Chinese tire makers may soon genuinely trouble the establishment, as they restructure and step up their R&D game, according to David Shaw, CEO of Tire Industry Research and expert on China’s tire industry. Don’t miss David’s presentation on this subject at the Tire Technology Expo Conference.

What’s happening in China’s tire industry today?

The Chinese tire industry is going through a revolution in terms of structure and investment and overseas marketing. In itself, this is not especially unusual, because where the tire industry in Europe and North America tends to be fairly consistent from year to year, in China, it is in a constant state of turmoil.

Continue reading China’s tire industry – Tire Technology Expo Interview with David Shaw at Tire Technology International.

Dr Malal Kane introduces IFSTTAR’s software tool that predicts the skid resistance of a tire on a given road surface, ahead of his presentation at the forthcoming Tire Technology Expo Conference in Hannover, Germany.

What is the background of your presentation?

Skid resistance is one of the important parameters of tire performance, but the physics behind it is extremely complex due to the numerous and interrelated factors affecting the phenomenon. For example, the skid resistance will depend as much on the pavement texture as on the rheological behavior of the tire rubber.

Furthermore, water on the road acts as a lubricant, which makes the physical modeling very complex.

Continue reading A software tool for predicting skid resistance – Tire Technology Expo Interview with Malal Kane, IFSTTAR at Tire Technology International.

The rolling resistance of tires is a hot topic, but how does the road surface enter the equation? Judith Bertomeu’s research team at Applus IDIADA investigated how a road’s texture, friction and profile affect rolling resistance, with full details to be revealed at the forthcoming Tire Technology Expo Conference.

What will you be speaking about at the conference?

Rolling resistance is a hugely important factor in a vehicle’s fuel consumption, so it pays to understand how various factors influence a vehicle’s real-world performance. One of the most important factors, aside from the tires, is the road surface, and to understand it we initiated an open innovation project with players from related industries.

Continue reading The link between the road surface and rolling resistance – Tire Technology Expo interview with Judith Bertomeu at Tire Technology International.

Gert Heinrich, senior professor at Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, TU Dresden, discusses mechano-adaptive rubbers and a more lower-cost precursor for carbon fiber tire reinforcement, ahead of his presentation at the Tire Technology Expo Conference 2020.

What will you be speaking about at the 2020 Tire Technology Expo Conference?

The title of my presentation will be ‘Looking past the horizon: potential future tire materials’. I will introduce new concepts for advanced rubber and reinforcement carbon fiber that we’ve developed at the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden. Of course, I will also go into the potential applications in future tire technologies.

Continue reading The tire materials of the future – Tire Technology Expo interview with prof. Gert Heinrich at Tire Technology International.

Tire Technology Expo returns in 2020 for its 20th anniversary. The Conference that’s held alongside will be more varied than ever, featuring no fewer than 160 presentations spread across twelve streams. There are also five specialist Short Courses on offer, taking a deep dive into the latest development and manufacturing insights. Make sure to put February 25-27 in your diary!

The Conference includes presentations from scientific, technical and business strategy leaders investigating a wide array of issues currently facing the industry and exploring the trends set to dominate the tire business in future.

Expert speakers will include Gert Heinrich, senior professor at the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, who will introduce the tire materials of the future; Patrick Pallot, tire design fellow at Michelin, who will be looking at how the company uses virtual design to accelerate development; and Hans Dorfi, director of digital engineering at Bridgestone, who will discuss the role of intelligent tires.

Continue reading Tire Technology Expo 2020: Preliminary conference program announced at Tire Technology International.

Tire Technology Expo 2020 will once again host a range of specialized courses for those looking to brush up on the latest development and manufacturing insights, including future tire regulations, computer modeling and tire mechanics. Most courses are aimed at experienced engineers looking to deepen their knowledge, but some are suitable for beginners, too.

All but one of the courses are recognized by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) and as a result, participants are issued a certificate proving that they have taken part in an approved continuing professional development seminar. Those attending the Tire Mechanics short course receive a certificate from the University of Akron.

Continue reading Tire Technology Expo: IOM3-accredited short courses announced for 2020 at Tire Technology International.

Preparations for the Tire Technology Expo Conference 2020 are already in full swing after the record-breaking 2019 edition of the event. The call is out for the industry’s innovators to submit proposals for presentations at next year’s edition of the Tire Technology Expo Conference.

In 2020, the event will be celebrating its 20th anniversary, highlighting how far tire technology has progressed in the last two decades. Last year, the program was packed with speakers from major tire manufacturers, including Michelin, Continental and Bridgestone, as well as experts from technology leaders and research institutions including Bekaert, VMI Group, Fraunhofer, and the universities of Twente and ­Surrey.

Continue reading Tire Technology Expo 2020: Call for papers is now open at Tire Technology International.

The 2019 edition of Tire Technology Expo and Conference welcomed more exhibitors, delegates, speakers and attendees than ever before. Leading experts in tire design, development and manufacturing headed to the Hannover Messe in Germany to discuss the topics and themes dominating the industry.

With 319 exhibitors spread across three halls, and some 550 conference and workshop delegates enjoying presentations from 180 speakers across 12 separate streams, the 2019 Expo and Conference welcomed more than 5,600 visitors through the doors during the three days, cementing the expo’s place as the must-attend event for those working in the tire industry.

Continue reading Tire Technology Expo 2019: The reviews are in at Tire Technology International.

No fewer than seven professional development courses are available to book at this year’s Tire Technology Expo and Conference, with content ranging from tire modeling and simulation and refresher courses focused on tire reinforcement, through to a more intensive study of the latest developments in tire engineering.

This year, for the first time, six of the seven courses are recognized by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) and as a result, participants are issued a certificate proving that they have taken part in an approved continuing professional development seminar. Those attending the Tire Mechanics short course receive a certificate from the University of Akron.

Continue reading Tire Technology Expo: IOM3-accredited short courses enrolling fast at Tire Technology International.

Gerd Hock, senior sales manager for tire industry at Siemens, discusses how automation and simulation are the solution to the challenges posed by growing and diversifying demand for tires.

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges currently facing the tire industry?

Demand for tires keeps increasing every year. Not just the volume of tires, but also the variety of different tire models grows, due to the large number of different cars on the market. Tire production therefore needs to become more flexible and react more quickly to fulfill customers’ requirements, like higher tire variances.

Continue reading Tire Technology Expo: Exhibitor interview – Gerd Hock, Siemens at Tire Technology International.