regulatory
environment continue to evolve, our
commitment is to find solutions to
create the rubber compounds of the
future, improving performance in
terms of kilometers per millimeter
to extend the tire’s lifespan further,”

“
Automation promises  THE BENEFITS OF AUTOMATION
higher efficiency of Increased efficiency and enhanced repeatability
the retreading process In addition to higher production efficiencies, automation brings quality,
but it also guarantees sustainability and even socioeconomic benefits. “Process control is a crucial
aspect in ensuring the reliability and durability of a remanufactured tire,” reports
an objective definition Marangoni’s Giampaolo Brioschi. “Automation promises higher efficiency of
the retreading process but it also guarantees an objective definition of a quality
of a quality standard” standard, thanks to the repeatability of the process.
“A more efficient process also means less energy consumed during production,
Giampaolo Brioschi, group R&D director, Marangoni fewer raw materials per retreaded tire, fewer scrap tires and ultimately a lower
carbon footprint, especially when compared with importing finished products
from overseas, where extra energy is used solely
for transportation of the tire itself. It is also
worth remembering that as well as being
a sustainable choice for nature, retreading
helps the economy by generating value
that remains local.”
what’s best for the ecosystem, and we

think casing sorting platforms should
help improve working at the higher
levels of the waste hierarchy.”
The retreading sector also greatly
benefits from new product and
production technologies.
“Hankook Alphatreads are
exclusively made on first-life casings,
so retreads benefit from the tech in
Hankook’s premium TBR tires,” says
Heywood. “We also use Hankook
premium technologies in molds to
deliver regenerated tread features
and to deliver grip even when the
tires are worn. We also see significant
states Brioschi. “This ensures a more to be retreaded or casing dealers advances in retread compounds and
efficient use of resources, reducing who sell directly to the retreaders. processes that mean partner fleets
waste and fine rubber particles “There are opportunities currently fitting Alphatreads can be confident
dispersed in the environment. It untapped to improve on the full the product performance will be very
is self-evident that higher mileage usability of casings at the end of their close to that of a new tire.
performance per millimeter means first lifecycle,” he says. “We feel an “All Hankook truck and bus tires
fewer tire wear particles produced EU policy that aims at prolonging the are 100% regroovable and retreadable.
for the same distance traveled.” tire lifespan will result in reducing Hankook has a policy to renew its
Marangoni also develops specific the environmental impact of tires product range every three years,
rubber compounds and tread as a whole. To achieve this, we need meaning it can offer the latest in
patterns optimized to reduce policies in place that will enforce tire design, materials technologies
retreaded tire rolling resistance. “The the preselection of used tires to and production innovations to our
ultimate result of these developments ensure that most casings will be first partner fleets. When designing
is a remanufactured tire with a lower considered for re-manufacturing new truck and bus products we
environmental impact.” before going to recycling, reducing automatically consider and ‘build in’
the consumption of raw materials and regroovability and retreadability. Any
Homogeneous policy waste production. A homogeneous, fleet investing in Hankook premium
Brioschi says that most used casings environmentally focused policy on tires will invest in 5-8mm of extra
come from fleets that want their tires used tire management will promote tread compound under the first tire

 MAKING A MARK
Laser marking retreaded tires is key to efficient material management
Traceability is a key aspect of “This machine is semi- marking: “This means better
successful tire production – as autonomous, with manual efficiency in reading data and,
well as in retreading operations. loading, making it suited to of course, better aesthetics,
French company CIPAM has medium-sized retreading improving customer satisfaction
more than two decades of plants. It can be used for final and the ease of collecting and
experience in identification inspection, is movable and has sharing tire data. From the
and traceability solutions, and a user-friendly HMI. Installation operator’s point of view, this
has developed technologies is plug-and-play, and the marking means better ergonomics,
specifically tailored for the process is fully automatic.” and for tire manufacturers
particular challenges inherent in The laser automatically and retreaders, this means
tire production. The CIP-LASF reaches the target area, and fewer manual tasks and fewer
series is an autonomous laser- can be used on any tire diameter supplies (such as stickers and
marking system suitable for between 650mm and 1,400mm. metal plates). This optimizes
retreading operations, as director The machine, Routaboul the management of material
Vincent Routaboul explains. explains, enables high-quality resources and avoids waste.”
“
tread (to allow a regroove to extend
the tire life by up to 25%) and also a This [laser marking] machine is semi-
robust casing construction designed
to withstand single and multiple hot-
autonomous, with manual loading,
and cold-cured retreads.”
Partner fleets can increase the
making it suited to medium-sized retreading
life of a new tire by 250% by repeated
retreading and regrooving through the
plants. It can be used for final inspection”
Vincent Routaboul, director, CIPAM
Hankook SmartLife Solutions concept.
Ringtread is Marangoni’s cold
retreading system that uses spliceless, Above: CIPAM’s laser on the challenge of expanding the of new compounds, up to 2,400
marking machine,
pre-cured tread rings. the CIP-LASF, can
recycling of used tires. metric tons of rubber, 1,600 metric
“Compared with a standard spliced be used for marking “Quality combined with tire safety tons of carbon black and 8,000 metric
pre-cured tread, Ringtread is cured in customizations (such and performance are top priorities,” tons of CO2 can be saved in new tire
as logos, QR codes
its final round configuration, and each or similar) and can says Petschick. “All our raw materials production. Besides recycling scrap
ring is produced individually by a improve traceability must meet the highest standards tires into recycled rubber products,
in new tire production
centripetal radial press,” says Brioschi. as well as retreading and we make no distinction between we are developing technologies for
“Because vulcanization takes place in reused (recycled) or new materials.” the processing and reuse of fillers.”
the final form of the tread, it allows In line with its sustainability aims, Continental’s two hot-retreading
the molecular structure to stabilize Continental’s production solutions plants – CLC Stöcken in Germany and
in a stress-free configuration. The at its retreading plants combine Bandvulc CLC in Ivybridge, UK – and
standard tread strip does not follow the retreading of truck tires and the its five cold-retreading facilities are
the convex shape of the casing – recycling of used rubber components. also optimized for sustainability.
this deformation generates tension The combination of these two “The advanced energy monitoring
between the tire tread and structure, processes means the tires can be system at Ivybridge keeps close track
causing overheating, which could reused, which significantly reduces of the energy levels and output of
reduce the tire’s life. The ring final resource consumption and improves every piece of equipment across the
geometry and convex profile ensure the ecological footprint. whole factory, therefore ensuring
even wear from the beginning of the “The waste rubber produced in environmental sustainability and
tire’s service life. Ringtread’s in-built the retreading process, which results efficiency at every stage of the
technical advantages reduce rolling from the removal of the old rubber, process,” states Justin Holloway,
resistance, ensuring slow and regular is treated in a very complex process quality and environmental manager
wear, and using the whole tread developed by Continental so that it at Bandvulc. “The factory has
down to the last millimeter will turn can be used as a component of new introduced a zero-to-landfill policy,
into reduced CO2 emissions and the rubber compounds (so-called reclaim which ensures that no production
lowest total cost of ownership.” material),” Petschick says. “If, say, waste goes to landfill. As a result,
Alongside its retreading successes, 4,000 metric tons of reclaimed 100% of the factory’s waste is recycled
Continental is working intensively material is used as a component or responsibly disposed of.” 

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O T R T I R E D E V E LO P M E N T
Making the
earth move Subjected to torturous operating conditions,
OTR tires demand a cutting-edge design approach
By RICHARD GOODING Images BRIDGESTONE, CONTINENTAL, GOODYEAR, NOKIAN, TITAN


B
rightly colored and head of product development dimensions of the tires and the
chunky, earthmoving (OTR). “High-TKPH applications substantial mass of rubber needed
vehicle toys appeal are characterized by high to produce them.”
to the child in all loads being transported
of us. Away from over a longer distance at Size matters
the carpet quarries, higher speeds, resulting in “The size is the main challenge, for
however, their real-world siblings high inner temperatures obvious reasons,” says Mark Butcher,
utilize the latest off-the-road of the tire. One example is North Europe product manager,
(OTR) tire designs, created to applications where material off-road at Bridgestone. “Based on
operate in the most challenging is transported out and into the costs during the development
environments and subjected the extraction area. Here, the phase and then the various molds,
to punishing rough-and-tumble tires need to be optimized for the sheer scale of the testing process
conditions created by ever-changing cyclic operations. alone is a challenge. Machine
situations on-site. “The focus of tire development manufacturers put pressure on tire
Above: Titan’s
“Every mine site or quarry MXL range uses for quarries and mining is firstly the manufacturers, too, because they
operation is different, and they a steel-belted compound of the tire, secondly the want bigger payloads and want
construction for
run very specialized equipment,” increased cut tread pattern – both addressing the to travel faster for longer.”
says Pete Kearney, director of resistance and very demanding ground conditions “The tread compound plays a
extended wear
mining tires and wheels at Titan that result in higher wear and heat vital role when it comes to lifecycle,”
Below: The extra-
International. “The materials being deep tread of the build-up – and thirdly the huge Meiners states. “If it delivers best wear
mined are vastly different in their Continental EM-Master
E4/L4 offers high
composition, so weight, speeds carcass protection
and distance traveled all play a against cuts and
damage by foreign
major role in tire performance, objects such as stones
and one size does not fit all. Each
site will have its own TKPH (ton-
kilometers per hour) standard that
a tire must meet to operate at its
peak performance level. Tires and
their performance have to change
at a greater rate than the trucks and
loaders that they go on because of the
ever-changing conditions at a site.”
“We differentiate so-called high-
TKPH applications that are dominated
by highly abrasive grounds and block
handling applications,” explains
Christian Meiners, Continental Tires’
“
They need to handle
vast differences in
variant temperatures”
Rob Cole, key account manager, off-road, Bridgestone

