University of Twente’s tire wear test passes muster with researchers

Dutch researchers at the University of Twente have unveiled a simple yet credible lab method to study tire wear initiation by focusing on the earliest local contact event using a scratch-based test. Instead of full-scale wear testing, the team—led by Prof. Dr. Anke Blume and Dr. Pilar Bernal Ortega—designed a setup with an indenter, sample holder, controlled motion, and force measurement units to analyze deformation, crack initiation, and cutting under controlled conditions. Speaking at the Endurica community conference in Belval, Luxembourg (May 5–6, 2025), they emphasized that despite its lack of ‘scientific elegance,’ the system delivers meaningful outputs, including measurements of frictional force, normal force, penetration behavior, coefficient of friction, and visual evidence of damage progression. The scratch testing method proved repeatable and usable as a screening tool, capable of identifying four key deformation stages: elastic deformation, ploughing, tearing, and cutting. This makes it a valuable aid for specialists working on tread compounds, abrasion resistance, or frictional behavior. Tire wear is influenced by multiple overlapping variables, including compound design, filler system, hysteresis, contact mechanics, and environmental conditions. In their study, the researchers compared natural rubber and SBR systems reinforced with either carbon black or silica. The results showed that silica-filled natural rubber performed unexpectedly well in the test, even outperforming silica-filled SBR—such as that used in truck tires and earthmover compounds. This surprising outcome suggests deeper investigation into mechanisms like strain crystallization, elasticity, crosslink structure, filler networking, and crack propagation resistance. The team believes their lab scratch test, which can generate particles in a relevant size range, holds significant potential for industrial applications. It could serve as both a screening tool and a platform for controlled particle generation studies, particularly as the industry focuses on tire and road wear particles. The Endurica community conference, themed ‘Dimensions of durability,’ highlighted the growing importance of fracture mechanical analysis and simulation modeling in rubber materials and product R&D.