Michelin launches project to study tire degradation

Clermont-Ferrand, France – Michelin Group, French national scientific research centre (CNRS) and the University of Clermont Auvergne (UCA) have launched a project to study the degradation of rubber in tires.

The partners opened a joint research laboratory, called BioDLab, on 6 Dec, dedicated to the project, which aims to “better understand” the degradation process associated with tire use.

The technical facility will work towards addressing environmental issues such as tire wear particle emissions, explained a 19 Dec release by Michelin.

The four-year project, it said, aims to “develop tools that allow identifying specific solutions so that wear particles are bio-assimilable by the environment”.

Combining materials, chemistry and microbiology, the collaboration expects to develop methods to evaluate elastomer degradation and improve understanding of the mechanisms involved.

The research will also employ advanced imaging and thermochemical analysis to study the degradation of diene double-bonds in tire rubber and its degradation by microorganisms or enzymes.

The project will involve 20 members of the Clermont-Ferrand Institute of Chemistry (University of Clermont Auvergne/CNRS) and “a dozen employees” from Michelin's R&D department.

“For several years, the [Michelin] group has been committed to reducing the abrasion of its tires,” said R&D director Eric-Philippe Vinesse.

Using its expertise in materials optimisation, Vinesse said Michelin had reduced wear emissions of its tires by 5% between 2015 and 2020.

The French group "has always been in favour of setting regulatory thresholds for tire abrasion to limit emissions of wear particles worldwide,” he added.

In this sense, Vinesse went on to say that Michelin “has actively supported the recommendations of the European Commission (Euro 7 standard).”