resistance, the lifecycle of the tire

is significantly increased.”
The tread compound also has  MINING THE DIGITAL DEPTHS
to battle with the environment
Smart, autonomous technology looks set to revolutionize the OTR sector
thrown at it, says Kimmo Kekki,
OTR product manager at Nokian “Digitalization, electrification and autonomous “As OEMs move to more autonomous units, we
Tyres. “Demolished rock combined driving will be the main technological advances in are mindful that tires will need to become smarter
with drilling fluid is typical in the quarry and mining industry,” says Continental’s to adjust to the requirements of driverless vehicles,
Christian Meiners. “Autonomous vehicles will particularly road hazard avoidance applications in
underground mining environments.
change tire requirements. They will heavily depend mining,” says Titan’s Pete Kearney. He also believes
This mix of sharp stone edges with on software – an aggressive and efficiency-driven microchipped tires that give a complete diagnostic
water as a cutting fluid is extremely vehicle operation will pose further stress on the tire. reading will play a big role: “The microchip would
demanding for tire compounds In every case, it is to be expected that a driverless give you real-time wheel position tire pressure and
and cut and crack resistance.” operation will generate more operating hours.” internal cavity temperatures in addition to hot spots
“Wet conditions can even reinforce “An increased level of autonomous driving that can lead to separations and early detection of
the severity of the application, as creates demand for tires to self-monitor their potential problems.”
rubber is easier to cut when it is operation condition,” says Nokian’s Kimmo Kekki. “We are incorporating sensor technology into
wet,” agrees Meiners. “To meet the “This enables the vehicle to constantly monitor its our products, which measures and reports both
specific ground conditions, we also own condition and react proactively if something is tire pressure and temperature in real time,” reports
off balance. Smart tires also increase the lifetime of Rob Cole at Bridgestone. “The benefits are a safer
constantly work on the tread pattern.
the tires of non-automated vehicles by keeping the work environment through the early detection of
Here, the depth is of interest: with our pressures at an optimal level, minimizing the tread potential problems, greater efficiency courtesy of
wear and possibility of any accidental damage. Smart better tire management (which extends life and
intelligence can also enable tires to adapt to their reduces the work involved in maintenance) plus
environment, operating as efficiently as possible.” increased productivity and reduced downtime.”
Above: Nokian’s Mine EM-Master, we have developed a covered with extra-deep tread to
King L-5S is designed tire for use on loaders and articulated secure a safe, durable and reliable
for underground
loading applications. dump trucks. The E3/L3 comes with a operation,” confirms Nokian’s Kekki.
It features a slick normal tread depth and wider block Endurance and lifespan are key
surface and CCR (cut
and crack resistance) spacing than its E4/L4 counterpart. OTR development challenges.
tread compound This ensures good self-cleaning “Durability and longevity are
Left: Bridgestone’s properties and makes it a good choice critical and we are continually
Rob Cole next to one
of the tire maker’s for muddy and sandy terrain. The improving our product offering
V-Steel radial designs E4/L4 is suitable for rocky and stony to stay competitive,” says Kearney.
terrain as it comes with less spacing “We are always mindful that we
between the blocks and a deep tread must produce tires that make
depth for higher casing protection financial sense to our end users.
against cuts and object penetrations. We aim to deliver the lowest cost
“All tread patterns need to fulfill per hour or mile operated to make
other requirements as well: protection that acquisition or cost of ownership
of the tire casing against impact is worth the investment.”
important to keep operations running, “We have to know the
to avoid downtime and save money.” requirements our customers have
“A high-pressure carcass has to for their tires,” says Kekki. “That is the
have a high load capacity and be foundation of product development,

so we can offer tires that match Right: Tread depth

varies according to
the needs of our customers. From application type and
a technical perspective, the biggest can affect the level
of casing protection
challenge is making tires that have
Below: Goodyear’s
a big load capacity but small outer RT5D is one of the
dimensions in order to keep the lines included in the
upgraded 3* range
machines as compact as possible.”
“Professionalized processes,
optimized efficiency and 24/7
availability of equipment and
machinery are major trends in the
quarry and mining industry,” says
Meiners. “They result in increasing
loads and operating hours that
put new requirements on the
equipment and tires. One of the
major challenges is the heat
build-up during application. a higher load capability and off-road. “In Sweden, our tires will be
The variety of applications inflation level to operate safely operating at temperatures as low as
ranging from paved to while completing tough jobs. -40°C, whereas it can be 40-50°C in
unpaved roads, from muddy Packaging together Goodyear’s other parts of the world. Obviously,
tracks to stony and rough terrain, new 3* marked tires with our our rubber compounds need to be
bear the risk of tire damage and TPMS Heavy Duty enables us to changed to cope. Some of our tires
lead to considerable wear. Heat present an end-to-end offering actually don’t have a tread pattern
build-up and damage and wear are to operators, supporting them to at all, owing to the abrasiveness of
increased if a vehicle has the wrong get the most out of their machines the surfaces they are working in.
tire pressure. Therefore, the tread of while keeping safety at the forefront They are effectively slicks, because
a tire needs to be optimized to tackle of their operations.” the traction they need comes from
those challenges and consequently Other considerations in the the ground itself. Also, with no tread
ensure a long lifecycle. One of the wider tire industry also direct pattern, there is no danger of rocks
most common target conflicts is the OTR development. “Tire-tracking or metal chunking the tires and
lifecycle versus high-load and higher- technology has influenced us causing issues.”
speed capability. While a higher in terms of technology and There are downsides, however.
tread depth may prolong the lifecycle performance,” Kearney confirms. “Slick patterns would be most
of the tire, it can result in a higher “Tracking systems designed to effective to protect a tire from
heat build-up and negatively affect follow tires from cradle to grave, impact, but this limits and restricts
load capacities.” and measure cost and performance the tire’s traction capabilities,”
Safety and efficiency also continue in real time, have shaped the Meiners states.
to be constant demands. development process to push Endurance and new technologies
“We have released an advanced for higher-quality tires.” are driving future tire advances.
range of 3* marked products for “Predictive maintenance is a “Bridgestone’s MasterCore technology
loaders,” says Octavian Velcan, trend that already affects today’s tires, which will come onto the UK
managing director, OTR and aviation, operations,” agrees Meiners. market in the next few years, are
at Goodyear EMEA. “As machinery engineered for ultra-high durability,
has become heavier with increased Smooth operators with performance customized to
capability and capacity, tires have Extreme environmental conditions mine sites and operations,” says Cole.
had to develop in tandem to ensure also push OTR tires to the limit. “Users can opt for 5% more durability,
efficient operations. This has led “They need to handle vast differences 10% faster speeds or 15% greater
to a new 3* marking upgrade to a in variant temperatures in different payloads. This flexibility is made
range of Goodyear tires for loaders. parts of the world,” says Rob Cole, possible by new compounds and
“
[This] enables operators to have Bridgestone key account manager, a revolutionary steel cord with anti-
rust and adhesion coatings.”
Predictive maintenance
And, as is now always the case,
sustainability shapes the sector,
is a trend that already says Kekki: “Recyclable materials

are coming to not only minimize
affects today’s operations” the environmental footprint of tire

manufacturing but also because of
Christian Meiners, head of product development (OTR), Continental new technological advantages.” 

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C O V I D W O R K I N G
SHIFTING
LOA D S

The Covid-19 pandemic created a series of

challenging conditions for the tire industry.
Manufacturers and suppliers have had to
adjust to shifting conditions and find
ways to keep the lines running
By RICHARD GOODING Images HANKOOK, NOKIAN, ROCKWELL, VMI
T
Left: Staff observe
Covid-19 protocols at he effects of the Covid-19 pandemic
Nokian Tyres’ plant in have been felt right across the tire
Dayton, Tennessee
production industry. Restrictions
Below right:
Hankook’s Rácalmás limiting personnel numbers on-site
plant in Hungary. have led to plants around the world
The first Covid-19
safety measures were
working at reduced capacities or even
implemented at the temporarily shutting down.
facility in January 2020 “All our plants experienced shutdowns when the
Covid-19 pandemic started,” explains Kimmo Vierimaa,
vice president of global manufacturing at Nokian Tyres.
“However, the company quickly developed ways of
working to keep its people safe and to prevent the
virus spreading.”
Prevention was the principal strategy at Hankook
Tire’s Rácalmás plant in Hungary. “From the beginning
we were striving to implement a system that would
protect our employees from an extensive epidemic
situation within the factory,” says Tamás Fridrich, facility
technology and environment, health, safety (EHS) team
manager at Hankook Tire Hungary.
The first protective measures at Rácalmás came into
force in January 2020. “It is mandatory to wear face masks
in the factory and to have temperature checks before
entering the building,” Fridrich confirms. “We have also
set up hand sanitation points, increased the number of
“
The company quickly
developed ways of
working to keep its people
safe and to prevent the
virus spreading”
Kimmo Vierimaa, vice president of
global manufacturing, Nokian Tyres

