Henkel launches rubber adhesive for intelligent tires

The RTV silicone rubber adhesive bonds with all common tire rubbers and is compatible with different acoustic foams and tire release agents, Henkel said 31 Jan.

The product would pave the way towards “next-generation tires” with low cavity noise and improved sensor technology, the company further claimed.

According to Henkel, tire designers have greater focus on sounds resonating from tire cavities as part of a drive to reduce automotive noise.

Tire companies are, therefore, adopting new acoustic foams that are bonded to the inside surface of the tread material in order to minimise the noise transfer.

At the same time, there is a growing demand for in-tire bonded sensors to measure performance parameters such as tire pressure, tread depth or contact area.

“A critical requirement… is the long-term reliable bonding strength of the adhesive material even under severe road, driving and weather conditions,” explained Wim Boone, senior sales engineer for Henkel.

The new product, he went on to say, has proved its adhesion performance from the tire production line to “over one million kilometers of severe road testing.”