Bridgestone working on “ultra-thin” tire rubber

In its sustainability report 2016, the company said it was participating in a Japanese Cabinet Office initiative ImPACT (impulsing paradigm change through disruptive technologies program) which is aimed at “creating an ultr-athin film, durable and flexible tough polymer”.

Through the research, said Bridgestone, it aims to develop strong material that “exceeds previous limits and create tires that achieve greater resource conservation.”

According to Bridgestone, results of a verification showed that the wear rate for running durability of the rubber composite developed through this research was 60% lower than that of a standard composite.

ImPACT states that its goal is to develop “tough, flexible polymers that achieve both thinness and toughness exceeding conventional limits”.

Such polymers, it added, will produce “dramatic breakthroughs” in automotive components and transport equipment.