commuting buses to reduce the number of passengers

per vehicle, and all areas are regularly disinfected.”
Similar protective measures at Nokian’s sites also
included the separation of teams. “Travel and visitor
restrictions in the early phases of the pandemic were
also implemented,” Vierimaa explains. “Most white collar
workers have been working remotely since March 2020.”
Personnel movements are also restricted at Rácalmás.
“We have stopped business trips and have set up a home
office option for employees,” says Fridrich. “Thanks to the
positive approach of our employees, and in compliance
with our rules, we have prevented an escalation of the
epidemic within the factory.”
Limiting personnel movement has also successfully
protected Nokian staff and facilities, and no external
suppliers have been permitted on-site. Overhauling
or refitting of plants has not taken place, but no
maintenance procedures have been delayed.
Dominique Scheider, industry strategy market
manager transportation, EMEA, Rockwell Automation,
reports that most of the company’s clients have not used
the period for maintenance.
“Most of our customers have been focusing on
preserving cash flow. A minimum number of people
on-site was, and still is, the priority, with reactive or
critical maintenance operations. Facility refitting requires
external suppliers and more people on-site, often in
a limited space.” He confirms that where preventive
maintenance has been scheduled, it has been delayed,
often by months. This page: Rockwell
Fridrich reports that maintenance and production Automation had begun
developing solutions to
delays have been limited at Rácalmás. “We adapted the provide remote support
production plan in spring 2020,” he says. “During this to its customers before
the pandemic began
period our main goal was the development of processes
and planned maintenance of our machinery and systems,
“
A minimum
number of which occurred during necessary factory stops. Within the
period of adjusted time, we focused on the optimization of
people on-site production lines, 5S [workplace organization method] and
was, and still is,

condition-based maintenance. The facility maintenance
and EHS teams could also complete planned works in
the priority, with all areas (production, fire protection, storage, utility and
labor safety). The planned investment projects to increase
reactive or critical capacity, implementation of new technologies and total

machinery renovation also took place.”
maintenance operations” Manageable constraints
Dominique Scheider, industry strategy market manager Maintenance and factory refits may have been off the
transportation, EMEA, Rockwell Automation
cards for some, but there was a need for production
to continue. This is easier to manage, says Scheider.

 REMOTE CONTROL
Digital connection has been key in replacing physical presence
VMI’s full suite of remote support solutions ranges from remote diagnostics by a direct
connection between a VMI machine installed at the customer’s site and one of VMI’s service
centers, to using a video system with a high-resolution camera to guide operators through the
machine. “By combining a phone or tablet with smart glasses, a hands-free situation is created
in which a VMI engineer can indicate areas to troubleshoot the machine and give real-time
advice to fix the problem,” says the company’s Erik Lapré. “VMI’s remote guidance solution
supports customers […] not only in troubleshooting, but also when performing maintenance
tasks. The VMI engineer can assist in real time when there are difficulties or questions with
the task at hand.”
Part of Rockwell’s augmented-reality hands-free help includes prerecorded tutorials for
step-by-step maintenance guidance and real-time interaction with remote assistance, and
the superposition of machine data. Rockwell’s Dominique Scheider says that connected
machines, reliable and secure networks, and a supervisory and modern manufacturing execution
system (MES) need to be in place for smooth remote operation. Even outside of a pandemic,
AI technology will aid uptime, he believes. “Through our recent acquisition of Fiix, the Fiix
Foresight cloud-based CMMS and asset maintenance software system offers AI-powered
reports of short-list work orders detailing causes of equipment failure and production delays,
so problems can be solved before they happen.”
Right: VMI’s remote

guidance system
means engineers can
give real-time advice
and machine support
“Typically, modern tire-making processes do not require of machines,” says Sami Eerikäinen, Nokian Tyres’ head
a high concentration of workers in a limited and closed of production services, “especially in our new US site at
space, so Covid-19 constraints have been manageable.” Dayton, which was in the ramp-up phase when Covid-19
Production at Nokian’s plants still required manpower, quickly escalated. Remote connectivity was widely used
Vierimaa states, but other activities lent themselves to before the pandemic, so it was not new to us when
remote interventions. “Production operations cannot be restrictions were implemented.”
done remotely, and factories are still manned the normal Fridrich confirms a similar situation at Rácalmás:
way. However, staff meetings are carried out remotely via “We’ve always used state-of-the-art remote access when
our global platform, which had already been introduced involving our contracted external partners for maintenance
before the pandemic.” of storage and logistics systems. During last year this
External supplier connectivity has aided in the had more importance. In several of our projects, the
resolution of production issues. “Remote connectivity final commissioning and tests were completed remotely.
during the pandemic has been useful in problem solving, Our well-prepared staff were, and are, able to manage
developing machinery software and in the deployment commissions and big maintenance works independently.”

“
When it was Although remote solutions were an essential part of
the pandemic working strategy for many, Scheider says
not possible that the arrival of Covid-19 didn’t fire the starting gun
on the technology: “Remote control did not start with
to physically visit a the Covid-19 crisis, at least for some of our customers.
site, our remote support

We have implemented solutions for over a decade, with
progress on software technology, network performance
team has been able to assist” and security.” He believes the intervening years have
accelerated enhancements in video and voice technology,
Erik Lapré, vice president, global services, VMI as well as affordability.
“Overall, we treated this demanding time as an
opportunity rather than a threat,” says Hankook’s
Minimum disruption Above: The key for Fridrich. “An opportunity for developing factory and
suppliers such as VMI
VMI Group is one external partner that has worked closely has been to ensure OEE [Overall Equipment Effectiveness] indicators, and
with its customers throughout the pandemic. customers can continue for executing our investment projects in a timely and
operating safely during
“In these challenging times, VMI has supported its the Covid-19 pandemic cost-effective manner. Since summer 2020, the factory
customers to make sure standstill was reduced to an has been operating at full capacity again and we are
absolute minimum. This has ensured customers could calculating full capacity operations for 2021.”
continue operating according to their requirements,” “After the initial shutdowns and the ramping up
confirms Erik Lapré, vice president of global services. of production, new ways of working have become the
Remote connectivity is key. “We have continued our new normal,” agrees Nokian’s Vierimaa.
service activities during lockdown periods, and when Pandemic or not, Scheider believes tire factories
it was not possible to physically visit a site, our remote need to digitalize to manage cost and complexity
support team has been able to assist,” Lapré adds. challenges. “Whether you’re upgrading or expanding
Rockwell also geared up quickly for remote support. your tire operations to address these challenges,
“We quickly ensured continuity of our operations, with make digital technologies central to your strategy,”
minimum disruption in our services,” Scheider says. “In he says. “Digital technologies bring new insights to
a working-from-home mode, service departments have help personnel make better design, operation and
helped customers through our TechConnect 24/7 support maintenance decisions. They can also transform
service. Sales and customer care departments have processes to reduce downtime, while optimizing
ensured continuity in spare parts deliveries.” speed and quality in tire production.” 

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P R O D U C T S A N D S E R V I C E S
A
s decades pass and global
tire demand continues to
grow, manufacturers constantly
focus on improving production
machine throughput and accuracy while
decreasing downtime. In the last decade
of economic growth and stability, a large
portion of tire manufacturers’ final-finish
budgets went toward new machinery to
improve throughput and accuracy and
meet the demands of larger-diameter
tires. When the Covid-19 pandemic
slowed the global economy in 2020,
manufacturers were faced with shutdowns,
market declines and supply chain issues.
What can companies do to jump-start
their production, cut costs and regain
their market footprint?
“The answer to the current problem
is quite simple: upgrade current machinery
with new technology and hardware to
extend the equipment’s life and increase
throughput and process capability,” says
David Poling Jr, COO of the Poling Group,
which comprises Akron Special Machinery
(ASM), Akron Steel Fabricators (ASF),
ASM-Hasbach, Commercial Timesharing
Inc (CTI) and Firwood-ASM. These
companies have been global players in the
tire testing industry for over 40 years and
have seen many spending trends during
that time. “Normally, new custom machine
builds are the bulk of our business,” Poling
UPGRADING TIRE
continues. “But over the last 15 months,
90% of what we’re doing is upgrading
a variety of testing machines – typically
PRODUCTION MACHINERY
on-site – to increase testing accuracy or
throughput, with minimal downtime.”
But where does a company start
with upgrading its testing equipment,
A post-pandemic trend is seeing manufacturers upgrade and which upgrades provide the most
tire testing machines to increase production and accuracy immediate benefits?
“A great entry point into improving
the quality testing of finished tires
Above: The CX111 TU is upgrading the controls and data
tester uses patented acquisition on tire uniformity machines,”
X-Frame Technology
to increase testing explains Troy Anenson, president of CTI.
accuracy and “Downgraded tires are a significant source
accommodates more of lowered revenue for tire manufacturers,
than 30 options and
upgrades, enabling as borderline tires are incorrectly graded
tire makers to improve and scrapped. By upgrading existing
testing where needed TU machines with our TTOC6 controller,
Left: The TSAS (Tire false rejects are reduced, resulting in
Sidewall Analysis
System) upgrade helps improved yield.”
manufacturers meet CTI has developed and patented
OE tire standards of two powerful software algorithms
geometry testing for
every tire, reducing with minimal associated hardware to
scrap and enabling address unnecessary downgrading on
throughput and tires. Waveform Validation & Correction
process capability to
increase exponentially (WVC) ensures the radial and lateral force
uniformity data snapshot is collected
during a timeframe once measurement

