Evonik launches Ultrasil 4000 GR for better grip on mud and snow

Evonik Industries has developed a new, active filler for the tyre industry that significantly improves the traction of winter tyres in snowy and slushy conditions, thereby increasing safety. Ultrasil 4000 GR is the first Low Surface Area (LSA) silica that also offers very good dispersibility. This enables very high filler levels in the tyre tread, further improving traction compared to tyres using conventional silica.

Despite its high filler quantity, this silica can easily be dispersed into the rubber compound. “Even after short mixing processes, it is possible to create compact rubber batches with good sheet appearance,” says Bernhard Schäfer, Senior Vice President Rubber Silica at Evonik.

It’s not only in tyre treads but also in sidewalls and non-tyre applications such as mechanical rubber goods (MRG) or shoe soles, that manufacturers benefit from the resource-saving processing and excellent product properties of the new member of the Ultrasil family.

“After all, its excellent dispersibility is a significant advantage in processing here, too, particularly when using high filler levels,” emphasizes Roland Krafczyk, Vice President Global Applied Technology Tyre & Rubber.

Under the Ultrasil brand, Evonik offers a wide range of fillers all over the world, which have various properties and particle sizes and are tailored to different applications.

Ultrasil 4000 GR will initially be produced in a new precipitated silica line at the Adapazarı site in northern Turkey. The line started operations in fall 2019 with the goal of strengthening the company’s position as a global partner for the tyre industry. The new production line enabled Evonik to significantly expand its annual capacity for the manufacturing of silica and also created around 40 new jobs.