Evonik’s new truck tyre silica

Evonik reports that it has developed a new silica that it says is particularly suitable for use in truck and bus (TBR) tyres. In contrast to passenger car tyres, TBR tyres use mainly natural rubber, which, in combination with silane, places special requirements on the silica. With Evonik’s latest silica/silane development, fuel savings could be as high 8 per cent, the company said, which cuts costs and is better for the environment.

Evonik reports that the material helps reduce braking distance, leading to greater driving safety on wet or snow-covered roads. According to the company, the new silica/silane is easily incorporated into and dispersed in the natural rubber compound, and contributes to improved abrasion resistance for better mileage performance.

Jens Kiesewetter, Evonik’s head of technical service for rubber silica, explained: “Silica/silane technology, especially when used in green tyres for buses and trucks with high fuel consumption levels, is making an
important contribution to climate protection, and that is in anticipation of the recently concluded EU agreement on targets for CO2 reduction for trucks.”

Meanwhile, Evonik also reports that it is expanding the tyre silica production capacity at its plant in Adapazari, Turkey. The expansion project, which is in response to growing industry demand, will primarily serve customers in south-eastern Europe and the Middle East with an additional 40 kilotons of capacity per year. The project is expected to be complete in late 2019.