stabilization is complete. WVC also Increasing capabilities Above: The CTI TTOC6 for themselves. Tires deemed unacceptable
applies a correction to the measurement In addition to improving the measurement Controller comes for OE purposes can be quickly upgraded
equipped with WVC
data based on proven proprietary quality, tire makers extend their budgets and MECC software to sellable tires by grinding the shoulders
methods. Load-wheel Characterization is by expanding a machine’s capabilities. that improves yield and or tread, optimizing and improving many
a component of CTI’s patented Machine “Instead of purchasing new machines reduces false rejects quality measurements. The Poling Group
Effect Characterization and Compensation that test larger tires, many companies Above left: Poling has patented algorithms that enable our
Group grinder upgrade
(MECC). Its algorithm, with its minimal are retrofitting their existing machines kits calculate an shoulder and center grinder to reduce
associated hardware, subtracts a correction with many of our solutions to test optimal grind depth many quality measurements efficiently
waveform from the tire uniformity a wider range of tire sizes on the that reduces grinding and with an excellent grind appearance.
time and improves tire
measurement waveform to eliminate same TU,” Poling explains. “Upgrades appearance, resulting Scrapping tires that could easily be made
any unwanted radial force influences like our two-step rims, Automatic in fewer scrapped tires sellable with some grinding is a major
caused by a load wheel’s out-of-roundness, Adjustable Width Chuck, Automated Below: The TDAQ loss of revenue for manufacturers.
flat spots and deflections. Mixed Mode Bead Lubricator and family of Ethernet- Grinding kits are even available
based high-speed data
As a bonus of upgrading to TTOC6, new Timing Belt Center Conveyor acquisition products for our X150 TBR/CVT machine.
the controller comes equipped with the make it possible to test different tire reduces analog cable “Tire uniformity isn’t the only area
patented TDAQ (tire data acquisition sizes quickly and efficiently without lengths to the loadcells, where we see customers focusing on
resulting in greater
system) developed by CTI in 2008. tooling changes or machine downtime.” measurement accuracy upgrading existing machines instead
“One glaring issue with traditional Other options to expand capabilities and resolution of buying new ones,” Poling concludes.
analog data collection is that wires include adding geometry testing to “We have remanufactured and upgraded
travel from each sensor on the machine existing machines. OE tires have some laboratory tire testing equipment as old
into the controller panel, where they of the most rigorous testing standards, as 50 years, in addition to white sidewall
must be conditioned, amplified, filtered as auto manufacturers expect that only grinders (buffers) and rubber processing
and converted to a digital signal for tires that meet their exact specifications equipment. If you start with quality-built
measurement processing,” says Anenson. will be installed on their new vehicles. machinery, there is almost always a way
“This means having numerous separate This necessitates geometry testing on to extend that investment with updates
devices connected by many more wires. every tire intended to be used as original and upgrades.” 
That is just poor design, as it overuses wire equipment. Anenson describes the benefit
ways and places dirty high-voltage wires
near sensitive analog wires – sometimes
for as long as 15m. This creates multiple
of equipping existing machines with
geometry testing: “The cost difference
between adding CTI’s Tire Sidewall
001 Free reader
inquiry service
To learn more about Poling Group, visit:
connection points for the same analog Analysis System [TSAS] to an existing www.ukimediaevents.com/info/ttm
signal, translating to multiple points of machine and purchasing a new machine
failure and a troubleshooting nightmare for geometry testing is pretty substantial.
for maintenance. CTI completely rethought The current machine’s cycle time will
this process and designed an Ethernet- increase by only five seconds if high-
based high-speed data acquisition system pressure geometry testing is required.
specifically for the analog signals used by And if geometry can be tested at the
a tire uniformity machine. We designed same inflation pressure as force testing,
it small and rugged, making it possible then no cycle time penalty is incurred.”
to mount on the machine and near its Furthermore, shoulder or center
sensors. This considerably shortens the grinding kits can be added to enhance
analog wires, giving us higher resolution a tire uniformity machine’s capabilities.
and greater accuracy while reducing Poling weighs in on the push to add
electrical interference.” grinding kits: “Grinding kits easily pay

SILANE-FUNCTIONALIZED
RESIN TYPES
Examining chain-end terminated and backbone-grafted
approaches to adding functional groups to a polymer chain
A
round 1995, trade groups, process groups (in this case, triethoxysilane groups)
oil producers and individual to a polymer chain. The work detailed in
tire manufacturers in Europe this article compares two types of silane-
started working on solutions functional resins: chain-end terminated
to replace the aromatic plasticizing oils and backbone-grafted.
commonly used in the tire industry, A commercial chain-end triethoxysilane
due to legislation identifying polycyclic functional resin was compared with two
aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) content as backbone-grafted resins. Grafted resins
carcinogenic. Liquid poly(butadiene) resins were prepared using the thiol-ene reaction
have been used in the rubber industry for with AIBN as the initiating species and
many years, serving as plasticizers and (3-mercaptopropyl)triethoxysilane as the
to modify the viscoelastic properties of grafting agent. Characterization of the Figure 1: Tangent indicators. Figure 1 provides a comparison
tire treads. As tire manufacturers updated resins is outlined in Table 1. The resins, delta comparison. of the functionalized and unfunctionalized
Values are normalized
formulations and sought improvements in including an unfunctionalized control, to the unfunctional resins, on a plot of tangent delta at 0°C
traction properties, these additives became were compounded in a model silica control resin versus tangent delta at 60°C. Higher
more important as formulating tools. tread formulation (Table 2). Dynamic Figure 2: DMA normalized values indicate better wet
Silane-terminated liquid mechanical analysis (DMA) was used tangent delta curves traction (tan delta 0°C) and lower rolling
poly(butadiene) resins were commercially to measure the viscoelastic profile of resistance (tan delta 60°C). The impact
introduced in 2017. This technology the resulting cured compounds. of chain-end termination is evident, with
addressed the increased hysteresis Earlier work has shown that terminal much higher traction indicator (at similar
inherent in the use of these resins. But silane functionality typically results in resin Tgs) and a measurable improvement
there are many ways to add functional improved traction and rolling resistance in rolling resistance. Although the grafted
resins did show directional improvement
2
over the unfunctionalized control, the
performance was not comparable to
chain-end modification. Actual DMA
tangent delta curves are provided in
Figure 2. Qualitatively, the shape of
the chain-end functionalized trace
is fundamentally different from the
grafted and unfunctionalized samples.
Mechanistically, it is believed
that silane-functional resins are
capable of interacting with the silica/
silane condensed phase, as well as
polycondensing with each other, forming
a secondary network that can co-vulcanize
with the elastomer matrix. The result is
an increase in bound rubber and
compound Tg, but also apparent cross-
link density (XLD). Measured XLD values
are provided in a comparative graph in
Figure 3 (XLD was calculated using Flory-
Rehner sample swelling methodology).
The grafted sample normalized values

Figure 3: Normalized down in the efficient terminally functional

cross-link density
values for non- case, either at the silica/silane surface or
functional and through networking (Figure 4).
functionalized resins Silane-functionalized low-molecular-
Figure 4: Graphical weight poly(butadiene) additives are used
representation of
network formation commercially to provide an optimized
efficiency with traction and rolling resistance balance
chain-end (A) versus in tire tread applications. A comparison
backbone-grafted
(B) functionalized of chain-end and backbone-grafted
resins in a silica- technology clearly suggests that well-
filled formulation defined terminal functionality is a more
effective synthetic strategy for producing
the desired performance. Functional group
Table 1: Poly(butadiene) resins and their characterization placement does matter. 
Resin Mn (g/mol) PD Tg (°C) F Type
Ricon 150
Ricon 603
4,160
3,500
1.1
1.2
-42
-44
0
2
--
Terminal
002 Free reader
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BR-G2 4,620 1.2 -39 2 Graft www.ukimediaevents.com/info/ttm
BR-G3 4,730 1.2 -38 3 Graft

Table 2: Model silica-filled tire tread formulation
Stage 1 BR 25.0
were between that of Ricon 603 and the reactions are also random and produce
unfunctionalized controls. an average number of groups per chain OE-SBR 103.0
Situating the silane groups on (as some have no functional groups,
the backbone of the chain rather some more). In addition, the grafted silane Silica 90.0
than on the termini inhibits effective is randomly attached to each backbone,
compound performance improvement. with only a small percentage likely to be Silane 14.4
Backbone grafting is less efficient at close enough to a chain end to effectively
Resin 20.0
condensed network formation because immobilize it and provide the subsequent
the functionality is sterically hindered, improvement in hysteresis. Conversely, Stage 2 Stearic acid 2.3
resulting in lower reactivity. Grafting a high percentage of chain ends are tied
6PPD 2.0
Productive Sulfur 1.3
Zinc oxide 2.3
TBBS 1.7
TBzTD 0.5
DPG 2.0

