Linglong advances graphene tire “breakthroughs”

Beijing – Chinese authorities have audited and approved research by Linglong Tire into the ‘large-scare application” of graphene rubber composites in tires, Linglong has announced.

The research was jointly conducted by Beijing Tiancheng Linglong Tire Co. Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Linglong Tire, and Beijing University of Chemical Technology.

Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission along with other Chinese technology institutes carried out the audit, added a 13 Feb company statement..

Led by South China University of Technology professor Guo Baochun, the team completed trial production of graphene-enhanced tires at Linglong’s Zhaoyuan factory.

This involved a “cost-effective” graphene ‘pre-treatment’ technology that enables tires to be made without changing existing manufacturing processes or equipment.

The technology did, however, require “some appropriate process adjustment,” to ensure the feasibility of industrial production, Longlong noted.

The produced tires achieved “breakthroughs” in fuel-efficiency, safety and anti-static, and energy-saving, the company claimed.

More specifically, Linglong said a fuel-efficient grade of its graphene tire was close to a grade A rating under EU tire labelling regulations.

Linglong linked the fuel-consumption improvements to a “micro-interface technology” developed by the research team.

In terms of wet-grip, the Chinese tire maker expects the product to achieve an A grade under the EU labelling scheme.

The abrasion resistance and thermal conductivity of the tires have “varying degrees of improvement” over high-performance ‘green’ tires on the market, added Linglong.