Shafaqna English- Iran’s Barez Industrial Group, in cooperation with the country’s first and largest nanosilica manufacturer, Fadak Group Technologies, has incorporated the locally developed nanomaterial into tire production, replacing carbon black to reduce environmental impacts while cutting production costs by about 30%.
The achievement followed four years of joint work and has now reached the commercial stage. The locally produced nanosilica has also improved several tire performance characteristics, including wear resistance, steel cord-to-rubber adhesion and rolling resistance, which can help reduce fuel consumption.
Nanosilica, made up of silicon dioxide nanoparticles with a highly active surface and porous structure, is increasingly used in advanced tire production as an alternative to some conventional materials. By interacting with polymer chains in rubber compounds, the nanomaterial can enhance several performance properties of tires.
Barez, one of the major tire manufacturers in the Middle East, has pursued the development of so-called “green” tires as part of efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. Carbon black is commonly used in tire manufacturing to improve mechanical properties, but its production and the recycling of tires containing it pose environmental challenges.
The company began looking for alternatives and, following an innovation challenge and cooperation with Iran’s Nano Technology Development Council, launched the project with Fadak Group Technologies. The technology company synthesized nanosilica tailored to Barez’s technical requirements and incorporated it into the rubber compound.
The locally produced material also improved steel cord-to-rubber adhesion through more uniform distribution in the rubber compound, a property that can contribute to tire safety at high speeds and when negotiating sharp turns.
Before domestic production, nanosilica supplies were largely dependent on imports from countries including Germany and Japan, increasing production costs and exposing the tire industry to fluctuations in global markets. Domestic production has reduced that dependence and, according to the companies, cut the tire’s final production cost by about 30%.
Barez has also brought several other nanotechnology-based tire products to market, including bias tires for road-construction vehicles, radial SUV, bus and truck tires, agricultural bias tires and passenger-car radial tires.
Source: Nano