Webinar: The Green Tire 102: Silica Dispersion
Original Run Date: February 16, 2021 | download below >
The tire industry presents frequent discourses on the “magic triangle,” a practical model of tire performance as a tradeoff between traction, treadwear, and rolling resistance. These performance characteristics are heavily influenced by tread compounding ingredients and methods, especially the dispersion of reinforcing materials within the compound.
In this webinar, the second in a three-part series on green tire chemistry, Smithers experts Christine Domer and Walter Waddell will examine the results of a multi-year study that was conducted in the Smithers compounding laboratory in Akron, Ohio. The webinar will discuss the design of the experiment, selection of silica materials, mixing equipment options, and mixing sequences to optimize dispersion for performance. Domer and Waddell will share high resolution electron images and detailed charts measuring silica dispersion outcomes of different mixing methods.
Finally, Domer and Waddell will tie what their team learned about optimizing the dispersion and mixing of silicas into low rolling resistance tire treads to the implications of the study’s results for green tire performance.
This webinar is the second in a three-part series on green tire chemistry, designed to help attendees understand the important parameters of a passenger car tire tread materials that successfully expand the magic triangle of tire performance.
- Part 1: Tread compounding with performance materials | January 19, 2021
- Part 3: Silanization reaction of silica with organosilanes | Wednesday, March 17, 2021
About the Presenters
Christine DomerChristine has over 30 years of material science experience in the tire and rubber industries, with special expertise in raw materials, cure development engineering, compounding, reinforcements, and processing in both tire and non-tire applications. Christine joined the Smithers team in 2016 and is General Manager of the Akron Laboratories (both chemical and physical labs) and the Smithers Tire Analysis Report.
Walter Waddell
Walter H. Waddell is an independent consultant for Smithers. He retired from ExxonMobil Chemical and worked at Carnegie-Mellon University, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, and PPG. He has a B.S. and Ph.D. in chemistry, 37 patents, 157 publications, and 173 presentations.