Goodyear extends tire, material research with Luxembourg university

Luxembourg – Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) have extended their collaboration to continue research on tire and material development. 

The strategic partnership builds on previous collaboration started in 2017 and will both leverage previous achievements as well as “new technological avenues”, said Goodyear 26 April.

The partners previously worked on materials research, structure-property relationship understanding, as well as data science.

The second phase of partnership includes strategic programmes comprising more than 30 projects, according to Goodyear.

Spanning six years, the new contract will look into advancing sustainability and digitalisation within the tire industry.

In terms of sustainability, the focus will be on tire products developed with bio-based and recyclable materials.

The digitalisation aspect will study data science and its application for accelerating sensor prototyping timeline and efficacy.

The data programme will help Goodyear engineers develop, test and validate tire models early in the development cycle.

This will enable them to identify “the best-performing tires before building a first prototype,” the tire maker said.

The partnership will also focus on the development of sensors capable of real-time monitoring of tire wear, which will enhance safety and maintenance procedures.

Additionally, the teams will carry out R&D projects in energy harvesting and storage for wireless sensors, to improve durability and efficiency over time.

An end-of-life tires (ELT) programme will target the potential development of new materials and processing technology to help improve the reuse of end-of-life tires.

Furthermore, a joint project on structure-process-property relationships will aim to “better understand complex correlations of characterisation results and material performance.”

“We are dedicated to developing tires that are not only better performing and smarter but also more sustainable for both users and the planet,” said Damien Lenoble, director of the materials department at LIST.