Orion offers new carbon blacks for fuel efficient tires

Kingwood, Texas – Orion Engineered Carbons has recently introduced three new rubber carbon black products for more fuel efficient tires, the company announced in a press release.

The new grades, said the statement, are in response to consumer demand and federal standards for vehicle fuel economy.

The new grades with narrow aggregate size distribution (ASD) can help reduce rolling resistance via narrow particle size distributions and lower sidewall hysteresis, said Orion.

The new grades are also claimed to lower air permeation “through the inner liner for better tire inflation consistency”.

“Compared to standard ASTM grades, a carbon black with narrow ASD features better in-rubber properties,” Jose Briones, Orion Engineered Carbons marketing manager, rubber, North America.

In a presentation at the Carbon Black World in Fort Worth, Texas, 25 May, Briones said that treadwear could be improved by up to 13 percent with narrow ASD carbon black technology.

Looking ahead, Briones urged the industry to develop partnerships to incorporate narrow ASD carbon blacks in the latest tire design concepts, including reduced tread depths and multi-layer tread designs.

He also called for studies to determine the benefit of narrow ASD carbon blacks in treads containing silica to further reduce rolling resistance.