TRUCK AND BUS TIRE

TESTING EQUIPMENT
A new machine offers a range of tailored testing procedures
in a single station, optimizing the tire production process
V
ehicle OEMs’ requirements for
new, technologically advanced
tires, and tire manufacturers’
desire for higher product quality
are resulting in increasingly stringent
demands for testing equipment that
can satisfy these needs within the
shortest production time. ZF’s final-
finish equipment is a smart investment
designed to meet these demanding
quality inspection requirements with
the lowest lifecycle costs.
The company’s new product, the
ZF-LUB6 TBR, joins ZF’s portfolio of
trusted and proven passenger car test
equipment such as the ZF-LUB5, ZF-BAL5
and ZF-HSU5. The ZF-LUB6 TBR is the
new final-finish tire test equipment for
truck and bus radial tires – a development
that has benefited greatly from ZF’s many
years of industry experience and skill
with tire testing equipment.
There are many tire test systems on tires, and the ability to use the same PLC, Above: The benchmarked the highest standards in
the market that measure either uniformity rim tooling and so on. ZF has determined ZF-LUB6 TBR is the accuracy and repeatability for uniformity,
new final-finish tire
or dynamic unbalance independently. The that this combination machine offers an test equipment for balance and geometry, and implemented
innovation is to combine these features extremely low total cost of ownership. the inspection of truck these attributes in the machine design.
in a single machine: the ZF Low Speed An ambitious goal was set for the and bus radial tires With a new measurement concept,
Uniformity Balancing Machine (LUB) test development of ZF-LUB6 TBR: to meet interference from cross-talk in the
system, which offers several advantages or exceed all the commercial needs for the uniformity measurement is minimized.
to customers. The machine enables users testing of this class of tire products. This In addition, all machine parts directly
to measure all conventional uniformity, ambition is evident in the specifications of related to measurement quality are
static and dynamic unbalances and the machine. To meet the different global manufactured to the highest level
geometry characteristics within one cycle requirements for high-load traffic, the of accuracy. For example, when the
at a single station of the test equipment. ZF-LUB6 TBR can apply a maximum force load wheel is subjected to the full load
These activities are completed in less than of 63kN load to a tire that can be inflated of 63kN, it has a maximum deformation
60 seconds. This combination of features to a maximum inflation pressure of 10 bar of less than 0.7μm, thereby greatly
permits the reduction of resources, such (145psi) for a maximum tire diameter of improving the accuracy of the tire
as a smaller footprint compared with 1.5m and width of 660mm. force variations measurement.
a machine with multiple stations, less Measurement performance is a critical To ensure high-quality unbalance
compressed air used for the inflation of the element of any test equipment. ZF measurement, piezoelectric transducers

Meeting customer needs a robot) to match the range of tire

The ZF-LUB6
A consistent and stable lubrication diameters to be tested.
TBR can apply a system is essential to obtain repeatable With all these technological advances,
maximum load force of and accurate measurements for tire the need for a low operating cost remained
63kN testing. Therefore, the system is equipped
with two independent pumps and
a high priority during the design of this
new machine, as it was for the previous
brushers, one each for the upper and generations. The combination of all the
lower beads of the tire. In conjunction major measurement features within a
with the automatic bead-detection system, single machine reduces air and energy
the brushes will consistently apply evenly consumption, required floor space and
distributed lubrication fluid onto the beads rim tooling costs by almost half.
to ensure proper fit/seal between the rim Special care was also taken to ensure
tooling and the tire beads. minimal and easy maintenance, to reduce
Tire marking requirements downtime associated with regular upkeep.
have also become more stringent and In addition, the assemblies are designed
sophisticated in recent years, and simple to be modular and are optimized for
circular markings for the high and low container transport so the machine can
unbalance points are no longer adequate. be easily disassembled for shipment after
A wider product range also increases completion of the pre-acceptance test. The
the challenges for tire marking. ZF’s design also permits quick installation and
marking system is highly flexible, offering commissioning at the customer’s plant.
different types of application technology The standard ZF tire inspection
to meet the quantities, shapes and color machine will satisfy most measurement
requirements of tire markings, for both requirements. For additional customer
top and bottom. needs, ZF engineers have developed
A wide range of products is sometimes options to meet customized requirements
unavoidable as tire manufacturers – for example, a data analytics option is
attempt to maximize the utilization of available. Beyond these standard options,
their capital investment – particularly the customers also benefit from ZF’s 35 years
final-finish tire inspection equipment – to of experience in the design and building
meet customer demands. In doing so, of tire testing equipment to meet a wide
downtime associated with changeover of range of needs. 
tooling and setups will increase with the
frequency of the batch changes. To reduce
this downtime, the ZF-LUB6 TBR’s setup
adjustments are automatic (including the
Below: All
measurements
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with a stiff suspension are used.

The same is true for the geometric
measurement, where a system of stable
and accurate sheets of light is projected
onto the sidewalls and treads to measure
the runouts and defects such as bulge
and dent on both. The fields-of-view of
these sheets of light are specified to cover
a wide range of tires without any physical
adjustments. These features are fully
integrated into the M-OTI (Modas-Optical
Tire Inspector) evaluation system, where
a sophisticated filtering algorithm is
used to improve the identification of any
potential bulge and dent condition that
might cause tire failure. For example, the
system can filter out tire manufacturer
markings or letters.

PROCESS LINERS IN
TIRE MANUFACTURING
Careful selection according to release properties, stiffness, durability,
maintenance and cost can enhance the tire production process
E
very component used in tire
manufacturing – whether it’s
steel, fabrics or other rubbers –
is rubberized unless it is available
as a ready-to-use material. The stickiness
associated with these components requires
each part to be separated. Process liners
can control, and sometimes even eliminate,
this sticky situation. When searching for
an ideal process liner, manufacturing
organizations should focus on the
most critical concerns: release properties,
stiffness, durability, maintenance
requirements and cost in use.
Process liners must have adequate
release properties so that they do not
stick to the rubber products, which
could cause unintentional delays or that any chosen liner has strong edges Above: Process resistance, a polyester multi/mono-liner
defects in the products. To help prevent and fabric that will minimize fraying after liners can control, should be considered for calender and
reduce and eliminate
such issues, chosen liners should be multiple uses. stickiness associated cassette liners because of its cross-rigid
made with a detailed yarn selection and When the ideal characteristics with rubberized stiffness. A polyester multi-liner offers a
appropriate chemical treatment to ensure of a liner have been determined, it is materials to ensure light, thin alternative to a polypropylene
peak product
superior functionality. Some extrudate important to select which liner fabric performance liner and enables significantly more
components – such as tread and sidewall – is best for a specific application. This material per run.
can be heavy, so stiffness is very important should be determined by considering Retreading businesses should
when separating these products. A good- the type of compound, which part of consider nylon liners to emboss the
quality liner plays a pivotal role in avoiding the tire is being prepared, which area un- or semi-vulcanized tread compound
the compression of extrudate components, of the manufacturing facility has a need in the autoclave. Cotton liners are more
giving the tire better uniformity and for liners, and even the general climate of suitable for calender liners because of
improving its performance. the facility. Ideal offerings should include their thinness and breathability.
Process liners offer manufacturers a choice of polypropylene, polyester, nylon, Some liners may have tailor-made
a more sustainable option, with the polyethylene and cotton liners. finishing options, which could be ideal
possibility of selecting a reusable liner Polypropylene and polyethylene liners for identifying liners through color or
instead of a disposable one. With have excellent release properties and solid printing directly on the liner. Whichever
proper treatment, a process liner should selvages, which make both types of liners liner is chosen, the selection should be
last between 5 and 10 years with low valid candidates for most calender and made with careful consideration – a
maintenance concerns and multiple cassette liner applications. product is only as exceptional as its
uses thanks to the yarn selection, fabric Polyester super-release and hybrid production process. 
construction and thermo-fixation process liners offer superior release properties
during its production. However, the
amount of rolling or unrolling from
reuse could create defects or wrinkles
suitable for high-tack rubbers. There
are many types of polyester liners to
meet the product’s specificities within
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PLANT DESIGN
RUNNING IN
OUR VEINS –
YOUR FUTURE
ON OUR MIND
Free selection rather than
ready-made kits: we integrate
processes – not just parts – for
more efficiency, flexibility and
security. Highly efficient mixing
Mixing room turnkey solutions:
room technology by the experts.
 Online dosing and weighing  Design concepts and FEED studies Innovative plant design by the
 Liquid dosing system  Greenfield – brownfield – extension plant architects.
 Chemical weighing system  3D plant design and laser scanning
 Conveying and silo technology  Intelligent automation concept
 Anti-Tack system
 Dust and oil recycling
 Scrap tire and rubber recycling plant
zeppelin-systems.com
SINCE 1925, SMITHERS HAS BEEN SUPPORTING

THE TIRE INDUSTRY WITH TESTING AND
TIRE
CONSULTING SERVICES DESIGNED TO ASSIST YOU
IN DEVELOPING YOUR BEST PRODUCT:
TESTING > TIRE PERFORMANCE AND DURABILITY

