RRI inspecting inspecting light truck tire

SRI is pleased to announce 2,500km mark of the RRI on the road validation trials of our light truck tires  has been passed successfully. The RRI results confirm no appreciable difference in abrasion resistance and performance to date. SRI will be clearing the 5,000km mark in the coming week. This is a significant performance marker for new tires. SRI now expects to quickly progress through the protocol so that we may carry out the required tests with European Light truck compounds.

Dr. Alias Othman the Director of the Technology and Engineering and Puan. Che Su Head of the Advance Technology unit were on hand to witness the historic event and take a close look at the tires and measurements taken.

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This chart involves a full battery of tests where control sample production tire and SRI Compound production tire were independently subjected to the full ASTM standard tests (Standard Test reference is on the chart) for Light Truck tires. All the information on the chart is important. The SRI Compound Tire is a composite compound using the manufacturers Light Truck compound with a substitution of 20% with our SRI Compound.

In this case it means that tread compound has 14% of recycled content and the sidewall of the tire has a little more than 14% recycled content. Virgin compound modified to allow for customization added to the activated compound will make the final custom compound proportion 20%. Here the tensile, elongation at break and Abrasion resistance (the lower the value the better) of the all the samples are tested following the protocols of the prescribed standard by the Rubber Research Institute’s (http://www.lgm.gov.my/) Tire Lab of the Malaysian Rubber Board.

On review of the results it will show that in spite of the inclusion or substitution of 20% (in this case 14% recycled material content) without custom compound that we were able to ensure no loss in properties, in fact we were able to prove that we could even exceed the original specifications in certain cases. Also the fact that we have done it in the sidewall and tread compounds makes it all the more impressive.

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This (above) chart is a comparison of the manufacturers Light Truck Tire Compound and a composite compound which is the same compound with 20% substituted with the  SRI Custom Compound (14% recycled rubber content). These compounds, the control and the composite were then tested for tensile and elongation at break to show that there is no appreciable loss or change in properties.

In the case of Batches 6 & 7 we increased the recycled content a little but please note that the variance is considered near test error difference. Regardless we feel that all the results are impressive and make our point without exception.

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The plunger test effectively measures the amount of force required to make the tire that has been normally inflated to fail or burst when it is applied to a specified area of the side wall using a regulation test plunger. The minimum specification to pass the test is that the point of failure or bursting must be achieved due to force in excess of 6,759kg.cm or 5,700 in.lb.

The control or manufacturers original OEM compound tire was measured to require a force of 7,029kg.cm to make the plunger break through.

The  SRI custom compound tires not only passed the minimum specification but it managed to comfortably exceed the control at 7,798kg.cm and 8,800 kg.cm.

This test is of specific significance as the  SRI activated compound was not only incorporated into the tread compound but it was also introduced into the sidewall compound. This test is not only measuring the overall resistance of the tire to measured trauma but it is a test that points clearly to the performance level of the side wall compound. The  SRI compound in the current format was intended to be equal to the control specification; this was achieved and exceeded which leaves additional room for further cost reduction based on the sidewall formulation.

All these test results were the result of independent testing and evaluation by the Rubber Research Institute of the Malaysian Rubber Board.

Based on these test results, what has been achieved here is historic, there has never been a case of scrap rubber/tire dust or powder, regardless of the technology employed that has ever exceeded a couple of percentile. Before this innovation exceeding 2 plus % recycled content in a tire compound always meant what is referred to in the industry as “catastrophic failure”. History has been rewritten, the  SRI custom compound has been able to incorporate more than 14% recycled content in both the tread and sidewall compounds of a light truck tire and actually had it provide performance parameters equal to and higher than the original compound. Obviously the content levels would be substantially higher in lower to medium level applications.  SRI is currently unmatched having broken new technological ground in recycling whose impact and significance will be effect the entire rubber industry.

SRI’s revolutionary compound’s, technical reach and ability to perform in premium volume applications will not only ensure substantially improved viability for rubber product manufacturers but will make environmentally friendly “green” production the norm rather than the exception. Finally there is a real solution to the “Tire Mountains” and the environmental pollution from them.  SRI activated custom compounds allow for substantial recycled content to be applied in nearly all volume applications cost effectively without appreciable loss of properties.