Continental, the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), and the Ecole Normale Superieure de Lyon in France have obtained a grant for a combined basic research project worth 43 million core hours of supercomputer time. Since 2014, the team has been working to advance fundamental understanding of tyre and road wear particles. Its purpose is to learn more about rubber polymer decomposition in order to better understand tyre wear.
The simulations of the behaviour of complicated polymer structures that go along with it take a long time. As a result, the project partners filed for the PRACE programme (Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe). They can now do polymer simulations in greater depth and on a larger scale thanks to the digital computer capability they've been given.
"With the help of the supercomputer, we can for the first time perform comprehensive simulations on molecular level. The results of this basic research will contribute to a more complete understanding of the formation of tyre and road wear particles, and enable us to design the materials we use for tyre construction even more sustainably in the future," says Dr. Andreas Topp, Head of Materials, Process Development and Industrialization of the Tyres business area at Continental.
The support comes in the form of access to the CEA's Very Large Computing Center (TGCC) in Bruyeres-le-Chatel, France, which houses the 9.4 petaflops Joliot-Curie supercomputer. It is one of the fastest supercomputers in the European Union, with a speed of 1,000 trillion calculations per second. In today's science, supercomputers are used to simulate particularly huge and complicated data sets so that they may be analysed efficiently later, in addition to theory and experiment. Continental, for example, employs supercomputers to create future assisted, automated, and autonomous driving technology.
Many issues about tyre and road wear particles are still unresolved. "In recent years, we have systematically invested in the research and development of new, sustainable production processes as well as materials to make future tyres even more energy-efficient and sustainable. Such processes are technologically very demanding and require a fundamental understanding of the tyre material at various levels," says Dr. Peter Zmolek, Head of Materials Technology Research and Development of the Tyres business area at Continental.
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He adds, "Our joint research project combines state-of-the-art calculation methods and innovative experimental approaches that give us a comprehensive understanding of the behaviour of currently used materials. This technical knowledge is an important reference point, especially when evaluating new materials in terms of their ability to further reduce rolling resistance and tyre wear, as well as providing a fundamental understanding of how to recycle polymer chains from end-of-life tyres."
Tyres' primary role is to provide maximum grip in any traffic situation. Grip ensures safety when accelerating and braking. However, Combined wear particles from the material of the tyre tread and the road surface result from the transmission of power during this phase. Continental's goal is to reduce the environmental impact of tyre and road wear particles through better tyre design. Continental's tyre development is guided by the goal of continuously improving mileage and wear rate without jeopardising safety.
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Continental invests time consistently in research and development of new technology, alternative materials, and environmentally friendly manufacturing processes. Through these initiatives, the premium tyre producer hopes to gradually migrate to 100 percent sustainably generated materials in its tyre products by 2050 at the latest. Continental participates in a number of organisations, programmes, and initiatives devoted to tyre and road wear research, as well as maintaining ongoing dialogue with international institutions, government agencies, and other industrial sectors.
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