SERVICES > CHARACTERIZATION FOR MODELING
> LABORATORY TIRE ANALYSIS
> TIRE BENCHMARKING
> CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
> ON-VEHICLE WINTER TESTING
WWW.SMITHERS.COM
> TECHNICAL CONSULTING
NEW TIRE DEVELOPMENT

important consideration for open-
wheeled race cars, because it avoids
any aerodynamic impact,” Vaughan
TOOL FOR MOTORSPORT

continues. Knowing that motorsport
is always a high-pressure environment,
the developers at Kistler also prioritized
A dedicated wheel force transducer for racing applications can fast setup and convenient operation as
key benefits of the new WFT.
characterize tire load, determine degradation and estimate wear Available in lightweight magnesium
or aluminum versions, the RoaDyn Racing
WFT has undergone extensive cornering
T
ire development in motorsport to changes in aerodynamics, weight and Above left: Testing fatigue testing with more than two
presents many conflicting downforce characteristics that will also with the Kistler P530 million load cycles and bending torque
multicomponent
requirements. Driver and spectator be implemented in the 2022 cars. measuring hub in excess of 6kNm. In addition, the WFT
safety at the circuit naturally Kistler has responded to these Above right: The was validated on a tire testing machine at
has top priority, but tire performance is challenges by developing a dedicated new WFT from Kistler speeds of up to 250km/h with a reference
also a critical factor in determining the wheel force transducer (WFT) for installed on a Mahindra multicomponent measuring hub from
Racing Formula E car
outcome of every race. An understanding motorsport applications – the RoaDyn Kistler (type P530).
of tire overheating and blistering issues Racing WFT. The new transducer Kistler collaborated with the Mahindra
is essential – not only to optimize the accurately captures forces and moments Racing Formula E team for the final
team’s race-winning strategy, but also to acting on the wheel as the basis for validation of the new WFT on the
ensure driver safety. Tire manufacturers characterizing tire load, determining racetrack. Kistler would like to thank
and teams need to understand the tire’s tire degradation and estimating wear. Mahindra Racing not only for its support
behavior throughout its lifetime, taking “With the help of this data, motorsport during the test phase but also for its useful
into account external influences such as teams can develop a reliable tire model feedback on operational issues, which
track temperature, weather conditions, and validate the tire’s dynamic behavior,” played a key part in optimizing the WFT
speed and aerodynamics. explains Jim Vaughan, sales director of for motorsport applications.
A major challenge is coming up for vehicle testing at Kistler. “They can also The new transducer’s modular design
motorsport in 2022, when NASCAR and use the WFT data to run more accurate paves the way for future developments
Formula 1 will implement 18in wheels. real-time driver-in-the-loop simulations, ranging from additional race series to
This move is intended to align racing tires as well as validating tire performance roadgoing performance cars.
more closely with those used on road cars. and degradation models.” “With the RoaDyn Racing WFT from
To usher in this change, extensive work is The new wheel force transducer Kistler, developers now have a tool that
already underway in 2021: the focus here features a modular design: the core is certain to improve their understanding
is on developing tire construction and components are proven, temperature- of high-performance tires in the future,”
investigating different compounds, using compensated strain gauge load cells concludes Vaughan. 
mule cars adapted with 18in wheels. combined with battery power and
Tire manufacturers and racing teams
are now collaborating on tests to evaluate
various tire structures and compounds.
integrated data storage.
“We eliminated the requirement
for an external stator by implementing
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Proven
Tire Handling Solutions
Robust and flexible, our Modular Conveyor Platform is an ideal solution to transport green and brown tires, thanks to its
outstanding quality and embedded ZPA technology.
Digital-ready solutions enabling the implementation Extensive testing of your tires on our conveyor systems
of Industry 4.0, M2M Communication and predictive guarantees a perfect material flow.
maintenance. Global engineering support for smooth design and layout.
Optimized energy consumption and reduced downtime.
interroll.com
TIRE WHEEL ASSEMBLIES

A quarter-century of expertise has proved fundamental in
advancing TWA development for a growing customer base
W
hen tire wheel assembly
(TWA) specialist Eurofit
started out in 1996 to service
Volvo Ghent at the MC
Syncro Ghent plant, this car brand was
its only customer. A quarter of a century
later, Volvo is still a major customer but
Eurofit also services a wealth of other car
manufacturers. Looking back, Eurofit’s
first CEO, Ghislain Van Cutsem, points out
that it took a lot of pioneering at the start.
“We were one of the first in the industry
to service car makers by providing a full
tire wheel assembly,” says Van Cutsem,
a seasoned automotive executive who
worked for Michelin for 22 years before
joining Eurofit. “There was hardly any Looking forward, current CEO
competition. We started out with a small Jérôme Decharneux believes Eurofit
and dedicated team of about 30 people is well positioned for the future.
and delivered some 650,000 TWAs in “We focus strongly on collaboration
the first year for Volvo.” This marked the and sharing of best practices between
start of 25 years of growth. The Ghent all our European plants and between
plant grew significantly in terms of the departments. By learning from each
number of TWAs delivered each year, other, we can improve our efficiency
and the company grew as well, through and effectivity, which is important for
mergers, acquisitions and the opening our customers, who are increasingly
of new plants. Today, Eurofit has 16 plants cost-conscious. With a new, full focus
and around 1,000 employees, delivering on Europe, I am convinced there are
approximately 26 million TWAs each year. still many opportunities for growth.
The company has long prided itself There are still car manufacturers that
on its high level of technicality. Most make their own TWAs; others work
machinery has been developed in-house, Eurofit remains committed to Top: After 25 years of with competitors. We strongly believe
and technology remains at the forefront innovation and quality. “We are heading operation, Eurofit has we are leading in quality and innovation,
around 1,000 employees
of Eurofit’s offering. toward cars that are smartphones on which is key for the future. Also, agility
Above: The right tire
“We have always been looking for wheels. Electric cars are much quieter wheel assembly is key will be crucial in servicing customers
the perfect tire wheel assembly on the than traditional ones, so noise from other to vehicle performance with expected fluctuating demands. The
car,” says R&D specialist Luc De Bruyne. sources such as tires must be minimized. Covid-19 pandemic has shown that we are
“That is why we have always paid much In addition, electric cars are much heavier. able to operate flexibly and successfully in
attention to issues such as tire and rim This also affects the tire wheel assemblies. demanding circumstances. Therefore, we
matching, the bead-seating processes, Comfort and performance have been step into the future with much confidence,
regular uniformity and now high-speed and will always be key in the customer heading toward the next 25 years.” 
uniformity. In addition, we succeeded in experience. When you buy a new car and
reducing the cycle time of one TWA from
20 to less than 10 seconds, at high spec,
which is a tremendous saving considering
take it out for a test ride, you make your
choice based on the very first kilometers.
So, the right tire wheel assembly is crucial
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the millions of products we ship annually.” in providing the right experience.” www.ukimediaevents.com/info/ttm

EUROPE’S LEADING INTERNATIONAL
TIRE DESIGN AND TIRE MANUFACTURING
EXHIBITION AND CONFERENCE
APRIL 5, 6, 7, 2022 | HANNOVER GERMANY
CALL FOR PAPERS

More Precision
Measurement and
inspection systems
650 +
delegates and Preparation area
speakers Profilometers (traversing, sheet of light, inline, offline)
Gauges (thickness, length, width and weight)
The organizers of the 22nd Tire Technology Color coding and inspection
Expo Conference are calling for technical
presentations. The language of the conference Final finishing / Tire wheel assembly
will be English, and 20 to 25 minutes will be Tire geometry inspection
available for each presentation. Letter inspection
Speakers will have free access to the full Tire mark inspection
conference program plus an invitation to be our Retrofit of TU-, TG- and Balancer lines
guest at the Gala Dinner, where the annual Tire
Technology International Awards for Innovation
and Excellence will be presented.
If you are interested in participating in the
2022 conference, please visit the website to
complete the speaker registration form.
For further information contact:
Andrew Boakes, conference director
Email: andrew.boakes@ukimediaevents.com
Contact our application engineers:
Phone +49 8542 1680
www.tiretechnology-expo.com micro-epsilon.com
2021年6月 TTI-P-PRO2.pdf 1 2021/6/3 15:49:19
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
 AUTONOMOUS TIRE-MARKING TECHNOLOGY TO ENSURE TRACEABILITY

An autonomous laser machine can engrave sophisticated data onto a wide range of tire sizes
Tire retreading is part of an selected tire) to engrave and traceability over time, since
economic and environmental highlight the marking area on the data is engraved in the
approach to sustainability: reusing a virgin zone of the sidewall. mass. Engraved data can be
tires, reducing waste, reducing Compact, mobile and text, a logo or 2D data matrix
costs, and so on. But the tire standalone, the simple and safe code, which makes it possible
industry must also have a solution design ensures user protection to reliably encode up to 2,335
to ensure the traceability of these (Class 1 laser) and CE marking alphanumeric characters. This
tires. That’s why French company compliance. The system is system includes RAIN RFID
CIPAM invented an autonomous powered by built-in software features, enabling contactless
laser engraving machine for the with exceptional ergonomic identification processes according
tire retreading industry. features on the HMI touchscreen, to ISO 20909:2019.
The CIP-LASF Series features, and fulfills all the operational The machine was designed
among other capabilities, a requirements to cut process to accommodate 650-1,400mm
barcode reader to link the time down to just a few seconds. diameter tires weighing up to
identification of each tire to its It can be linked to the company’s 200kg. The system offers an
unique characteristics, a laser ERP to exchange the data to be efficient, cost-effective solution
marking system to engrave the burned; alternatively, a simple for marking tires of any kind.
characteristics of the tire, and file exchange process enables
a user-friendly human-machine
interface. The marking head moves
automatically to the right position
a full day of production.
Operation is simple for
the user. The technology (laser
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 ARTIFICIAL-INTELLIGENCE-BASED STRIP-WINDING TECHNOLOGY

