Vehicle and tyre

70% of world rubber consumption goes into the tyre industry. The growth in world tyre production has been in response to the growth in the automotive industry. Consequently, tyre production has been a driving force behind growth in the world elastomer industry. At the same time, the improvement in quality and variety of elastomers has enabled the tyre industry to achieve its goals of providing grip, control, safety, comfort and other important features of tyres. The progress of the elastomer industry will help to improve the quality of tyres, while the growth of the tyre industry will not only have an impact on total elastomer demand, but also on different types of rubber required such as high technology elastomers.

The basic performance requirements of tyres are to cushion the vehicle, to carry and to transport the load, to enable cornering at reasonable speeds and to resist abrasion. Tyres are subject to various standards such as rolling resistance, steering response, directional stability, wet traction, impact resistance, puncture resistance, speed and runflat capability, weather resistance, low cost and high mileage. The tyre designer is faced with the impossible task of trying to satisfy all the needs of the vehicle manufacturers and the consumers, and is therefore forced to seek a compromise, often with an emphasis on safety and long tread life.

The three major components of a tyre are its tread, carcass and sidewall. The approximate amount of rubber, both natural rubber (NR) and synthetic rubber (SR), in these three components are 35, 35 and 15 per cent, respectively with the remaining 15 per cent in the liner. The elastomer content of a car tyre varies from 3.7 kg/tyre in Japan to 5.0 kg/tyre in the USA and Germany; and for commercial vehicle (CV), from 9.24 kg/tyre in Japan to 24.28 kg/tyre in the UK. In addition to rubber, a variety of other raw materials are used in the production of tyres, including tyre cord, carbon black (or in modern day green tyres silica based compounds), curatives, antidegradants, reinforcing fibers and processing oils. The composition of a tyre has changed over the years, reflecting trends in raw material markets and the growing diversity of tyre types and specifications.

The choice of different types of rubber used in manufacturing tyres depends on prices, processing and service requirements. Processability includes the ease with which rubber can be mixed, shaped and vulcanized, together with its convenience in terms of presentation. The price of rubber is an important factor as it dictates what level of different types of rubbers are bought, which in turn affects the manufacturing routines such as formulations, mixing procedures, vulcanization conditions, etc. This will have an effect on the overall manufacturing cost. The final criterion is the requirement of consumers.

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