Smithers Rapra to serve as tyre reference lab
ERJ staff report (R&PN)
Akron, Ohio - Smithers Rapra in the US has been chosen as the national tyre alignment laboratory for the US Tire Fuel Efficiency Consumer Information Program.
The Smithers Group operation was picked by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is in charge of the TFECIP. That program's mission is to educate consumers about the effect of tyres on automobile fuel efficiency, safety and durability.
A required element of the program is a rating system for replacement tyres, Smithers said. For fuel efficiency, TFECIP rates each tyre's rolling resistance, or the force required to make the tyre roll.
In March 2010, NHTSA issued a final rule specifying International Organisation for Standardisation specification 28580 as the test procedure used in rating tyres for TFECIP. ISO 28580 requires the establishment of a reference laboratory and a reference test machine for quality control.
Smithers' lab and its rolling resistance machine will be used to “align†data from different testing labs and equipment that is submitted to NHTSA for TFECIP ratings to Smithers' data, using batches of predefined tyres, the company said. Smithers Rapra, part of The Smithers Group, offers value-added technology services to clients using rubber, plastics, polymers and composite materials, with a focus on the tyre, automotive and medical device industries. Smithers Rapra North America has its operations center in Akron, Ohio, and Smithers Rapra UK's operations are in Shawbury, England.
The contract is for two years.
Smithers Rapra, part of The Smithers Group, offers value-added technology services to clients using rubber, plastics, polymers and composite materials, with a focus on the tyre, automotive and medical device industries. Smithers Rapra North America has its operations center in Akron, Ohio, and Smithers Rapra UK's operations are in Shawbury, England.
From Rubber & Plastics News (A Crain publication)
Press release from Smithers Rapra
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