eBook: Predicting Tire Performance Through Rheometry

Rolling resistance, wet/dry traction, ice traction, and handling/cornering are key tire performance indicators that can be difficult to determine experimentally. This creates a need for a simpler approach to measure viscoelastic tire performance predictors for tread compounds that is quick and easy to automate. Standard dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) involves time-consuming sample preparation and requires specialized operators which limits its use to R&D environments. Therefore, with the right testing instrument and a firm understanding of viscoelastic properties such as loss modulus, tan d, and loss compliance at various temperatures it is possible to predict a tire’s performance based on data collected from a simple rubber process analyzer rheometer.