The latest evolution in tire building machinery development is designed with future applications in mind
The history of Marangoni Machinery is built Strip winding is now a design simulation
on an evolution of strip-winding technology validation system, exceeding the capabilities
across many applications and a range of of current technologies. Marangoni has
installations. Marangoni Machinery has designed a system that can be integrated into
developed tire building machines with the machinery’s control HMI-PLC thanks to
added strip-winding technology for a the Marangoni Station 2.0 software platform,
large range of applications within the which provides a single access point for controls,
green-tire building process, such as diagnostics, simulation and SCADA for the entire
treads, sidewalls, shoulders and many tire building process. Strip winding is now an
other profiles. These applications – whether embedded tool, so integrated features make it
on flat carcass stages or shaped – support possible to build up recipes in a much easier way.
laminations of TOS (tread over sidewall) Marangoni Machinery is willing to improve
or SOT (sidewall over tread). its machines’ capabilities to capitalize on process
A notable feature of machines developed knowledge and increase its customers’ awareness
in recent years is the integration of strip-winder of tire building key performance indicators. Steps
robots within the first stage (flat carcass) and forward include user-oriented technology, where
enhanced second stage (shaped profiles) to human cognitive-oriented and sustainability-
save calendered profiles and related logistics. oriented technology better address capex and
Nowadays, strip winding is a reliable, improve/reduce opex values.
flexible, cost-effective solution. It is also fully Industry 4.0 technologies ensure processes All of these are geared toward a new
automatic and productivity/quality oriented. are robust and controlled, improving on past generation of tire building machines, providing
Marangoni’s latest innovation involves and current open-loop systems. Newly introduced manufacturing flexibility and specially designed
artificial intelligence functionality, such as sensors can be used to offer additional features to meet current and future tire requirements,
real-time supervising and controlled closed- such as profile measurements, weight control, covering a wide product range that also includes
loop automation. The real-time approach is machinery compliance to specification, quality agricultural and OTR applications.
a key task, as it introduces, for the first time, checks and adaptive capability.
a process driver to assess quality and take
actions to improve and prevent production
outside of tolerances, caused because rubber
Marangoni Machinery’s process-oriented
technological innovations are a key priority
and a viable investment, even as upgrades
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 HIGHLY DISPERSIBLE, LOW-SURFACE-AREA SILICA FOR TIRE PRODUCTION

An advance in active filler development could offer tire manufacturers a range of enhanced performance properties
Evonik Industries has launched Higher filler quantities in
a new active filler that combines the sidewalls also increase the
two special properties for the tire stiffness. Winter tires with
first time: Ultrasil 4000 GR is Ultrasil 4000 GR therefore offer
a low-surface-area (LSA) silica drivers a high level of safety and
and is highly dispersible. ride comfort, even in cold and
The main benefit of the new wintery conditions.
product is that far greater filler In addition to good
quantities can be integrated into performance and safety, the topic
the rubber compound than with of sustainability is also growing in
conventional silica. The product’s importance for those purchasing
high dispersibility means the tires. Using Ultrasil 4000 GR in
precipitated silica can easily be the tread surface not only increases
worked into the rubber compound wear resistance but also helps
despite the high filler quantity. reduce rolling resistance. Tire
“Even after short mixing manufacturers can thus support
processes, it is possible to create and processing properties meet the increasing requirements resource efficiency and meet the
compact rubber compounds with of this innovative silica, and for car tire performance. Higher demands of their customers.
good sheet appearance,” explains further application areas such quantities of silica filler in the
Bernhard Schäfer, senior vice
president of rubber silica at Evonik.
The tire industry will greatly
as mechanical rubber goods
(MRG) and shoe soles are also
suitable. The newly developed
tread enable the production
of winter tires that can offer
greater traction in wet, snowy
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benefit from the particle design filler will help tire manufacturers and icy conditions. www.ukimediaevents.com/info/ttm
 TESTING TO THE NEW EUROPEAN ICE-GRIP STANDARD

Testing in line with the new ice-grip symbol relies on comprehensive technical expertise at a leading indoor facility
The existing 3PMSF ‘snowflake’ to perfect. The challenge with
symbol indicates that a tire is ice-grip testing is that the test
suitable for Central European must be run three times, and there
and Nordic countries, but the are very strict limits on variation
reality is that the conditions between tests. Thus, it requires
in these two markets are wildly incredibly stable conditions, which
different. It is not unreasonable are almost impossible to achieve
to suggest, therefore, that tires consistently outdoors, where even
designed for the Nordic market the slightest change in conditions
should undergo testing to their can have a huge impact on the
own specific standard. validity of the test.
Ice-grip testing is not something Using an indoor facility
that can be undertaken without the with controllable, consistent
requisite knowledge, experience environmental conditions is
and facilities. At UTAC’s proving essential. UTAC offers an end-to-
ground in Ivalo, the company’s end solution, enabling customers
May 2021 saw the introduction The ice-grip symbol has experts have been testing to this to send their tires to its facility
of the new European symbol on been a long time coming for new standard since the beginning safe in the knowledge that the
tire labels. It aims to help tire the tire industry; in fact, many of the year in anticipation of its team of experienced engineers will
manufacturers demonstrate their industry stakeholders have introduction in May. UTAC also has conduct the testing to the required
products’ suitability for the Nordic supported its introduction decades of experience testing tires standard. The indoor test facility
market, where conditions are vastly for many years. Until 2021, on ice. This experience has taught also allows winter testing to be
different to those in Central Europe. the ice-grip symbol had not it that ice-grip testing can only be conducted all year round.
Indeed, anyone who has visited been included on the tire label conducted consistently indoors.
UTAC’s Ivalo proving ground in
northern Finland will know that
the conditions there are somewhat
and there had been no simple
way for motorists to determine
the suitability of tires for different
Engineers in the tire sector will
be well versed in the idea of testing
in a controlled environment, but
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 TOWARD A CARBON-NEUTRAL TIRE FACTORY: ZERO WASTE WITH PYROLYSIS

Including an advanced pyrolysis solution in a tire manufacturer’s own production is an effective route to zero emissions
Emissions reduction in tire the energy mix and efficiency
production has become a priority of own production and ensuring
issue in the global debate. Is it that no waste is directed to
possible to achieve a carbon-neutral landfill disposal. Achieving zero
tire factory? Martti Päivinen, head waste requires complete water
of quality and risk management cleaning and reuse as well as
at Black Donuts, believes it’s an full recycling of waste. Although
achievable goal with the help of recyclable unvulcanized rubber
a rich toolbox that improves all waste can be reused in mixing
aspects of tire manufacturing, processes, vulcanized rubber
including raw material and must first be processed to
energy production. eliminate landfill disposal.
The leading GHG protocol Pyrolysis enables 100%
corporate standard classifies recycling of tires. It is a process
a company’s greenhouse gas whereby unvulcanized and
emissions in three scopes. Scope vulcanized rubber waste and
1 covers the direct emissions from end-of-life tires are decomposed
company-owned and controlled at high temperatures in the an outlet for waste streams but consumption and air emission
sources, Scope 2 includes the absence of oxidizing material. also generates valuable energy. levels below the target limits
indirect emissions from the After separating the materials in Although several pyrolysis set in environmental and
consumption of purchased the pyrolysis reactor, it is possible plants operate worldwide, health standards. Regarding
energy, and Scope 3 contains to recycle everything to make new incorporating an advanced pyrolysis the benefits of pyrolysis, Black
all indirect emissions from the products. In practice, when tires solution into own production best Donuts is currently exploring
value chain activities linked to are pyrolyzed, they break down supports a tire maker’s path toward the quality of the recovered
the company’s operations. into carbon black, gas, oil and zero emissions. Instead of carbon black and evaluating
While investors and metal residue. Gas and oil can transporting waste to an external its most efficient usage in tire
financiers put pressure on new be used to support the energy pyrolysis plant, an integrated construction and production.
factory projects and require the production of the pyrolysis plant solution requires no extra logistics.
management of all scopes, existing
tire plants usually start going
carbon neutral within Scope 1. The
and the manufacturing processes.
Thus, pyrolysis has numerous
applications of interest to green
The recovered carbon black is also
available on-site for production.
Black Donuts designs
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INDEX TO ADVERTISERS
Amino-Chem (HK) Co Limited............................. 76 HollyFrontier Corporation..........................................11 (Suzhou) Co Ltd..................Outside back cover
Bay Systems Ltd........................................................... 42 Intereuropean Srl.........................Inside back cover Smithers............................................................................71
Black Donuts Engineering Inc...............................15 Interroll (Schweiz) AG............................................... 73 Test World Oy................................................................63
Cimcorp Oy.....................................................................35 Intralox LLC.....................................................................45 The Greener Manufacturing
Comerio Ercole SpA................................................... 73 Kistler Instrumente AG...............................................13
Europe Show 2021.................................................32
CyXplus.............................................................................63 Kobelco Stewart Bolling Inc...................................39
Tire Technology Expo Conference 2022.......... 75
Erhardt+Leimer GmbH..............................................12 Mesnac Co Ltd.............................................................. 76
Eurofit Group..................................................................51 Micro-Epsilon Messtechnik GmbH.................... 75 Tire Technology Expo 2022........................ 17, 18, 19
Evonik Industries AG.....................................................9 Milliken Textiles BVBA.............................................. 57 Uzer Makina ve Kalip Sanayii AS......................... 25
Harburg-Freudenberger Samson Machinery Inc............................................. 26 VMI Group..........................................................................3
Maschinenbau GmbH..........Inside front cover SinoArp Tires Equipment Technology Zeppelin Systems GmbH..........................................71

