TTE Preview - Tire materials

ERJ previews materials technologies lined up for the Tire Technology Expo 2019 trade fair and conference, taking place 5-7 March at the Deutsche Messe, Hanover, Germany:

Turkish reinforcement specialist Kordsa will give a presentation together with Continental on 5 March about a “jointly developed new eco-friendly sustainable dip technology”.

The technology, which was introduced during the 2018 edition of Tire Technology Expo, offers a new resorcinol and formaldehyde free dip mechanism for bonding textile reinforcement materials to rubber-based compounds.

In the tire materials arena, Asahi Kasei will present its solution-polymerised styrene-butadiene rubber (S-SBR) of the fifth generation – a double-sided functionalised rubber – for “next-generation” tires.

The rubber is claimed to offer a “balanced solution” to the performance characteristics of rolling friction, wet grip and wear resistance... Read more

Asahi Kasei will also display new fibre technology as well as a thread wear and deformation sensor for intelligent tires.

Evonik is highlighting the progress of its projects to increase capacity and availability of its tire silica products ahead of the Tire Tech Expo.

The company is "fully on track" to expand its tire silica production capacity in Adapazari, Turkey, in response to increasing demand.

Among others, Evonik produces Ultrasil 9100 GR precipitated silica for white reinforcing filler, and Ultrasil 5000 GR for the optimisation of wet and winter properties of tires., at the Turkish site.

Rubber Consultants – part of the TARRC rubber research centre – will exhibit its consultancy services, ranging from analysing tires and tire testing to compliance with legislation. Read more

Kuraray will showcase its interesting liquid Farnesene rubber – said to be the first liquid polydiene based on naturally sourced farnesene.

When used in the tire-rubber formulations, the bio-based polymer improves grip on ice and in low temperatures, to give the tire a wide and consistent operating range.

At the concurrent TTE conference, Kuraray experts will discuss how modifying the backbone and microstructure can improve tire abrasion resistance, rolling resistance and performance in low-grip conditions.

Kraton will, likewise, use both the expo and conference platforms to present research on a new tread enhancement additive (TEA) and its effect on the performance of tire tread compounds.

The Sylvatraxx product is said to enable the synthesis of resins with high glass transition temperatures (Tg). It is also claimed to outperform hydrocarbon TEAs with similar Tg in terms of compatibility.

Behn Meyer Europe will, meanwhile, present a surface-modified silica that is said to offer optimised processing and improved properties of tire compounds.

At the TTE conference, company director Dr Joachim Bertrand will give a presentation on how another modified silica can improve the performance of epoxidised natural rubber compounds.

Depending on the specific modification of the silica, it can greatly improve properties such as abrasion resistance and tensile moduli, as well as compression set and aging properties, claims Behn Meyer.

/ more to follow…