Green Tires for trucks and buses
In passenger cars, Green Tires have already proven to be extremely effective in conserving resources. In ULTRASIL® 9100 GR Evonik has now developed a silica that, according to the latest findings, is particularly suitable for use in truck and bus (TBR) tires.
In contrast to passenger car tires, these use mainly natural rubber, which, in combination with the silane, places special requirements on the silica.
With Evonik’s Silica/Silane technology, fuel savings could be as high as eight percent. This represents an important cost factor and a significant contribution to environmental conservation, particularly in buses and trucks with high mileage.
“So Silica/Silane technology, especially when used in Green Tires for buses and trucks with high fuel consumption levels, is making an important contribution to climate protection,” says Dr. Jens Kiesewetter, head of Technical Service for Rubber Silica, “and that in anticipation of the recently concluded EU agreement on targets for CO2 reduction for trucks.”
The braking distance is also reduced, leading to greater driving safety on wet or snow-covered roads.
As a result of the long distances covered and of variations in infrastructure, the treads, especially of truck and bus tires, are subjected to particularly heavy load. Thanks to Silica/Silane technology ULTRASIL® 9100 GR, despite its high specific surface area, is easily incorporated into and dispersed in the natural rubber compound, and contributes to improved abrasion resistance. This in turn allows better mileage performance.
“Feedback from the market tells us that demand for Green Tires continues to be very high, thanks to their advantages. Their use in buses and trucks particularly is still quite new and is attracting great interest,” explains Dr. Bernhard Schäfer, head of Rubber Silica.
Visit us at Tire Technology Expo 2019 from March 5 to 7 in Hannover, Hall 19, Stand C 240!
Evonik is a leading global manufacturer of silica. In addition to the fumed silica AEROSIL® and the precipitated silica ULTRASIL®, SIPERNAT®, ZEODENT® and SPHERILEX®, Evonik also produces matting agents made from silica under the brand name ACEMATT® and other fumed metal oxides under the brand name AEROXIDE®. Overall, the company has global production capacities of approximately 1 million metric tons a year for all silica products.