Bruce Davis, Tire Business/Rubber & Plastics News. Used with permission
I N M E M O R I A M
Jacques
Bajer
A look back at the life of the industry free-thinker whose
pioneering work at Ford introduced the radial tire to the USA
By JOE WALTER
T
he contributions of Jacques Bajer (1929-2021) TIRE LEGENDS
by Joe Walter
tire expert. While there, he introduced François Michelin
to the radialization of the US tire industry to Henry Ford II (known as ‘the Deuce’). Both were CEOs
are well known (see French Revolution, French revolution
Jacques Bajer’s pioneering work at Ford introduced the radial tire
and grandsons of the founders of their companies. As
TTi, Show Issue 2010, p58*). His company, a result, Ford was the first US OEM to standardize radial
to the USA and led to the development of the tire uniformity machine
I
n the early 1960s, US car makers With tenacity and perseverance, the determination of the then-prevalent
were routinely purchasing Jacques Bajer was responsible for the geometric non-uniformities known as
lightweight, low-cost, two-ply introduction of radial tires on new cars run-out. He stressed that all rotating
tires of bias construction, while in the USA. Educated in France as a unsprung mass components, including
Tire Systems Engineering, also provided tires (steel-belted Michelins), which it fitted on its 1970
their European counterparts were mainly mechanical engineer, he left his job as tires, wheels and brake drums, should be
fitting radials. Sears, the mass-market a machine designer, emigrated to the manufactured to higher quality standards.
US retailer, stepped into this vacuum by USA in 1954, and was employed by the Bajer designed Ford’s first tire
offering Michelin steel-belted radials in Ford Motor Company from 1955-1970. uniformity machine in 1960, triggering
the replacement market under its Allstate Bajer was inspired by the leadership of an evolutionary improvement in the ride
label in 1966. Robert McNamara, who was known for quality of US-produced vehicles. First-
Goodyear, then the world’s largest tire his ‘systems analysis’ approach to problem generation radial tires of the time were
manufacturer, responded by producing solving, and the first president of Ford notoriously non-uniform, developing
rayon-belted radials for the aftermarket; from outside the Ford family. in some cases disturbing levels of
technology and/or turnkey facilities for flagship vehicle, the Lincoln Continental Mark III. To
however, it put most of its efforts into the McNamara was the driving force lateral force variation. Today, no serious
ill-conceived but money-making belted- behind the popular 1960 Ford Falcon passenger car tire manufacturing plant
bias concept featuring fiberglass belts and sedan, a small car that was simple and operates without a host of uniformity
polyester bodies, which incurred high inexpensive to produce. A few years grading machines based on ideas
adjustment rates in extreme temperatures. later, Bajer and his team, using a systems propounded by Bajer nearly 50 years ago.
Nonetheless, non-radial tires accounted approach, built a prototype Falcon Bajer was also an early enthusiast for
for 98% of domestic new car business featuring a ‘radial tuned’ suspension with increasing wheel diameters and lowering
by 1971, with radials capturing the appropriate tires that matched the smooth tire aspect ratios from the norm of the
remainder. By contrast, radials took driving behavior of larger luxury vehicles. 1960s (78-82 series) to improve handling
V-belt and air-spring manufacturing factories. However, accommodate this new type of tire construction, Jacques
a 6% share of the replacement market. Bajer was first to recognize the need and tread wear resistance. However, he
Driven by the oil shocks of the 1970s, to introduce fore and aft compliance into decries the current trend in the ultra plus-
radial tires in the USA achieved 83% the suspensions of radially equipped US sizing movement, where one encounters
penetration at OE by 1980 and fully cars to diminish the low-speed impact 28-32in wheels shod with tires featuring
displaced belted-bias constructions by harshness of belted tires. In 1967, Ford aspect ratios in the 25-30 range that are
1990. During this time, the domestic tire offered radials as an option on some of popular in the replacement market; here,
industry was transformed by economic its US models, which were chosen by less performance is sacrificed for appearance.
and governmental forces, led by corporate than 1% of purchasers. Ultimately, Ford Bajer set up his own company, Tire
takeovers by foreign manufacturers and was the first domestic car manufacturer Systems Engineering, Inc, in 1970,
I want to focus on a few personal aspects of Jacques’ life had to engineer the car for the tires’ distinctly different
the first federally mandated tire safety to provide radial tires as standard, on its to provide consultancy in the design
standards. But North American drivers prestigious 1970 Lincoln Continental of advanced manufacturing systems.
could now fully appreciate the improved Mk3. GM followed suit in 1973 with He speaks passionately about subjects
vehicle handling, longer life, fuel the Chevrolet Monte Carlo. ranging from Alexis de Tocqueville to tire
economy, and safety advantages offered by Bajer understood that the decoupling grooves. The industry needs
the innovative radial technology on their measurement of force variations in more freethinkers such as Bajer, who
newly purchased automobiles – albeit tires is a more accurate predictor of the even now manages to swim upstream
more than two decades after Europe. human perception of ride quality than while others go with the flow. tire
that are less known. I first met him in the mid-1970s when NVH behavior and steering response, resulting in a so-
58 www.tiretechnologyinternational.com Show Issue 2010
he would visit Akron to promote/discuss radial tire tech. called ‘radial-tuned suspension’.
However, I only got to know him well over the last 20 years. He was also an active member of the Ford teams that
Jacques Bajer was born in Paris in 1929. He spent competed at the Le Mans 24 Hours endurance races from
the WWII years with his mother in the Corrèze region 1966-1969, which ended Ferrari’s dominance of this event;
of central France – a hotbed of the French Resistance. these automotive racing feats are memorialized in a 2019
Having sung as a choir boy at Notre Dame Cathedral, he Academy Award-winning film, Ford v Ferrari.
was heartbroken by the recent news of the devastating Jacques was a headstrong, astute businessman with an
fire that almost destroyed this celebrated church. After outsized personality. He was perceived as an unpopular
the war, he lived in the working class Clichy district ‘voice in the wilderness’ whose insights were only
of Paris. As a young man, he worked the night shift at appreciated much too late in Akron. On many occasions
Citroën while pursuing an engineering degree during the he met with US tire company executives who were still
day at Le Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers. He emigrated happily producing cross-ply tires. They viewed him as
to Detroit in the early 1950s and was initially employed a Michelin spy; he referred to them as the ‘Akron mafia’.
at Packard Motor Car Co, where he met flamboyant co- Jacques didn’t invent radial tires but when he
worker John DeLorean. Packard was struggling financially convinced Henry Ford II to offer them on the Mark III,
at the time. DeLorean bolted for staid GM where he went the domestic radial tire era finally began in earnest –
against the grain and developed the Pontiac GTO ‘muscle albeit two decades after Europe. Rest in peace Jacques
car’ – and would later attain notoriety with his business Bajer – the avant-garde engineer of the US radial tire. 
misadventures. Jacques sought greener pastures at Ford
(1955 to 1970), becoming a vehicle suspension and radial *Visit our website to access our archive of back issues

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JULY 2021

Retreading and recycling

WHAT’S NEW FEATURES COLUMNS

July 2021 www.tiretechnologyinternational.com 1

that we covered Monster Truck tires back in March last

year, and in this issue, you’ll find a fascinating look at OTR

drag racing, airplanes, tank tracks and half a dozen others

2 www.tiretechnologyinternational.com July 2021

4 www.tiretechnologyinternational.com July 2021

Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

July 2021 www.tiretechnologyinternational.com 5

Interviews by CHRISTINE VELARDE

6 www.tiretechnologyinternational.com July 2021

“Make better operational decisions to enable flexibility in your tire”

July 2021 www.tiretechnologyinternational.com 7

NEW CROSS-PLY TIRE FOR In brief

2.5 million kilometers

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The latest fitment contracts announced with leading vehicle manufacturers

Geolandar A/T G015

10 www.tiretechnologyinternational.com July 2021

Starts with your Rubber Process Oil.

CIRCOSOL™ 8000 EU - The Clean Aromatic Oil ™ for tires!

PROVIDES THE SHORTEST STOPPING DISTANCE

* Compared to other oils tested by an independent testing facility

Automation and Vision Systems

 Contactless laser and Eddy Current sensor

Erhardt+Leimer GmbH · Albert-Leimer-Platz 1 · 86391 Stadtbergen · Germany www.erhardt-leimer.com

12 www.tiretechnologyinternational.com July 2021

Illustration: Phil Hackett

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Enhanced Real-time Intelligent Advanced Contact us

Illustration: Phil Hackett

Gregory Smith has worked extensively across the automotive

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EUROPE’S LEADING INTERNATIONAL TIRE DESIGN AND

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20 www.tiretechnologyinternational.com July 2021

March 2021 saw the NASCAR Cup Series race

July 2021 www.tiretechnologyinternational.com 21

22 www.tiretechnologyinternational.com July 2021

without the usual friction ellipse and

July 2021 www.tiretechnologyinternational.com 23

to become slick,” says Stucker. “As

Dirt Bias Ply NASCAR had already mandated

confirmed that next March’s Bristol

24 www.tiretechnologyinternational.com July 2021

�uz� UZER MAKiNA �,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

July 2021 www.tiretechnologyinternational.com 27

Facing an increasingly broad set of requirements,

28 www.tiretechnologyinternational.com July 2021

July 2021 www.tiretechnologyinternational.com 29

Virtual tools are opening a new frontier in tire

30 www.tiretechnologyinternational.com July 2021

Regulatory demands and pressure are increasing on

are new performance characteristics and requirements

as a tool. It changes the place in the process. In a data-driven development mode,

July 2021 www.tiretechnologyinternational.com 31

Europe’s leading event for