PPG says the US Department of Energy (DOE) will provide funding to support a US$1.14m project to develop new silica-based performance fillers for non-tread components to improve fuel efficiency and performance of tyres.
Research and development work for the project will be completed at PPG’s Monroeville, Pennsylvania, facility.
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Using proprietary Agilon performance silica technology, PPG will develop reinforcing fillers for non-tread tyre compounds, which can account for up to 50% of the fuel-efficiency impact of a tyre. The objective of the DOE project is to enable a 2% increase in the fuel efficiency of tyres, with an initial focus on one non-tread component: the sidewall.
The goal is to reduce energy loss through the sidewall while maintaining or improving resistance to forces such as cracking, tearing and abrasion, which degrade the tyre. Another objective will be to understand, maintain and potentially improve the ageing performance of tyres measured by crack growth resistance in an ozone environment.
“Our customers have made considerable progress in recent years using Agilon silica to improve the rolling resistance of tyres, which helps increase vehicle fuel efficiency,” said PPG commercial director, silica products, Jim Faller.
“This new project has the support of multiple major tyre manufacturers. Based on their experiences with Agilon silica, they understand the potential this technology platform has for optimising performance of sidewalls and other non-tread components.”
DOE funding for the PPG project is provided through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office. This project is one of 35 which will collectively receive US$57m for the development and deployment of cutting-edge vehicle technologies, including several initiatives to reduce carbon emissions and petroleum consumption in passenger cars and light trucks.
Agilon performance silica is a high-value technology platform of chemically-modified precipitated silica, which can improve product performance. When used in tyre treads, it improves vehicle fuel efficiency, traction and treadwear by as much as 5% to 10%.
Agilon performance silica also provides environmental and manufacturing benefits by improving throughput and reducing capital expenditures, energy usage and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions.
